ShanState, a state in northern Myanmar, located in the landlocked eastern part of the country, covering an area of 155,800 square kilometers, with a population of about 6.33 million in 2019, of which 60% are Shan. The capital is in the city of Dongzhi, making it the largest and most populous state in Myanmar. According to 1996 statistics, the population of Shan State consists of at least 26 ethnic groups, with 60% Shan and a large number of Chinese, making it a major northern Myanmar Chinese settlement. The administrative region is mainly divided into Northern Shan State, Southern Shan State and Eastern Shan State. Shan State is mostly teak forests, with rice cultivation as the mainstay, as well as corn, wheat, tobacco, tea and so on. There are silver, lead, zinc and copper mines near Nandu in the north. There are railroads in the north and west, leading to central Burma from Lashio and Dongzhi respectively. The highway from Wanchang to Lashio in China is an important channel for land transportation between China and Myanmar. Within the Shan State are the political and military entities of Kokang, Wa and Mongla, which are nominally part of the Shan State. Historically, Shan State was a territory under the jurisdiction of the Tois, occupied by the British in modern times, and then annexed to Burma after independence. The conflict between Shan State and the Burmese government was so acute that Shan State declared its independence from the Union of Burma in 1993.