The Bagan Archaeological Zone, defined as the 13 x 8 km area centred around Old Bagan, consisting of Nyaung U in the north and New Bagan in the south,[REF] lies in the vast expanse of plains in Upper Burma on the bend of the Irrawaddy river.
Bagan lies in the middle of the "dry zone" of Burma, the region roughly between Shwebo in the north and Pyay in the south.