 Definition  Field Listing  Rank
Order
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Background: |
Britain conquered Burma over a period of 62 years
(1824-1886) and incorporated it into its Indian Empire. Burma was
administered as a province of India until 1937 when it became a
separate, self-governing colony; independence outside of the
Commonwealth was attained in 1948. Gen. NE WIN dominated the
government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as
president, and later as political kingmaker. Despite multiparty
elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the
National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory,
the ruling junta refused to hand over power. NLD leader and Nobel
Peace Prize recipient AUNG SAN SUU KYI, who was under house arrest
from 1989 to 1995 and 2000 to 2002, was arrested in May 2003 and is
currently under house arrest. Her supporters are routinely harassed
or jailed. Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
|
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Location: |
Southeastern
Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between
Bangladesh and Thailand |
|
Geographic coordinates: |
22 00 N, 98
00 E |
|
Map references: |
Southeast
Asia |
|
Area: |
total:
678,500 sq km
land: 657,740 sq km
water:
20,760 sq km |
|
Area - comparative: |
slightly
smaller than Texas |
|
Land boundaries: |
total: 5,876 km
border countries: Bangladesh
193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800
km |
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Coastline: |
1,930 km
|
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Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental
shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
|
Climate: |
tropical
monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June
to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower
humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April) |
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Terrain: |
central
lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands |
|
Elevation extremes: |
lowest
point: Andaman Sea 0 m
highest point: Hkakabo Razi
5,881 m |
|
Natural resources: |
petroleum,
timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some
marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower |
|
Land use: |
arable
land: 15.19%
permanent crops: 0.97%
other:
83.84% (2001) |
|
Irrigated land: |
15,920 sq km
(1998 est.) |
|
Natural hazards: |
destructive
earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during
rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts |
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Environment - current issues: |
deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water;
inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease
|
|
Environment - international agreements: |
party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note: |
strategic
location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Population: |
42,720,196
note: estimates for this country take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure: |
0-14
years: 27.6% (male 6,023,874; female 5,774,055)
15-64
years: 67.5% (male 14,317,308; female 14,504,500)
65
years and over: 4.9% (male 927,570; female 1,172,889) (2004
est.) |
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Median age: |
total: 25.7 years
male: 25.2 years
female: 26.3 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate: |
0.47% (2004
est.) |
|
Birth rate: |
18.64
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate: |
12.16
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate: |
-1.8
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio: |
at
birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04
male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65
years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate: |
total:
68.78 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 74.78 deaths/1,000
live births
female: 62.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2004
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 56.01 years
male: 54.22 years
female: 57.9 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate: |
2.08 children
born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
1.2% (2003
est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
330,000 (2003
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
20,000 (2003
est.) |
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Nationality: |
noun:
Burmese (singular and plural)
adjective: Burmese |
|
Ethnic groups: |
Burman 68%,
Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other
5% |
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Religions: |
Buddhist
89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%,
animist 1%, other 2% |
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Languages: |
Burmese,
minority ethnic groups have their own languages |
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Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.3%
male: 89.2%
female: 81.4% (2002) Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Country name: |
conventional long form: Union of Burma
conventional short form: Burma
local long
form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the US
Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of
Myanmar)
local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw
former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma
note: since 1989 the military authorities in Burma have
promoted the name Myanmar as a conventional name for their state;
this decision was not approved by any sitting legislature in Burma,
and the US Government did not adopt the name, which is a derivative
of the Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw |
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Government type: |
military
regime |
|
Capital: |
Rangoon
(regime refers to the capital as Yangon) |
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Administrative divisions: |
7 divisions
(taing-myar, singular - taing) and 7 states (pyi ne-myar, singular -
pyi ne)
: divisions: Ayeyarwady, Bago, Magway, Mandalay,
Sagaing, Tanintharyi, Yangon
: states: Chin State, Kachin
State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Mon State, Rakhine State, Shan
State |
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Independence: |
4 January
1948 (from UK) |
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National holiday: |
Independence
Day, 4 January (1948) |
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Constitution: |
3 January
1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988); national convention
started on 9 January 1993 to draft a new constitution; progress has
since been stalled |
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Legal system: |
has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage: |
18 years of
age; universal |
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Executive branch: |
chief of
state: Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Sr.
Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992)
head of government:
Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Sr. Gen. THAN
SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note - the appointed Prime Minister,
Gen. KNIN NYUNT (since 25 August 2003), is not the head of
government
cabinet: State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC); military junta, so named 15 November 1997, which initially
assumed power 18 September 1988 under the name State Law and Order
Restoration Council; the SPDC oversees the cabinet
elections: none |
|
Legislative branch: |
unicameral
People's Assembly or Pyithu Hluttaw (485 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last
held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never convened
election
results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NLD
392, SNLD 23, NUP 10, other 60 |
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Judicial branch: |
remnants of
the British-era legal system are in place, but there is no guarantee
of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not independent of the
executive |
|
Political parties and leaders: |
National
League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN SUU KYI,
general secretary]; National Unity Party or NUP (progovernment) [THA
KYAW]; Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [KHUN HTUN
OO]; and other smaller parties |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders: |
All Burma
Student Democratic Front or ABSDF; Kachin Independence Army or KIA;
Karen National Union or KNU; National Coalition Government of the
Union of Burma or NCGUB [Dr. SEIN WIN] consists of individuals
legitimately elected to the People's Assembly but not recognized by
the military regime (the group fled to a border area and joined with
insurgents in December 1990 to form a parallel government); several
Shan factions; United Wa State Army or UWSA; Union Solidarity and
Development Association or USDA (progovernment, a social and
political organization) [THAN AUNG, general secretary] |
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International organization participation: |
ARF, AsDB,
ASEAN, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador LINN MYAING
chancery: 2300 S
Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202)
332-9044
FAX: [1] (202) 332-9046
consulate(s)
general: New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Permanent Charge d'Affaires Carmen M. MARTINEZ
embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521)
mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546
telephone: [95] (1) 379 880, 379 881
FAX: [95]
(1) 256 018 |
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Flag description: |
red with a
blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing, 14 white
five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel containing a stalk of rice;
the 14 stars represent the 14 administrative divisions
Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Economy - overview: |
Burma is a
resource-rich country that suffers from government controls and
abject rural poverty. The military regime took steps in the early
1990s to liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the
"Burmese Way to Socialism", but those efforts have since stalled.
Burma has been unable to achieve monetary or fiscal stability,
resulting in an economy that suffers from serious macroeconomic
imbalances - including a steep inflation rate and an official
exchange rate that overvalues the Burmese kyat by more than 100
times the market rate. In addition, most overseas development
assistance ceased after the junta suppressed the democracy movement
in 1988 and subsequently ignored the results of the 1990 election. A
crisis in the private banking sector in early 2003 followed by
economic moves against Burma by the United States, the European
Union, and Japan - including a US ban on imports from Burma and a
Japanese freeze on new bilateral economic aid - further weakened the
Burmese economy. Burma is data poor, and official statistics are
often dated and inaccurate. Published estimates of Burma's foreign
trade are greatly understated because of the size of the black
market and border trade - often estimated to be one to two times the
official economy. Better relations with foreign countries and
relaxed controls at home are needed to promote foreign investment,
exports, and tourism. In February 2003, a major banking crisis hit
the country's 20 private banks, shutting them down and disrupting
the economy. In July and August 2003, the United States imposed a
ban on all Burmese imports and a ban on provision of financial
services, hampering Burma's ability to obtain foreign exchange. As
of January 2004, the largest private banks remained moribund,
leaving the private sector with little formal access to credit
outside of government contracts. |
|
GDP: |
purchasing
power parity - $74.53 billion (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate: |
-0.5% (2003
est.) |
|
GDP - per capita: |
purchasing
power parity - $1,800 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 57.2%
industry: 9.6%
services: 33.1% (2003 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed): |
11.8% of GDP
(2003) |
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Population below poverty line: |
25% (2000
est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share: |
lowest
10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 32.4% (1998) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
49.7% (2003
est.) |
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Labor force: |
22.14 million
(2003 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture
70%, industry 7%, services 23% (2001 est.) |
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Unemployment rate: |
4.2% (2003)
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Budget: |
revenues: $7.9 billion
expenditures: $12.2
billion, including capital expenditures of $5.7 billion (FY96/97)
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Agriculture - products: |
rice,
pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane; hardwood; fish and
fish products |
|
Industries: |
agricultural
processing; knit and woven apparel; wood and wood products; copper,
tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals;
fertilizer; cement |
|
Industrial production growth rate: |
NA |
|
Electricity - production: |
6.139 billion
kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption: |
5.709 billion
kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (2001)
|
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Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (2001)
|
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Oil - production: |
18,590
bbl/day (2002 est.) |
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Oil - consumption: |
38,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports: |
NA (2001)
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Oil - imports: |
NA (2001)
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Oil - proved reserves: |
115 million
bbl (1 January 2003) |
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Natural gas - production: |
7.35 billion
cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption: |
2.15 billion
cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports: |
5.2 billion
cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports: |
0 cu m (2001
est.) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves: |
314.4 billion
cu m (1 January 2003) |
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Current account balance: |
$-35 million
(2003) |
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Exports: |
$2.434
billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities: |
Clothing,
gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice |
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Exports - partners: |
Thailand
30.3%, US 9.8%, India 9%, China 5.6%, Japan 4.6% (2003 est.) |
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Imports: |
$2.071
billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities: |
Fabric,
petroleum products, plastics, machinery, transport equipment,
construction materials, crude oil; food products |
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Imports - partners: |
China 28.9%,
Singapore 20.8%, Thailand 14%, Malaysia 9.3%, South Korea 5.5%,
Taiwan 5.1%, Japan 4% (2003 est.) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: |
$562 million
(2003) |
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Debt - external: |
$6.011
billion (2003 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient: |
$127 million
(2001 est.) |
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Currency: |
kyat (MMK)
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Currency code: |
MMK |
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Exchange rates: |
kyats per US
dollar - 6.0764 (2003), 6.5734 (2002), 6.6841 (2001), 6.5167 (2000),
6.2858 (1999)
note: these are official exchange rates;
unofficial exchange rates ranged in 2003 from 100 kyat/US dollar to
nearly 1000 kyat/US dollar |
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Fiscal year: |
1 April - 31
March Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Railways: |
total:
3,955 km
narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
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Highways: |
total:
28,200 km
paved: 3,440 km
unpaved: 24,760 km
(1996 est.) |
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Waterways: |
12,800 km
(2004) |
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Pipelines: |
gas 2,056
km; oil 558 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors: |
Bhamo,
Chauk, Mandalay, Moulmein, Myitkyina, Pathein, Rangoon, Sittwe,
Tavoy |
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Merchant marine: |
total: 31 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 384,529 GRT/608,609
DWT
by type: bulk 8, cargo 18, container 1,
passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1
foreign-owned:
Germany 6, Japan 4 (2003 est.) |
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Airports: |
79 (2003
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047
m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 70
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to
2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914
m: 32 (2003 est.) |
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Heliports: |
1 (2003
est.) Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Military branches: |
Army, Navy,
Air Force |
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Military manpower - military age: |
18 years of
age (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 12,450,884
females age 15-49: 12,457,077
note: both sexes liable for military service (2004 est.)
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Military manpower - fit for military
service: |
males age
15-49: 6,609,995
females age 15-49: 6,595,611 (2004
est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age
annually: |
males: 441,333
females: 440,914 (2004 est.)
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Military expenditures - dollar figure: |
$39 million
(FY97) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.1% (FY97)
Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
|
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Disputes - international: |
despite
continuing border committee talks, significant differences remain
with Thailand over boundary alignment and the handling of ethnic
rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities; groups in
Burma and Thailand express concern over China's construction of 13
hydroelectric dams on the Salween River in Yunnan Province; India
seeks cooperation from Burma to keep out Indian Nagaland insurgents
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Illicit drugs: |
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