|
|
|
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
from the Commonwealth was attained in 1948. Gen. NE WIN
dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as
military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and
later as political kingpin. Despite multiparty
legislative 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 imprisoned in
May 2003 and is currently under house arrest. In
December 2004, the junta announced it was extending her
detention for at least an additional year. Her
supporters, as well as all those who promote democracy
and improved human rights, are routinely harassed or
jailed. |
|
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 |
|
Coastline:
|
1,930 km
|
|
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) |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
Geography - note:
|
strategic
location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes |
|
Population:
|
42,909,464
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 2005
est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14
years: 27.2% (male 5,967,487/female 5,717,795)
15-64 years: 67.8% (male 14,448,887/female
14,641,419)
65 years and over: 5% (male 939,092/female
1,194,784) (2005 est.) |
|
Median age:
|
total:
26.14 years
male: 25.57 years
female: 26.72 years (2005 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
0.42%
(2005 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
18.11
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
|
Death rate:
|
12.15
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
|
Net migration rate:
|
-1.8
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
|
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 (2005 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total:
67.24 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 73.11 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 61.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total
population: 60.7 years
male: 57.8 years
female: 63.78 years (2005 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
2.01
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
1.2%
(2003 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
330,000
(2003 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
20,000
(2003 est.) |
|
Major infectious diseases:
|
degree
of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and
protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
are high risks in some locations (2004) |
|
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% |
|
Religions:
|
Buddhist
89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%),
Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2% |
|
Languages:
|
Burmese,
minority ethnic groups have their own languages |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.3%
male: 89.2%
female: 81.4% (2002) |
|
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 |
|
Government type:
|
military
junta |
|
Capital:
|
Rangoon
(government refers to the capital as Yangon) |
|
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 |
|
Independence:
|
4 January
1948 (from UK) |
|
National holiday:
|
Independence Day, 4 January (1948); Union Day, 12
February (1947) |
|
Constitution:
|
3 January
1974; suspended since 18 September 1988; national
convention convened in 1993 to draft a new constitution
but collapsed in 1996; reconvened in 2004 but does not
include participation of democratic opposition |
|
Legal system:
|
has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
|
Suffrage:
|
18 years
of age; universal |
|
Executive branch:
|
chief
of state: Chairman of the State Peace and
Development Council Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April
1992)
head of government: Prime Minister, Gen SOE WIN
(since 19 October 2004)
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 (SLORC); 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 allowed by junta to convene
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - NLD 392 (opposition), SNLD 23
(opposition), NUP 10 (pro-government), other 60 |
|
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 (pro-government) [THA KYAW]; Shan Nationalities
League for Democracy or SNLD [KHUN HTUN OO]; and other
smaller parties |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders:
|
National
Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or NCGUB
(self-proclaimed government in exile) ["Prime Minister"
Dr. SEIN WIN] consists of individuals, some legitimately
elected to the People's Assembly in 1990 (the group fled
to a border area and joined insurgents in December 1990
to form parallel government in exile); Kachin
Independence Army or KIA; Karen National Union or KNU;
several Shan factions; United Wa State Army or UWSA;
Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA
(pro-government, a social and political organization)
[THAN AUNG, general secretary] |
|
International organization participation:
|
APT, 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, WTO |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
chief
of mission: vacant
chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-9044
FAX: [1] (202) 332-9046
consulate(s) general: New York |
|
Diplomatic representation from the US:
|
chief
of mission: 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 |
|
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 7
administrative divisions and 7 states |
|
Economy - overview:
|
Burma is
a resource-rich country that suffers from government
controls, inefficient economic policies, and abject
rural poverty. The junta 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 and some of the liberalization measures
have been rescinded. Burma has been unable to achieve
monetary or fiscal stability, resulting in an economy
that suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances -
including inflation and multiple official exchange rates
that overvalue the Burmese kyat. In addition, most
overseas development assistance ceased after the junta
began to suppress the democracy movement in 1988 and
subsequently ignored the results of the 1990 legislative
elections. Economic sanctions against Burma by the
United States - including a ban on imports of Burmese
products and a ban on provision of financial services by
US persons in response to the government of Burma's
attack in May 2003 on AUNG SAN SUU KYI and her convoy -
further slowed the inflow of foreign exchange. Official
statistics are inaccurate. Published statistics on
foreign trade are greatly understated because of the
size of the black market and unofficial border trade -
often estimated to be one to two times the size of the
official economy. Though the Burmese government has good
economic relations with its neighbors, a better
investment climate and an improved political situation
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. As of January 2004, the largest
private banks remained moribund, leaving the private
sector with little formal access to credit. |
|
GDP (purchasing power parity):
|
$74.3
billion (2004 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
-1.3%
(2004 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2004 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 56.6%
industry: 8.8%
services: 34.5% (2004 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
27.01
million (2004 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture 70%, industry 7%, services 23% (2001 est.)
|
|
Unemployment rate:
|
5.2%
(2004 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
25% (2000
est.) |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest
10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 32.4% (1998) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
17.2%
(2004 est.) |
|
Investment (gross fixed):
|
10.2% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $474.9 million
expenditures: $955.5 million, including capital
expenditures of $5.7 billion (2004 est.) |
|
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:
|
5.068
billion kWh (2003) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil
fuel: 44.5%
hydro: 43.4%
nuclear: 0%
other: 12.1% (2002) |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
3.484
billion kWh (2003) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh
(2002) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh
(2004) |
|
Oil - production:
|
17,550
bbl/day (2003 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
60,950
bbl/day (2003 est.) |
|
Oil - exports:
|
3,356
bbl/day (2003) |
|
Oil - imports:
|
49,230
bbl/day (2003) |
|
Oil - proved reserves:
|
3.2
billion bbl (2003) |
|
Natural gas - production:
|
9.98
billion cu m (2003 est.) |
|
Natural gas - consumption:
|
1.569
billion cu m (2003 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports:
|
8.424
billion cu m (2003 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports:
|
0 cu m
(2003 est.) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
2.46
trillion cu m (2003) |
|
Current account balance:
|
$-185
million (2004 est.) |
|
Exports:
|
$2.137
billion f.o.b.
note: official export figures are grossly
underestimated due to the value of timber, gems,
narcotics, rice, and other products smuggled to
Thailand, China, and Bangladesh (2004 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
clothing,
gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice |
|
Exports - partners:
|
Thailand
37.8%, India 11.7%, China 6%, Japan 5.3% (2004) |
|
Imports:
|
$1.754
billion f.o.b.
note: import figures are grossly underestimated
due to the value of consumer goods, diesel fuel, and
other products smuggled in from Thailand, China,
Malaysia, and India (2004 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
fabric,
petroleum products, plastics, machinery, transport
equipment, construction materials, crude oil; food
products |
|
Imports - partners:
|
China
29.8%, Singapore 20.8%, Thailand 19.3%, South Korea
5.2%, Malaysia 4.8% (2004) |
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|
$590
million (2004 est.) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$6.752
billion (2004 est.) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$127
million (2001 est.) |
|
Currency (code):
|
kyat (MMK)
|
|
Currency code:
|
MMK |
|
Exchange rates:
|
kyats per
US dollar - 5.7459 (2004), 6.0764 (2003), 6.5734 (2002),
6.6841 (2001), 6.4257 (2000)
note: these are official exchange rates;
unofficial exchange rates ranged in 2004 from 815
kyat/US dollar to nearly 970 kyat/US dollar |
|
Fiscal year:
|
1 April -
31 March |
|
Telephones - main lines in use:
|
357,300
(2003) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular:
|
66,500
(2003) |
|
Telephone system:
|
general assessment: barely meets minimum
requirements for local and intercity service for
business and government; international service is fair
domestic: NA
international: country code - 95; satellite earth
station - 2, Intelsat (Indian Ocean), and ShinSat |
|
Radio broadcast stations:
|
AM 1, FM
1 (2004) |
|
Radios:
|
4.2
million (1997) |
|
Television broadcast stations:
|
2 (2004)
|
|
Televisions:
|
320,000
(2000) |
|
Internet country code:
|
.mm |
|
Internet hosts:
|
3 (2003)
|
|
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
|
1
note: as of September 2000, Internet connections
were legal only for the government, tourist offices, and
a few large businesses (2000) |
|
Internet users:
|
28,000
(2003) |
|
Railways:
|
total:
3,955 km
narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2004) |
|
Highways:
|
total:
28,200 km
paved: 3,440 km
unpaved: 24,760 km (1996 est.) |
|
Waterways:
|
12,800 km
(2004) |
|
Pipelines:
|
gas 2,056
km; oil 558 km (2004) |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
Moulmein,
Rangoon, Sittwe |
|
Merchant marine:
|
total:
37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 429,144 GRT/659,622 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 19, passenger 3,
passenger/cargo 3, roll on'roll off 3, specialized
tanker 1
foreign-owned: 10 (Germany 4, Japan 5, United
Kingdom 1) (2005) |
|
Airports:
|
78 (2004
est.) |
|
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 (2004 est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total:
69
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914 m: 31 (2004 est.) |
|
Heliports:
|
1 (2004
est.) |
|
Military branches:
|
Myanmar
Armed Forces (Tatmadaw): Army, Navy, Air Force (2005)
|
|
Military service age and obligation:
|
18 years
of age for voluntary military service for both sexes
(May 2002) |
|
Manpower available for military service:
|
males
age 18-49: 11,254,374
females age 18-49: 11,303,100 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower fit for military service:
|
males
age 18-49: 6,512,923
females age 18-49: 6,789,720 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
|
males:
440,914
females: 427,382 (2005 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$39
million (FY97) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
2.1%
(FY97) |
|
Disputes - international:
|
over half
of Burma's population consists of diverse ethnic groups
with substantial numbers of kin beyond its borders;
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; ethnic Karens flee into
Thailand to escape fighting between Karen rebels and
Burmese troops, in 2004 Thailand sheltered about 118,000
Burmese refugees; Karens also protest Thai support for a
Burmese hydroelectric dam on the Salween River near the
border; environmentalists in Burma and Thailand continue
to voice concern over China's construction of
hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River
in Yunnan Province; India seeks cooperation from Burma
to keep Indian Nagaland separatists from hiding in
remote Burmese uplands |
|
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
|
IDPs:
600,000 - 1,000,000 (government offensives against
ethnic insurgent groups near borders; most IDPs are
ethnic Karen, Karenni, Shan, and Mon) (2004) |
|
Illicit drugs:
|
remains
world's second largest producer of illicit opium
(estimated production in 2004 - 292 metric tons, down
40% from 2003 due to eradication efforts and drought;
cultivation in 2004 - 30,900 hectares, a 34% decline
from 2003); lack of government will and ability to take
on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious
commitment against money laundering continues to hinder
the overall antidrug effort; major source of
methamphetamine and heroin for regional consumption;
currently under Financial Action Task Force
countermeasures due to continued failure to address its
inadequate money-laundering controls (2005) |
|
This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
|
|
| |
|
|
