|
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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. |
|
Location:
|
Southeastern
Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of
Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand |
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
22 00
N, 98 00 E |
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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
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of
the continental margin
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
|
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 |
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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:
|
42,720,196
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.) |
|
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.) |
|
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.) |
|
Death rate:
|
12.16
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
|
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
female: 62.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2004
est.)
male: 74.78 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total
population: 56.01 years
male: 54.22 years
female: 57.9 years (2004 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
2.08
children born/woman (2004 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.) |
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Nationality:
|
noun:
Burmese (singular and plural)
adjective: Burmese |
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Ethnic groups:
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Burman
68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%,
Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5% |
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Religions:
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Buddhist
89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%),
Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2% |
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Languages:
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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:
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conventional
long form: Union of Burma
conventional short form: Burma
local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw
former: Socialist Republic of the Union of
Burma
local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma
Naingngandaw (translated by the US Government as
Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of
Myanmar)
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:
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Rangoon
(regime refers to the capital as Yangon) |
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Administrative divisions:
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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) |
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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 |
|
Legal system:
|
has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
|
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
elections: none
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 |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
People's Assembly or Pyithu Hluttaw (485 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year
terms)
election results: percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - NLD 392, SNLD 23, NUP 10, other
60
elections: last held 27 May 1990, but
Assembly never convened |
|
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:
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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 |
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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:
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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
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: [1] (202) 332-9046
telephone: [1] (202) 332-9044 |
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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
|
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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. |
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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.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture:
57.2%
industry: 9.6%
services: 33.1% (2003 est.) |
|
Investment (gross fixed):
|
11.8%
of GDP (2003) |
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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):
|
49.7%
(2003 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
22.14
million (2003 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture
70%, industry 7%, services 23% (2001 est.) |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
4.2%
(2003) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues:
$7.9 billion
expenditures: $12.2 billion, including
capital expenditures of $5.7 billion (FY96/97) |
|
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) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil
fuel: 44.5%
hydro: 43.4%
other: 12.1% (2002)
nuclear: 0% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
5.709
billion kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh
(2001) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh
(2001) |
|
Oil - production:
|
18,590
bbl/day (2002 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
38,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - exports:
|
NA
(2001) |
|
Oil - imports:
|
NA
(2001) |
|
Oil - proved reserves:
|
115
million bbl (1 January 2003) |
|
Natural gas - production:
|
7.35
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - consumption:
|
2.15
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports:
|
5.2
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
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.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
Clothing,
gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice |
|
Exports - partners:
|
Thailand
30.3%, US 9.8%, India 9%, China 5.6%, Japan 4.6%
(2003 est.) |
|
Imports:
|
$2.071
billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
Fabric,
petroleum products, plastics, machinery, transport
equipment, construction materials, crude oil; food
products |
|
Imports - partners:
|
China
28.9%, Singapore 20.8%, Thailand 14%, Malaysia 9.3%,
South Korea 5.5%, Taiwan 5.1%, Japan 4% (2003 est.) |
|
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
|
$562
million (2003) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$6.011
billion (2003 est.) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$127
million (2001 est.) |
|
Currency:
|
kyat (MMK) |
|
Currency code:
|
MMK |
|
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 |
|
Fiscal year:
|
1 April
- 31 March
|
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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 - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
|
Radio broadcast stations:
|
AM 2,
FM 3, shortwave 3 (1998) |
|
Radios:
|
4.2
million (1997) |
|
Television broadcast stations:
|
2
(2003) |
|
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 (2003) |
|
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 (2003) |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
Bhamo,
Chauk, Mandalay, Moulmein, Myitkyina, Pathein,
Rangoon, Sittwe, Tavoy |
|
Merchant marine:
|
total:
31 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 384,529 GRT/608,609 DWT
foreign-owned: Germany 6, Japan 4 (2003 est.)
by type: bulk 8, cargo 18, container 1,
passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1 |
|
Airports:
|
79
(2003 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 (2003 est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total:
70
under 914 m: 32 (2003 est.)
914 to 1,523 m: 20
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 |
|
Heliports:
|
1 (2003
est.)
|
|
Military branches:
|
Army,
Navy, Air Force |
|
Military manpower - military age:
|
18
years of age (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - availability:
|
males
age 15-49: 12,450,884
note: both sexes liable for military service
(2004 est.)
females age 15-49: 12,457,077 |
|
Military manpower - fit for military service:
|
males
age 15-49: 6,609,995
females age 15-49: 6,595,611 (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - reaching military age
annually:
|
males:
441,333
females: 440,914 (2004 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$39
million (FY97) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
2.1%
(FY97)
|
| Transnational
Issues |
Burma |
|
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 |
|
Illicit drugs:
|
world's
second largest producer of illicit opium (potential
production in 2002 - 630 metric tons, down 27% due
to drought and, to a lesser extent, eradication;
cultivation in 2002 - 77,000 hectares, a 27% decline
from 2001); surrender of drug warlord KHUN SA's Mong
Tai Army in January 1996 was hailed by Rangoon as a
major counternarcotics success, but 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
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