| Background: |
Despite
multiparty elections in 1990 that resulted in the main
opposition party winning a decisive victory, the military
junta ruling the country refused to hand over power. Key
opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG San
Suu Kyi, under house arrest from 1989 to 1995, was again
placed under house detention in September 2000; 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 |
| 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 |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous
zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the
continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 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 |
| Natural
resources: |
petroleum,
timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal,
some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas,
hydropower |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
15%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 49%
other: 34% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
10,680 sq km
(1993 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, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, 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: |
41,994,678
note: estimates for this country explicitly
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 and
growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population
by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
29.14% (male 6,245,798; female 5,992,074)
15-64 years: 66.08% (male 13,779,571; female
13,970,707)
65 years and over: 4.78% (male 895,554; female
1,110,974) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.6% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
20.13
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
12.3 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-1.84 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 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: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
73.71
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 55.16 years
male: 53.73 years
female: 56.68 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.3 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
1.99% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
530,000 (1999
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
48,000 (1999
est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Burmese (singular and plural)
adjective: Burmese |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Burman 68%, Shan
9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 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: 83.1%
male: 88.7%
female: 77.7% (1995 est.)
note: these are official statistics; estimates
of functional literacy are likely closer to 30% (1999 est.) |
| 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 |
| Government
type: |
military regime |
| Capital: |
Rangoon (regime
refers to the capital as Yangon) |
| Administrative
divisions: |
7 divisions*
(yin-mya, singular - yin) and 7 states (pyine-mya, singular
- pyine); Chin State, Ayeyarwady*, Bago*, Kachin State,
Kayin State, Kayah State, Magway*, Mandalay*, Mon State,
Rakhine State, Sagaing*, Shan State, Tanintharyi*, Yangon* |
| Independence: |
4 January 1948
(from UK) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day,
4 January (1948) |
| 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 |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: Prime Minister and Chairman of the State
Peace and Development Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April
1992); note - the prime minister is both the chief of state
and head of government
head of government: Prime Minister and Chairman
of the State Peace and Development Council Gen. THAN SHWE
(since 23 April 1992); note - the prime minister is both the
chief of state and 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; the prime minister assumed
power upon resignation of the former prime minister |
| 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 |
| 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 (proregime)
[THA KYAW]; Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD
[U KHUN TUN OO]; Union Solidarity and Development
Association or USDA (proregime, a social and political
organization) [THAN AUNG, general secretary]; 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 |
| International
organization participation: |
ARF, AsDB, ASEAN,
CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user),
Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador-designate U 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 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Permanent Charge d'Affaires Priscilla A.
CLAPP
embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521)
mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546
telephone: [95] (1) 282055, 282182
FAX: [95] (1) 280409 |
| Flag
description: |
red with a blue
rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing, all in
white, 14 five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel
containing a stalk of rice; the 14 stars represent the 14
administrative divisions |
| Economy
- overview: |
Burma has a mixed
economy with private activity dominant in agriculture, light
industry, and transport, and with substantial
state-controlled activity, mainly in energy, heavy industry,
and the rice trade. Government policy in the 1990s has aimed
at revitalizing the economy after three decades of tight
central planning. Private activity markedly increased in the
early to mid-1990s, but began to decline in the past several
years due to frustrations with the unfriendly business
environment and political pressure from western nations.
Published estimates of Burma's foreign trade are greatly
understated because of the volume of black-market, illicit,
and border trade. A major ongoing problem is the failure to
achieve monetary and fiscal stability. Burma remains a poor
Asian country and living standards for the majority have not
improved over the past decade. Short-term growth will
continue to be restrained because of poor government
planning and minimal foreign investment. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $63.7 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
4.9% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $1,500 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
42%
industry: 17%
services: 41% (2000 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
23% (1997 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
2.8%
highest 10%: 32.4% (1998) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
18% (1999) |
| Labor
force: |
19.7 million
(FY98/99 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 65%,
industry 10%, services 25% (1999 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
7.1% (official
FY97/98 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$7.9 billion
expenditures: $12.2 billion, including capital
expenditures of $5.7 billion (FY96/97) |
| Industries: |
agricultural
processing; textiles and footwear; wood and wood products;
copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials;
pharmaceuticals; fertilizer |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
4.813 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
68.56%
hydro: 31.44%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
4.476 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
paddy rice, corn,
oilseed, sugarcane, pulses; hardwood |
| Exports: |
$1.3 billion
(f.o.b., 1999) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
apparel 36%,
foodstuffs 22%, wood products 21%, precious stones 5% (1999) |
| Exports
- partners: |
India 13%,
Singapore 11%, China 11%, US 8% (1999 est.)
note: official trade statistics do not include
trade in illicit goods - such as narcotics, teak, and gems -
or the largely unrecorded border trade with China and
Thailand |
| Imports: |
$2.5 billion
(f.o.b., 1999) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery,
transport equipment, construction materials, food products |
| Imports
- partners: |
Singapore 28%,
Thailand 12%, China 10%, Japan 10%, South Korea 9% (1999
est.) |
| Debt
- external: |
$6 billion
(FY99/00 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$99 million
(FY98/99) |
| Exchange
rates: |
kyats per US
dollar - official rate - 6.5972 (January 2001), 6.5167
(2000), 6.2858 (1999), 6.3432 (1998), 6.2418 (1997), 5.9176
(1996); kyats per US dollar - black market exchange rate -
435 (yearend 2000) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31
March |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
250,000 (2000) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
8,492 (1997) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: meets minimum requirements for local
and intercity service for business and government;
international service is good
domestic: NA
international: 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 (1998) |
| Televisions: |
320,000 (2000) |
| Internet
country code: |
.mm |
| 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: |
500 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
3,991 km
narrow gauge: 3,991 km 1.000-m gauge |
| Highways: |
total:
28,200 km
paved: 3,440 km
unpaved: 24,760 km (1996) |
| Waterways: |
12,800 km
note: 3,200 km navigable by large commercial
vessels |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 1,343
km; natural gas 330 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Bassein, Bhamo,
Chauk, Mandalay, Moulmein, Myitkyina, Rangoon, Akyab (Sittwe),
Tavoy |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 411,181 GRT/632,769
DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 20, container 1,
passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2
note: includes some foreign-owned ships
registered here as a flag of convenience: Japan 2 (2000
est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
9
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
71
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 22
under 914 m: 32 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy, Air
Force |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 12,050,964
females age 15-49: 12,070,017
note: both sexes liable for military service
(2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 6,425,514
females age 15-49: 6,419,677 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
470,667
females: 479,691 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$39 million
(FY97/98) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.1% (FY97/98) |
| Disputes
- international: |
sporadic border
hostilities with Thailand over border alignment and ethnic
Shan rebels operating in cross-border region |
| Illicit
drugs: |
world's second
largest producer of illicit opium, after Afghanistan
(potential production in 1999 - 1,090 metric tons, down 38%
due to drought; cultivation in 1999 - 89,500 hectares, a 31%
decline from 1998); 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; becoming a major source
of methamphetamine for regional consumption |
|
