Burma

BurmaNote - Burma is also known as Myanmar

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand

Area

Land Boundaries

Total 5,876 km, Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km

Coastline

1,930 km

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

None

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
lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m
highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

10,180 sq km (1989)

Environment

Note: Strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes

PEOPLE

Population

45,975,625 (July 1996 est.)
45,103,809 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

37% (male 8,637,102; female 8,308,282) (July 1996 est.)
36% (male 8,285,459; female 7,963,544) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

59% (male 13,577,232; female 13,571,312) (July 1996 est.)
60% (male 13,404,987; female 13,478,211) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

4% (male 853,403; female 1,028,294) (July 1996 est.)
4% (male 890,686; female 1,080,922) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

1.84% (1996 est.)
1.84% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

30.01 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
28.02 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

11.66 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
9.63 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.01 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

80.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
61.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

3.83 children born/woman (1996 est.)
3.58 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

Burmese; minority ethnic groups have their own languages

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)

Labor Force

16.007 million (1992)

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

BM

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 U.K.)

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; chapter headings and three of 15 sections have been approved

Legal System

Has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

State Law and Order Restoration Council

Military junta which assumed power 18 September 1988

Legislative Branch

People's Assembly (Pyithu Hluttaw)

Election last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never convened; results - NLD 80%; seats - (485 total) NLD 396, NUP 10, other 79

Judicial Branch

Limited; remnants of the British-era legal system in place, but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not independent of the executive

Political Parties and Leaders

Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA; pro-regime), THAN AUNG, secretary; National Unity Party (NUP), pro-regime, THA KYAW; National League for Democracy (NLD), AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary; and eight minor legal parties

Other Political or Pressure Groups

National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), headed by the elected prime minister 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; Kachin Independence Army (KIA); United Wa State Army (UWSA); Karen National Union (KNU); several Shan factions, including the Mong Tai Army (MTA); All Burma Student Democratic Front (ABSDF)

Member of

AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, Mekong Group, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTrO

National Anthem

Flag

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 about 75% private activity, mainly in agriculture, light industry, and transport, and with about 25% state-controlled activity, mainly in energy, heavy industry, and foreign trade. Government policy in the last seven years, 1989-95, has aimed at revitalizing the economy after three decades of tight central planning. Thus, private activity has markedly increased; foreign investment has been encouraged, so far with moderate success; and efforts continue to increase the efficiency of state enterprises. Published estimates of Burma's foreign trade are greatly understated because of the volume of black market trade. A major ongoing problem is the failure to achieve monetary and fiscal stability. Although Burma remains a poor Asian country, its rich resources furnish the potential for substantial long-term increases in income, exports, and living standards.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $47 billion (1995 est.); $41.4 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

6.8% (1995 est.)
6.4% (1994)

National Product Per Capita

$1,000 (1995 est.)
$930 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

38% (1994 est.)

Unemployment Rate

NA

Budget

Exports

$879 million (FY94/95 est.)
$674 million (FY93/94 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$1.5 billion (FY94/95 est.)
$1.2 billion (FY93/94 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$5.5 billion (FY94/95 est.)
$5.4 billion (FY93/94 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 4.9% (FY92/93 est.); accounts for 10% of GDP

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Accounts for 60% of GDP and 62.5% of employment (including fishing, animal husbandry, and forestry); self-sufficient in food; principal crops - paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane, pulses; world's largest stand of hardwood trees; rice and timber account for 55% of export revenues

Illicit Drugs

World's largest illicit producer of opium (2,340 metric tons in 1995) and source for over 60% of US heroin imports; minor producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; Rangoon's antinarcotic programs hindered by lack of resources, government commitment; growing role in methamphetamine production for regional consumption

Economic Aid

Currency

1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas

Exchange Rates

Kyats (K) per US$1 - 5.8475 (January 1996), 5.9170 (1995), 5.9749 (1994), 6.1570 (1993), 6.1045 (1992), 6.2837 (1991), 6.3386 (1990); unofficial - 120

Fiscal Year

1 April - 31 March

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Inland Waterways

12,800 km; 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels

Pipelines

Crude oil 1,343 km; natural gas 330 km

Ports

Akyab (Sittwe), Bassein, Bhamo, Chauk, Mandalay, Moulmein, Myitkyina, Rangoon, Tavoy

Merchant Marine

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

122,195 telephones (1993 est.); meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government; international service is good

Radio

Note: Radiobroadcast coverage is limited to the most populous areas

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 11,759,636; females age 15-49 11,588,181; males fit for military service 6,291,986; females fit for military service 6,184,667; males reach military age (18) annually 473,255 (1995 est.); females reach military age (18) annually 454,786 (1996 est.)

Note: Both sexes liable for military service

Defense Expenditures

$135 million, NA% of GDP (FY95/96)

History
World Atlas