Burma

§1. Burma Introduction

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
  subsequently transferred to house arrest, where she remains virtually
  incommunicado. In November 2005, the junta extended her detention for at
  least another six months. Her supporters, as well as all those who promote
  democracy and improved human rights, are routinely harassed or jailed.

§2. Burma Geography

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 km²
  land: 657,740 km²
  water: 20,760 km²

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: 14.92%
  permanent crops: 1.31%
  other: 83.77% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  15,920 km² (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

§3. Burma People

Population:
  47,382,633
  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 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 26.4% (male 6,335,236/female 6,181,216)
  15-64 years: 68.5% (male 16,011,723/female 16,449,626)
  65 years and over: 5.1% (male 1,035,853/female 1,368,979) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 27 years
  male: 26.4 years
  female: 27.6 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  0.81% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  17.91 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  9.83 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 61.85 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 72.68 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 50.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 60.97 years
  male: 58.07 years
  female: 64.03 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.98 children born/woman (2006 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 (2005)

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)

§4. Burma Government

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 capital as Yangon)
  note: junta began shifting seat of government to Pyinmana area of central
    Burma in November 2005

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, Kayah State, Kayin 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 (SPDC)
    Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992)
  head of government: Prime Minister, Gen SOE WIN (since 19 October 2004)
  cabinet: Cabinet is overseen by the SPDC; military junta, so named 15
    November 1997, assumed power 18 September 1988 under the name State Law
    and Order Restoration Council (SLORC)
  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-regime) [THA
  KYAW] (at last report); Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD
  [HKUN 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
  Organization or KIO; Karen National Union or KNU; several Shan factions;
  United Wa State Army or UWSA; Union Solidarity and Development Association
  or USDA (pro-regime, a social and political mass-member organization) [HTAY
  OO, general secretary]

International organization participation:
  APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,
  IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO
  (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
  UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires MYINT LWIN
  chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 332-3344
  FAX: [1] (202) 332-4351
  consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Shari VILLAROSA
  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 seven administrative divisions and seven states

§5. Burma Economy

Economy - overview:
  Burma, a resource-rich country, suffers from pervasive government controls,
  inefficient economic policies, and 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 stalled, and some of the
  liberalization measures were rescinded. Burma does not have monetary or
  fiscal stability, so the economy suffers from serious macroeconomic
  imbalances - including inflation, multiple official exchange rates that
  overvalue the Burmese kyat, and a distorted interest rate regime. Most
  overseas development assistance ceased after the junta began to suppress
  the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently refused to honor the
  results of the 1990 legislative elections. In response to the government of
  Burma's attack in May 2003 on AUNG SAN SUU KYI and her convoy, the US
  imposed new economic sanctions against Burma - including a ban on imports
  of Burmese products and a ban on provision of financial services by US
  persons. A poor investment climate further slowed the inflow of foreign
  exchange. The most productive sectors will continue to be in extractive
  industries, especially oil and gas, mining, and timber. Other areas, such
  as manufacturing and services, are struggling with inadequate
  infrastructure, unpredictable import/export policies, deteriorating health
  and education systems, and corruption. A major banking crisis in 2003
  shuttered the country's 20 private banks and disrupted the economy. As of
  December 2005, the largest private banks operate under tight restrictions
  limiting the private sector's access to formal credit. 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 as large as the official economy. Burma's
  trade with Thailand, China, and India is rising. Though the Burmese
  government has good economic relations with its neighbors, better
  investment and business climates and an improved political situation are
  needed to promote foreign investment, exports, and tourism.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $76.36 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $8.042 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  1.5% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $1,600 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 54.6%
  industry: 13%
  services: 32.4% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
  27.75 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 70%, industry 7%, services 23% (2001)

Unemployment rate:
  5% (2005 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):
  25% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
  11.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $473.3 million
  expenditures: $716.6 million; including capital expenditures of $5.7
    billion (FY04/05 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; natural gas

Industrial production growth rate:
  NA%

Electricity - production:
  7.393 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  6.875 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
  18,500 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  32,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  3,356 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports:
  49,230 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - proved reserves:
  less than 1 billion bbl (2005)

Natural gas - production:
  9.98 billion m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  1.569 billion m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
  8.424 billion m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
  283.2 billion m³ (2005)

Current account balance:
  $-215 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
  $3.111 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)

Exports - commodities:
  clothing, gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice

Exports - partners:
  Thailand 38.9%, India 11.5%, China 5.9%, Japan 5.2% (2004)

Imports:
  $3.454 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)

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:
  $721.1 million (June 2005)

Debt - external:
  $6.967 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $127 million (2001 est.)

Currency (code):
  kyat (MMK)

Exchange rates:
  kyats per US dollar - 5.761 (2005), 5.7459 (2004), 6.0764 (2003), 6.5734
  (2002), 6.6841 (2001)
  note: these are official exchange rates; unofficial exchange rates ranged
    in 2004 from 815 kyat/US dollar to nearly 970 kyat/US dollar, and by
    year-end 2005, the unofficial exchange rate was 1,075 kyat/US dollar

Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

§6. Burma Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  424,900 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  92,500 (2004)

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)

Television broadcast stations:
  2 (2004)

Internet country code:
  .mm

Internet hosts:
  43 (2005)

Internet users:
  63,700 (2005)

§7. Burma Transportation

Airports:
  84 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 19
  over 3,047 m: 6
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 65
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
  914 to 1,523 m: 19
  under 914 m: 32 (2005)

Heliports:
  1 (2005)

Pipelines:
  gas 2,056 km; oil 558 km (2004)

Railways:
  total: 3,955 km
  narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

Roadways:
  total: 27,000 km
  paved: 3,200 km
  unpaved: 23,800 km (2005)

Waterways:
  12,800 km (2005)

Merchant marine:
  total: 34 ships (1000 GRT or over) 402,724 GRT/620,642 DWT
  by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 18, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, roll
    on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1
  foreign-owned: 9 (Germany 5, Japan 4) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Moulmein, Rangoon, Sittwe

§8. Burma Military

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)

§9. Burma Transnational Issues

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 2005 Thailand
  sheltered about 121,000 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: 550,000-1,000,000 (government offensives against ethnic insurgent
    groups near borders; most IDPs are ethnic Karen, Karenni, Shan, Tavoyan,
    and Mon) (2005)

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 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)


<Factbook 2006>
