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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Southeastern
Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between
Bangladesh and Thailand |
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Map references:
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Southeast
Asia |
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Area:
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total:
678,500 sq km
land: 657,740 sq km
water: 20,760 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller
than Texas |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
5,876 km
border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km,
India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km |
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Coastline:
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1,930 km |
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Climate:
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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) |
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Terrain:
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central lowlands
ringed by steep, rugged highlands |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Andaman Sea 0 m
highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum,
timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal,
some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas,
hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land:
14.53%
permanent crops: 0.9%
other: 84.57% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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15,920 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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destructive
earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common
during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation;
industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate
sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease |
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Geography - note:
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strategic
location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes |
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Population:
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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.) |
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total:
25.7 years
male: 25.2 years
female: 26.3 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.47% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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18.64
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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12.16
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-1.8 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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:
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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 |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 56.01 years
male: 54.22 years
female: 57.9 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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1.99% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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530,000 (2001
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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65,000 (2001
est.) |
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Nationality:
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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 |
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Literacy:
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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.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Union of Burma
conventional short form: Burma
local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw
local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw
(translated by the US Government as Union of Myanma and by the
Burmese as Union of Myanmar)
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 |
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Government type:
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military regime |
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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);
Chin State, Ayeyarwady*, Bago*, Kachin State, Kayin State,
Kayah State, Magway*, Mandalay*, Mon State, Rakhine State,
Sagaing*, Shan State, Tanintharyi*, Yangon* |
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Independence:
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4 January 1948
(from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day,
4 January (1948) |
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Constitution:
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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 |
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Legal system:
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has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age;
universal |
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Executive branch:
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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
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 |
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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)
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 |
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Judicial branch:
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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 |
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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:
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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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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador LINN MYAING
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: [1] (202) 332-9046
telephone: [1] (202) 332-9044
chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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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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Economy - overview:
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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:
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purchasing power
parity - $78.8 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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5.2% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $1,900 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
60%
industry: 9%
services: 31% (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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25% (2000 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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52.8% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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23.7 million
(1999 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 70%,
industry 7%, services 23% (2001 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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5.1% (2001 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$7.9 billion
expenditures: $12.2 billion, including capital
expenditures of $5.7 billion (FY96/97) |
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Industries:
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agricultural
processing; knit and woven apparel; wood and wood products;
copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials;
pharmaceuticals; fertilizer; cement |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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6.139 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
44.5%
hydro: 43.4%
other: 12.1% (2002)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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5.709 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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18,590 bbl/day
(2002 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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38,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - production:
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7.35 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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2.15 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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rice, pulses,
beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane; hardwood; fish and fish
products |
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Exports:
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$2.434 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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Clothing, gas,
wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice |
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Exports - partners:
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Thailand 31.6%,
US 13.1%, India 7.4%, China 4.7% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$2.071 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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Fabric, petroleum
products, plastics, machinery, transport equipment,
construction materials, crude oil; food products |
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Imports - partners:
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China 27%,
Singapore 19.6%, Thailand 12.1%, Malaysia 8.9%, South Korea
5.4%, Taiwan 4.9%, Japan 4.3% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$6.2 billion
(2002 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$127 million
(2001 est.) |
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Currency:
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kyat (MMK) |
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Currency code:
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MMK |
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Exchange rates:
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kyats per US
dollar - 6.08 (2003), 6.57 (2002), 6.68 (2001), 6.52 (2000),
6.29 (1999), Note: these are official exchange rates;
unofficial exchange rates ranged in 2003 from 100 kyat/US
dollar to nearly 1000 kyat/US dollar. |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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342,300 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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48,000 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 2, FM 3,
shortwave 3 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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2 (2003) |
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Internet country code:
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.mm |
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Internet hosts:
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2 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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25,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
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total:
3,955 km
narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2003) |
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Highways:
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total:
28,200 km
paved: 3,440 km
unpaved: 24,760 km (1996 est.) |
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Waterways:
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12,800
km
note: 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels |
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Pipelines:
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gas
2,056 km; oil 558 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Bhamo,
Chauk, Mandalay, Moulmein, Myitkyina, Pathein, Rangoon, Sittwe,
Tavoy |
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Merchant marine:
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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 |
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Airports:
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79
(2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
9
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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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 |
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Heliports:
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1
(2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army,
Navy, Air Force |
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Military manpower - military age:
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18
years of age (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males
age 15-49: 12,450,884
note: both sexes liable for military service (2004
est.)
females age 15-49: 12,457,077 |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males
age 15-49: 6,609,995
females age 15-49: 6,595,611 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
441,333
females: 440,914 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$39
million (FY97) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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2.1%
(FY97) |
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Disputes - international:
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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 |
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Illicit drugs:
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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 |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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