1989 Edition

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)

temperate; warm; occasional frost in uplands

Coastline

1,930 km

none — landlocked

Comparative area

slightly smaller than Texas

slightly larger than Maryland

Contiguous zone

24 nm

Continental shelf

edge of continental margin or 200 nm

Environment

subject to destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); deforestation

soil exhaustion; soil erosion; deforestation

Extended economic zone

200 nm

Land boundaries

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

974 km total; Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km, Zaire 233 km

Land use

15% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures; 49% forest and woodland; 34% other; includes 2% irrigated

43% arable land; 8% permanent crops; 35% meadows and pastures; 2% forest and woodland; 1 2% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Maritime claims

none — landlocked

Natural resources

crude oil, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas

nickel, uranium, rare earth oxide, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium

Note

strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes

landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed

Terrain

central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands

mostly rolling to hilly highland; some plains

Territorial sea

1 2 nm

Total area

678,500 km2; land area: 657,740 km2

27,830 km2; land area: 25,650 km2

Birth rate

33 births/ 1,000 population (1990)

47 births/ 1,000 population (1990)

Death rate

13 deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)

15 deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

68% Burman, 9% Shan, 7% Karen, 4% Rakhine, 3% Chinese, 2% Mon, 2% Indian, 5% other

Africans— 85% Hutu (Bantu), 14% Tutsi (Hamitic), 1% Twa (Pygmy); other Africans include about 70,000 refugees, mostly Rwandans and Zairians; non-Africans include about 3,000 Europeans and 2,000 South Asians

Infant mortality rate

97 deaths/ 1 ,000 live births (1990)

1 1 1 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force

16,036,000; 65.2% agriculture, 14.3% industry, 10.1% trade, 6.3% government, 4.1% other (FY89 est.)

1,900,000 (1983 est.); 93.0% agriculture, 4.0% government, 1 .5% industry and commerce, 1.5% services; 52% of population of working age (1985) Organized labor sole group is the Union of Burundi Workers (UTB); by charter, membership is extended to all Burundi workers (informally); figures denoting active membership unobtainable

Language

Burmese; minority ethnic groups have their own languages

Kirundi and French (official); Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)

Life expectancy at birth

53 years male, 56 years female (1990)

50 years male, 54 years female (1990)

Literacy

78%

33.8%

Nationality

noun — Burmese; adjective — Burmese

noun — Burundian(s); adjective— Burundi

Net migration rate

0 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

0 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

Organized labor

Workers' Asiayone (association), 1,800,000 members, and Peasants' Asiayone, 7,600,000 members

Population

41,277,389 (July 1990), growth rate 2.0% (1990)

5,645,997 (July 1990), growth rate 3.2% (1990)

Religion

85% Buddhist, 15% animist beliefs, Muslim, Christian, or other

about 67% Christian (62% Roman Catholic, 5% Protestant), 32% indigenous beliefs, 1% Muslim

Total fertility rate

4.2 children born/ woman (1990)

7.0 children born/ woman (1990)

Administrative divisions

7 divisions* (yinmya, singular — yin) and 7 states (pyinemya, singular — pyine); Chin State, Irrawaddy*, Kachin State, Karan State, Kayah State, Magwe*, Mandalay*, Mon State, Pegu*, Rakhine State, Rangoon*, Sagaing*, Shan State, Tenasserim*

1 5 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi

Capital

Rangoon (sometimes translated as Yangon)

Bujumbura

Communists

several hundred, est., primarily as an insurgent group on the northeast frontier

no Communist party

Constitution

3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988)

20 November 1981; suspended following the coup of 3 September 1987

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador U MYO AUNG; Chancery at 2300 S Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-9044 through 9046; there is a Burmese Consulate General in New York; US — Ambassador Burton LEVIN; Embassy at 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (mailing address is G. P. O. Box 521, Rangoon or Box B, APO San Francisco 96346); telephone 82055 or 82181

Ambassador Julien KAVAKURE; Chancery at Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 3422574; US — Ambassador Cynthia Shepherd PERRY; Embassy at Avenue du Zaire, Bujumbura (mailing address is B. P. 1720, Bujumbura); telephone 234-54 through 56

Elections

People's Assembly — last held 6-20 October 1985, but dissolved after the coup of 18 September 1988; next scheduled 27 May 1990); results — percent of vote by party NA; seats — (NA total) number of seats by party NA

National Assembly — dissolved after the coup of 3 September 1987; no elections are planned

Executive branch

chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council, State Law and Order Restoration Council

president, Military Committee for National Salvation, prime minister, Council of Ministers

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

divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom) and green panels (hoist side and outer side) with a white disk superimposed at the center bearing three red six-pointed stars outlined in green arranged in a triangular design (one star above, two stars below)

Independence

4 January 1948 (from UK)

1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)

Judicial branch

Council of People's Justices was abolished after the coup of 1 8 September 1988

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government— Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council and Prime Minister Gen. SAW MAUNG (since 18 September 1988) Political parties and leaders: National League for Democracy, U Tin Oo and Aung San Suu Kyi; League for Democracy and Peace, U Nu; National Unity Party (promilitary); over 100 other parties

Chief of State — President Pierre BUYOYA (since 9 September 1987); Head of Government Prime Minister Adrien SIBOMANA (since 26 October 1988) Political parties and leaders: only party — National Party of Unity and Progress (UPRONA), a Tutsi-led party, Libere Bararunyeretse, coordinator of the National Permanent Secretariat

Legal system

martial law in effect throughout most of the country; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral People's Assembly (Pyithu Hluttaw) was dissolved after the coup of 18 September 1988

unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) was dissolved following the coup of 3 September

Long-form name

Union of Burma; note — the local official name is Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw which has been translated as Union of Myanma or Union of Myanmar

Republic of Burundi

Member of

ADB, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IRC, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

ACP, AfDB, CCC, EAMA, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 January (1948)

Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

Other political or pressure groups

Kachin Independence Army; Karen National Union, several Shan factions (all insurgent groups); Burmese Communist Party (BCP)

Suffrage

universal at age 18

universal adult at age NA

Type

military government

republic

Agriculture

accounts for about 40% of GDP (including fish and forestry); selfsufficient in food; principal crops — paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane, pulses; world's largest stand of hardwood trees; rice and teak account for 55% of export revenues; 1985 fish catch of 644 million metric tons

accounts for 60% of GDP; 90% of population dependent on subsistence farming; marginally self-sufficient in food production; cash crops — coffee, cotton, tea; food crops — corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc; livestock — meat, milk, hides, and skins

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $158 million; Western (nonUS) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $3.8 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $424 million

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $68 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $10 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $32 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $175 million

Budget

revenues $4.9 billion; expenditures SS.O billion, including capital expenditures of $0.7 billion (FY89 est.)

revenues $213 million; expenditures $292 million, including capital expenditures of $131 million (1988 est.)

Currency

kyat (plural — kyats); 1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas

Burundi franc (plural — francs); 1 Burundi franc (FBu) = 100 centimes

Electricity

950,000 kW capacity; 2,900 million kWh produced, 70 kWh per capita (1989)

51,000 kW capacity; 105 million kWh produced, 19 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates

kyats (K) per US$1— 6.5188 (January 1990), 6.7049 (1989), 6.3945 (1988), 6.6535 (1987), 7.3304 (1986), 8.4749 (1985) Fiscal yean 1 April-3 1 March

Burundi francs (FBu) per US$1— 176.20 (January 1990), 158.67 (1989), 140.40(1988), 123.56(1987), 114.17(1986), 120.69(1985)

Exports

$311 million (f.o.b., FY88 est.) commodities — teak, rice, oilseed, metals, rubber, gems; partners — Southeast Asia, India, China, EC, Africa

$128 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities— coffee 88%, tea, hides and skins; partners— EC 83%, US 5%, Asia 2%

External debt

$5.6 billion (December 1989 est.)

$795 million (December 1989 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

$11.0 billion, per capita $280; real growth rate 0.2% (FY88 est.)

$1.3 billion, per capita $255; real growth rate 2.8% (1988)

Illicit drugs

world's largest illicit producer of opium poppy and minor producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; opium production is on the increase as growers respond to the collapse of Rangoon's antinarcotic programs

Imports

$536 million (c.i.f., FY88 est.) commodities — machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, food products; partners—Japan, EC, CEMA, China, Southeast Asia

$204 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities— capital goods 31%, petroleum products 1 5%, foodstuff's, consumer goods; partners— EC 57%, Asia 23%, US 3%

Industrial production

growth rate —1.5% (FY88)

real growth rate 5.1% (1986)

Industries

agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and wood products; petroleum refining; mining of copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; Pharmaceuticals; fertilizer

light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imports; public works construction; food processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

22.6% (FY89 est.)

4.4% (1988 est.)

Overview

Burma is one of the poorest countries in Asia, with a per capita GDP of about $280. The government reports negligible growth for FY88. The nation has been unable to achieve any significant improvement in export earnings because of falling prices for many of its major commodity exports. For rice, traditionally the most important export, the drop in world prices has been accompanied by shrinking markets and a smaller volume of sales. In 1985 teak replaced rice as the largest export and continues to hold this position. The economy is heavily dependent on the agricultural sector, which generates about 40% of GDP and provides employment for more than 65% of the work force.

A landlocked, resource-poor country in an early stage of economic development, Burundi is predominately agricultural with only a few basic industries. Its economic health is dependent on the coffee crop, which accounts for an average 90% of foreign exchange earnings each year. The ability to pay for imports therefore continues to rest largely on the vagaries of the climate and the international coffee market.

Unemployment rate

10.4% in urban areas (FY87) Burma (continued) Burundi

NA%

Airports

88 total, 81 usable; 29 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 37 with runways 1,2202,439 m

8 total, 7 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220 to 2,439 m

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force

Army (includes naval and air units); paramilitary Gendarmerie

Civil air

1 7 major transport aircraft (including 3 helicopters)

1 major transport aircraft

Defense expenditures

$315.0 million, 21.0% of central government budget (FY88) 50km Ste regional mip VII

3.1% of GDP (1987)

Highways

27,000 km total; 3,200 km bituminous, 17,700 km improved earth or gravel, 6,100 km unimproved earth

5,900 km total; 400 km paved, 2,500 km gravel or laterite, 3,000 km improved or unimproved earth

Inland waterways

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

Lake Tanganyika

Merchant marine

45 ships (1,000 CRT or over) totaling 595,814 GRT/955,924 DWT; includes 3 passenger-cargo, 15 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off, 1 vehicle carrier, 1 container, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 chemical, 16 bulk

Military manpower

eligible 1 5-49, 20,294,848; of the 10,135,886 males 1549, 5,438,196 are fit for military service; of the 10,158,962 females 15-49, 5,437,518 are fit for military service; 434,200 males and 423,435 females reach military age (18) annually; both sexes are liable for military service

males 15-49, 1,230,559; 642,927 fit for military service; 61,418 reach military age (16) annually

Pipelines

crude, 1 ,343 km; natural gas, 330km

Ports

Rangoon, Moulmein, Bassein

Bujumbura (lake port) connects to transportation systems of Tanzania and Zaire

Railroads

3,991 km total, all government owned; 3,878 km 1.000-meter gauge, 113 km narrow-gauge industrial lines; 362 km double track

Telecommunications

meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service; international service is good; radiobroadcast coverage is limited to the most populous areas; 53,000 telephones (1986); stations—2 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV (1985); 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station Defense Forces

sparse system of wire, radiocommunications, and low-capacity radio relay links; 8,000 telephones; stations — 2 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station Defense Forces