1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
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)
Coastline
1,930 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Texas
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
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
Land use
15% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures; 49% forest and woodland; 34% other; includes 2% irrigated
Natural resources
crude oil, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas
Note
strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes
Terrain
central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
678,500 km2; land area: 657,740 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
33 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
13 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
68% Burman, 9% Shan, 7% Karen, 4% Rakhine, 3% Chinese, 2% Mon, 2% Indian, 5% other
Infant mortality rate
97 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.)
Language
Burmese; minority ethnic groups have their own languages
Life expectancy at birth
53 years male, 56 years female (1990)
Literacy
78%
Nationality
noun--Burmese; adjective--Burmese
Net migration rate
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)
Religion
85% Buddhist, 15% animist beliefs, Muslim, Christian, or other
Total fertility rate
4.2 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
7 divisions* (yin-mya, singular--yin) and 7 states (pyine-mya, singular--pyine); Chin State, Irrawaddy*, Kachin State, Karan State, Kayah State, Magwe*, Mandalay*, Mon State, Pegu*, Rakhine State, Rangoon*, Sagaing*, Shan State, Tenasserim*
Capital
Rangoon (sometimes translated as Yangon)
Communists
several hundred, est., primarily as an insurgent group on the northeast frontier
Constitution
3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988)
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
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
Executive branch
chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council, State Law and Order Restoration Council
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
Independence
4 January 1948 (from UK)
Judicial branch
Council of People's Justices was abolished after the coup of 18 September 1988
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)
Legal system
martial law in effect throughout most of the country; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral People's Assembly (Pyithu Hluttaw) was dissolved after the coup of 18 September 1988
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
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
National holiday
Independence Day, 4 January (1948)
Other political or pressure groups
Kachin Independence Army; Karen National Union, several Shan factions (all insurgent groups); Burmese Communist Party (BCP)
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
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
military government
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for about 40% of GDP (including fish and forestry); self-sufficient 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
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $158 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $3.8 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $424 million
Budget
revenues $4.9 billion; expenditures $5.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.7 billion (FY89 est.)
Currency
kyat (plural--kyats); 1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas
Electricity
950,000 kW capacity; 2,900 million kWh produced, 70 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)
Exports
$311 million (f.o.b., FY88 est.) commodities--teak, rice, oilseed, metals, rubber, gems; partners--Southeast Asia, India, China, EC, Africa
External debt
$5.6 billion (December 1989 est.)
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GDP
$11.0 billion, per capita $280; real growth rate 0.2%
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
Industrial production
growth rate - 1.5% (FY88)
Industries
agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and wood products; petroleum refining; mining of copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
22.6% (FY89 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.
Unemployment rate
10.4% in urban areas (FY87)
Communications
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 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
17 major transport aircraft (including 3 helicopters)
Highways
27,000 km total; 3,200 km bituminous, 17,700 km improved earth or gravel, 6,100 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways
12,800 km; 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels
Merchant marine
45 ships (1,000 GRT 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
Pipelines
crude, 1,343 km; natural gas, 330 km
Ports
Rangoon, Moulmein, Bassein
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
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force
Defense expenditures
$315.0 million, 21.0% of central government budget
Military manpower
eligible 15-49, 20,294,848; of the 10,135,886 males 15-49, 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