1996 Edition

Description

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

Location

22 00 N, 98 00 E -- Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly smaller than Texas

land area

657,740 sq km

total area

678,500 sq km

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

Environment

current issues

deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease

international agreements

party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea, Tropical Timber 94

natural hazards

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

Geographic coordinates

22 00 N, 98 00 E

Geographic note

strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

10,180 sq km (1989)

Land boundaries

border countries

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

total

5,876 km

Land use

arable land

15%

forest and woodland

49%

meadows and pastures

1%

other

34%

permanent crops

1%

Location

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

Map references

Southeast Asia

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural resources

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

Terrain

central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands

highest point

Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m

lowest point

Andaman Sea 0 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 37% (male 8,637,102; female 8,308,282) 15-64 years: 59% (male 13,577,232; female 13,571,312) 65 years and over: 4% (male 853,403; female 1,028,294) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

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

Languages

Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages

Life expectancy at birth

female

57.92 years (1996 est.)

male

54.46 years

total population

56.14 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

female

77.7%

male

88.7%

total population

83.1%

Nationality

adjective

Burmese

noun

Burmese (singular and plural)

Net migration rate

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

Population

45,975,625 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

1.84% (1996 est.)

Religions

Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist beliefs 1%, other 2%

Sex ratio

all ages

1.01 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

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

Total fertility rate

3.83 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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*

Capital

Rangoon (regime refers to the capital as Yangon)

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

Data code

BM

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador U THAUNG

consulate(s) general

New York

telephone

[1] (202) 332-9044, 9045

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government

Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992)

FAX

[95] (1) 80409

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)

International organization participation

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

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

Legal system

does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Name of country

conventional long form

Union of Burma

conventional short form

Burma

former

Socialist Republic of the Union of 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

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 January (1948)

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)

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

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

State Law and Order Restoration Council

military junta which assumed power 18 September 1988

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type of government

military regime

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Marilyn A. MEYERS

embassy

581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521)

mailing address

Box B, APO AP 96546

telephone

[95] (1) 82055, 82182 (operator assistance required)

Agriculture

paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane, pulses; hardwood

Budget

expenditures

$10 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995 est.)

revenues

$5.3 billion

Currency

1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas

Economic aid

recipient

ODA, $61 million (1993)

Economic 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.

Electricity

capacity

845,000 kW

consumption per capita

46 kWh (1995 est.)

production

3.5 billion kWh

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); unofficial - 120

Exports

$879 million (FY94/95 est.)

commodities

pulses and beans, teak, rice, hardwood

partners

Singapore, China, Thailand, India, Hong Kong

External debt

$5.5 billion (FY94/95 est.)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $47 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

60%

industry

10%

services

30% (1995 est.)

GDP per capita

$1,000 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

6.8% (1995 est.)

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

Imports

$1.5 billion (FY94/95 est.)

commodities

machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, food products, consumer goods

partners

Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia

Industrial production growth rate

4.9% (FY92/93 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

38% (1994 est.)

Labor force

16.007 million (1992)

by occupation

agriculture 65.2%, industry 14.3%, trade 10.1%, government 6.3%, other 4.1% (FY88/89 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $135 million, NA% of GDP (FY95/96)

Manpower availability

females age 15-49

11,588,181

females fit for military service

6,184,667

females reach military age (18) annually

454,786 (1996 est.)

males age 15-49

11,759,636

males fit for military service

6,291,986

males reach military age (18) annually

473,255

note

both sexes liable for military service

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1985 est.)

note

radiobroadcast coverage is limited to the most populous areas

Radios

NA

Telephone system

meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government; international service is good

domestic

NA

international

satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Telephones

122,195 (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations

1 (1988 est.)

Televisions

88,000 (1992 est.) Defense

Airports

total

74

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

13

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

2

with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m

10

with paved runways over 3 047 m

2

with paved runways under 914 m

28

with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

2

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

17 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

3,181 km

total

26,861 km

unpaved

23,680 km (1988 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

bulk 11, cargo 15, chemical tanker 5, container 1, oil tanker 3, passenger-cargo 3, vehicle carrier 2 (1995 est.)

total

40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 444,957 GRT/610,420 DWT

Pipelines

crude oil 1,343 km; natural gas 330 km

Ports

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

Railways

narrow gauge

3,569 km 1.000-m gauge (1995)

total

3,569 km

Waterways

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