1997 Edition

Current issues

in a number of waves since October 1993, hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled the ethnic violence between the Hutu and Tutsi factions in Burundi and crossed into Rwanda, Tanzania, and Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire; since October 1996, an estimated 92,000 Burundi Hutus who fled to Zaire have been forced to return to Burundi by Tutsi rebel forces in Zaire, leaving an estimated 35,000 still dispersed there; in Burundi, the ethnic violence between the Hutus and the Tutsis continued in 1996, causing an estimated additional 150,000 Burundi Hutus to flee to Tanzania, thus raising their numbers in that country to about 250,000

Area

total : 678,500 sq km land: 657,740 sq km water: 20,760 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Texas

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

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m highest point : Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m

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, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

22 00 N, 98 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes

Irrigated land

10,680 sq km (1993 est.)

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

Land use

arable land : 15% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 1% forests and woodland: 49% other: 34% (1993 est.)

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 hazards

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

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 37% (male 8,743,108; female 8,410,224) 15-64 years: 59% (male 13,878,541; female 13,859,783) 65 years and over : 4% (male 873,670; female 1,056,617) (July 1997 est.)

Birth rate

29.54 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate

11.41 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

Infant mortality rate

78.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Languages

Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 56.62 years male: 54.89 years female: 58.45 years (1997 est.)

Literacy

definition : age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83.1% male: 88.7% female: 77.7% (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun: Burmese (singular and plural) adjective: Burmese

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Population

46,821,943 (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate

1.81% (1997 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

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 population: 1.01 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.76 children born/woman (1997 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*

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

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

Data code

BM

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Kent M. WIEDEMANN embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521) mailing address : Box B, APO AP 96546 telephone: [95] (1) 282055, 282182 (operator assistance required)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador TIN WINN chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-9044, 9045

Executive branch

chief of state: Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note - the prime minister is both the chief of state and head of government head of government : Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note - the prime minister is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: State Law and Order Restoration Council; military junta which assumed power 18 September 1988 elections: none; the prime minister assumed power upon resignation of the former prime minister

FAX

[1] (202) 332-9046 consulate(s) general: New York

[95] (1) 280409

Flag 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

Government type

military regime

Independence

4 January 1948 (from UK)

International organization participation

AsDB, ASEAN (observer), 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, WToO, 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

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 convened election results: percent of vote by party - NLD 82%; seats by party - NLD 396, NUP 10, other 79

National capital

Rangoon (regime refers to the capital as Yangon)

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 January (1948)

Political parties and leaders

Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA, proregime), THAN AUNG, general secretary; National Unity Party (NUP, proregime), THA KYAW; National League for Democracy (NLD), AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary; and eight minor legal parties

Political pressure groups and leaders

National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), headed by 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; 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)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $5.3 billion expenditures : $10 billion, including capital expenditures of $3 billion (1995 est.)

Currency

1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas

Debt - external

$5.5 billion (FY94/95 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $61 million (1993)

Economy - overview

Burma has a mixed economy with private activity dominant in agriculture, light industry, and transport, and with substantial state-controlled activity, mainly in energy, heavy industry, and the rice trade. Government policy in the last eight years, 1989-96, 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

1.21 million kW (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita

73 kWh (1995 est.)

Electricity - production

3.37 billion kWh (1994)

Exchange rates

kyats (K) per US$1 - 6.0600 (1997), 5.9176 (1996), 5.6670 (1995), 5.9749 (1994), 6.1570 (1993), 6.1045 (1992); unofficial - 160-170 (1996)

Exports

total value: $1.1 billion (1996 est.) commodities: rice, pulses and beans, teak, rubber, hardwood partners: Singapore, China, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $51.5 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 63% industry: 9% services : 28% (1995 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,120 (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

7% (1996 est.)

Imports

total value : $2 billion (1996 est.) commodities: machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, food products, consumer goods partners: Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Malaysia, Thailand

Industrial production growth rate

8.9% (FY94/95 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate - consumer price index

30%-40% (1996 est.)

Labor force

total: 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%

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.)

Airports

73 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 54 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m : 9 under 914 m: 28 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total : 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 16 (1996 est.)

Highways

total: 27,600 km paved: 3,340 km unpaved : 24,260 km (1995 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 52 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 657,498 GRT/901,418 DWT ships by type : bulk 16, cargo 18, chemical tanker 5, container 2, oil tanker 5, passenger-cargo 3, refrigerated cargo 1, vehicle carrier 2 (1996 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 1,343 km; natural gas 330 km

Ports and harbors

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

Railways

total : 3,569 km narrow gauge: 3,569 km 1.000-m gauge (1995)

Waterways

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

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$135 million (FY95/96)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA%

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 12,037,009 females age 15-49: 11,846,381 (1997 est.) note: both sexes liable for military service

Military manpower - fit for military service

males : 6,434,452 (1997 est.) females: 6,317,112 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 480,893 females: 462,314 (1997 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

world's largest illicit producer of opium (2,560 metric tons in 1996 - a 9% increase over 1995) and a minor producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; 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 serious government commitment and resources continue to hinder the overall antidrug effort; growing role in the production of methamphetamines for regional consumption ______________________________________________________________________ BURUNDI