2000 Edition

Background

Despite multiparty elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party winning a decisive victory, the military junta ruling the country refused to hand over power. Key opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG San Suu Kyi, under house arrest from 1989 to 1995, continues to have her activities restricted; her supporters are routinely harassed or jailed.

Area

land

657,740 sq km

total

678,500 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

highest point

Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m

lowest point

Andaman Sea 0 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, 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

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%

forests and woodland

49%

other

34% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

1%

permanent pastures

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 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, hydropower

Terrain

central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands

Age structure

0-14 years: 30% (male 6,341,546; female 6,086,650) 15-64 years: 65% (male 13,565,379; female 13,764,242) 65 years and over: 5% (male 885,583; female 1,091,453) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

20.61 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

12.35 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

Infant mortality rate

75.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages

Life expectancy at birth

female

56.29 years (2000 est.)

male

53.6 years

total population

54.91 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

77.7% (1995 est.)

male

88.7%

note

these are official statistics; estimates of functional literacy are likely closer to 30% (1999 est.)

total population

83.1%

Nationality

adjective

Burmese

noun

Burmese (singular and plural)

Net migration rate

-1.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

41,734,853

note

estimates for this country explicitly 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 and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

0.64% (2000 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

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: 0.81 male(s)/female

total population

0.99 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.37 children born/woman (2000 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

Country name

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

Data code

BM

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Permanent Charge d'Affaires Priscilla A. CLAPP

embassy

581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521)

mailing address

Box B, APO AP 96546

telephone

(1) 282055, 282182

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador TIN WINN

telephone

(202) 332-9044

Executive branch

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

chief of state

Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note - the prime minister is both the chief of state and head of government

elections

none; the prime minister assumed power upon resignation of the former prime minister

head of government

Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note - the prime minister is both the chief of state and head of government

FAX

(202) 332-9046

(1) 280409

consulate(s) general

New York

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, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW, 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)

election results

percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NLD 396, NUP 10, other 79

elections

last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never convened

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 January (1948)

Political parties and leaders

National League for Democracy or NLD ; National Unity Party or NUP (proregime) ; Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (proregime, a social and political organization) ; and eight minor legal parties

Political pressure groups and leaders

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 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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

expenditures

$12.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.7 billion (FY96/97)

revenues

$7.9 billion

Currency

1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas

Debt - external

$5.9 billion (FY98/99 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$99 million (FY98/99)

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 11 years, 1989-99, 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. State enterprises remain highly inefficient and privatization efforts have stalled. 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. Burma remains a poor Asian country and living standards for the majority have not improved over the past decade. The short-term outlook is for continued sluggish growth because of poor government planning, internal unrest, minimal foreign investment, and the large trade deficit.

Electricity - consumption

4.008 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

4.31 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

61.72%

hydro

38.28%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

kyats (K) per US$1 - official rate - 6.2665 (January 2000), 6.2858 (1999), 6.3432 (1998), 6.2418 (1997), 5.9176 (1996), 5.6670 (1995); kyats (K) per US$1 - market exchange rate - 330 (yearend 1999)

Exports

$1.2 billion (1998)

Exports - commodities

pulses and beans, prawns, fish, rice; teak, opiates

Exports - partners

India 13%, China 11%, Singapore 10%, Thailand 8% (1998)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $59.4 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

59%

industry

11%

services

30% (1997 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,200 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4.6% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$2.5 billion (1998)

Imports - commodities

machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, food products

Imports - partners

Singapore 31%, Japan 12%, Thailand 12%, China 9%, Malaysia 8% (1998)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

38% (1999 est.)

Labor force

19.7 million (FY98/99 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 65%, industry 10%, services 25% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line

23% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate

7.1% (official FY97/98 est.)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

0 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios

4.2 million (1997)

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 - main lines in use

158,000 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2,007 (1995)

Television broadcast stations

2 (1998)

Televisions

260,000 (1997)

Airports

80 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

10 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

70 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 32 (1999 est.)

Heliports

1 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

3,440 km

total

28,200 km

unpaved

24,760 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine

note

a flag of convenience registry; includes ships of 2 countries: Japan owns 2 ships, US 3 (1998 est.)

ships by type

bulk 13, cargo 20, container 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2 (1999 est.)

total

40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 472,284 GRT/716,533 DWT

Pipelines

crude oil 1,343 km; natural gas 330 km

Ports and harbors

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

Railways

narrow gauge

3,991 km 1.000-m gauge

total

3,991 km

Waterways

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

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$39 million (FY97/98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.1% (FY97/98)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 11,865,696 females age 15-49: 11,894,661

note

both sexes liable for military service (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 6,334,750 females age 15-49: 6,334,937 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

females

468,221 (2000 est.)

males

483,964

Disputes - international

sporadic conflict with Thailand over alignment of border

Illicit drugs

world's second largest producer of illicit opium, after Afghanistan (potential production in 1999 - 1,090 metric tons, down 38% due to drought; cultivation in 1999 - 89,500 hectares, a 31% decline from 1998); 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; becoming a major source of methamphetamines for regional consumption

BURUNDI