[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

CIA-Burma Facts



CIA-Burma Facts

Burma
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of
Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand 
Geographic coordinates: 22 00 N, 98 00 E 
Area total: 678,500 sq km 
land: 657,740 sq km 
water: 20,760 sq km 
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas 
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 
Coastline: 1,930 km 
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 
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) 
Terrain: central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands 
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m 
highest point : Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m 
Natural resources: petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper,
tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas 
Land use:
arable land :15% 
permanent crops: 1% 
permanent pastures: 1% 
forests and woodland: 49% 
other: 34% (1993 est.) 
Irrigated land: 10,680 sq km (1993 est.) 
Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and
landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts 
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 
Geography - note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes 

Population: 46,821,943 (July 1997 est.) 
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.) 
Population growth rate: 1.81% (1997 est.) 
Birth rate: 29.54 births/1,000 population (1997 est.) 
Death rate: 11.41 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.) 
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.) 
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.) 
Infant mortality rate: 78.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.) 
Life expectancy at birth: 
total population: 56.62 years 
male: 54.89 years 
female: 58.45 years (1997 est.) 
Total fertility rate: 3.76 children born/woman (1997 est.) 
Nationality: 
noun: Burmese (singular and plural) 
adjective: Burmese 
Ethnic groups: Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon
2%, Indian 2%, other 5% 
Religions: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%),
Muslim 4%, animist beliefs 1%, other 2% 
Languages: Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages 
Literacy: 
definition : age 15 and over can read and write 
total population: 83.1% 
male: 88.7% 
female: 77.7% (1995 est.) 

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 
Government type: military regime 
National capital: Rangoon (regime refers to the capital as Yangon) 
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* 
Independence: 4 January 1948 (from UK) 
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 January (1948) 
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 
Legal system: does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction 
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal 
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 
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 
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 
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) 
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 
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 
FAX : [1] (202) 332-9046 
consulate(s) general: New York 
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) 
FAX: [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 

Economy

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. 
GDP: purchasing power parity - $51.5 billion (1996 est.) 
GDP - real growth rate: 7% (1996 est.) 
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,120 (1996 est.) 
GDP - composition by sector: 
agriculture: 63% 
industry: 9% 
services : 28% (1995 est.) 
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% 
Budget: 
revenues: $5.3 billion 
expenditures : $10 billion, including capital expenditures of $3 billion
(1995 est.) 
Industries: agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and wood
products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials;
pharmaceuticals; fertilizer 
Industrial production growth rate: 8.9% (FY94/95 est.) 
Electricity - capacity: 1.21 million kW (1994) 
Electricity - production: 3.37 billion kWh (1994) 
Electricity - consumption per capita: 73 kWh (1995 est.) 
Agriculture - products: paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane, pulses;
hardwood 
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 
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 
Debt - external: $5.5 billion (FY94/95 est.) 
Economic aid: 
recipient: ODA, $61 million (1993) 
Currency: 1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas 
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) 
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March 

Communications 

Telephones: 122,195 (1993 est.) 
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) 
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1985 est.) 
note: radiobroadcast coverage is limited to the most populous areas 
Radios: NA 
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1988 est.) 
Televisions: 88,000 (1992 est.) 

Transportation
Railways: 
total : 3,569 km 
narrow gauge: 3,569 km 1.000-m gauge (1995) 
Highways: 
total: 27,600 km 
paved: 3,340 km 
unpaved : 24,260 km (1995 est.) 
Waterways: 12,800 km; 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels 
Pipelines: crude oil 1,343 km; natural gas 330 km 
Ports and harbors: Bassein, Bhamo, Chauk, Mandalay, Moulmein, Myitkyina,
Rangoon, Akyab (Sittwe), Tavoy 
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.) 
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.) 

Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force 
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age 
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 - reaching military age annually: 
males: 480,893 
females: 462,314 (1997 est.) 
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $135 million (FY95/96) 
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA% 

Transnational Issues

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 
========
Burma Info
CCN