CIA FACTBOOK 1999 (BURMA)

[darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx]

[NOTE FROM DAVID ARNOTT: I REMEMBER SOMEONE WANTING
TO KNOW WHERE JM GOT HIS CIA FIGURES FOR BURMESE 
MILITARY EXPENDITURE. ( $3.904 billion (FY97/98) 

WELL I WENT TO MR HOTBOT AND TYPED IN CIA AND IT
CAME UP WITH A FEW OPTIONS AND I CLICKED ON CIA FACTBOOK AND 
THEN CLICKED ON COUNTRIES AND THEN BURMA AND GOT HERE:

http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/bm.html#comm

BUT JUST IN CASE PEOPLE'S FINGERS ARE TIRED OF CLICKING, HERE IS
THE PAGE CUT AND PASTED. I'M NOT GOING TO EVEN UP THE LINES FOR 
YOU. IF YOU WANT A PRETTY VERSION, GO TO THE URL AND CLICK FOR IT.]


CIA FACTBOOK 1999
Burma
                                                              
                                             Burma

                                            Geography


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

Geographic coordinates: 22 00 N, 98 00 E 

Map references: Southeast Asia 

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, Desertification, 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 


                                             People


Population: 48,081,302 (July 1999 est.) 

Age structure: 
0-14 years: 36% (male 8,883,099; female 8,542,087) 
15-64 years: 60% (male 14,343,888; female 14,293,233) 
65 years and over: 4% (male 906,517; female 1,112,478) (1999 est.) 

Population growth rate: 1.61% (1999 est.) 

Birth rate: 28.48 births/1,000 population (1999 est.) 

Death rate: 12.39 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.) 

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 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: 0.81 male(s)/female 
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (1999 est.) 

Infant mortality rate: 76.25 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.) 

Life expectancy at birth: 
total population: 54.74 years 
male: 53.24 years 
female: 56.32 years (1999 est.) 

Total fertility rate: 3.63 children born/woman (1999 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.) 

                                           Government



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 

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 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 
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 
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 
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?NA%; 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: National Unity Party or NUP (proregime) [THA
KYAW]; National League for Democracy or
NLD [AUNG SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary]; Union
Solidarity and Development Association
or USDA (proregime, a social and political organization) [THAN AUNG,
general secretary]; and eight minor legal parties 

Political pressure groups and leaders: National Coalition Government of the
Union of Burma or NCGUB [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 or
KIA; United Wa State Army or UWSA; Karen National Union or KNU; several
Shan factions; All Burma Student
Democratic Front or ABSDF 

International organization participation: AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user),
Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW, 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 
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
10 years, 1989-98, 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. The short-term outlook is for continued sluggish growth because
of internal unrest, minimal foreign investment, and
the large trade deficit. 

GDP: purchasing power parity?$56.1 billion (1998 est.) 

GDP?real growth rate: 1.1% (1998 est.) 

GDP?per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,200 (1998 est.) 

GDP?composition by sector: 
agriculture: 59% 
industry: 11% 
services: 30% (1997 est.) 

Population below poverty line: NA% 

Household income or consumption by percentage share: 
lowest 10%: NA% 
highest 10%: NA% 

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 50% (1998 est.) 

Labor force: 18.8 million (FY95/96 est.) 

Labor force?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: $7.9 billion 
expenditures: $12.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.7 billion
(FY96/97) 

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

Industrial production growth rate: 9.2% (FY95/96 est.) 

Electricity?production: 3.75 billion kWh (1996) 

Electricity?production by source: 
fossil fuel: 61.33% 
hydro: 38.67% 
nuclear: 0% 
other: 0% (1996) 

Electricity?consumption: 3.75 billion kWh (1996) 

Electricity?exports: 0 kWh (1996) 

Electricity?imports: 0 kWh (1996) 

Agriculture?products: paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane, pulses; hardwood 

Exports: $940 million (1997) 

Exports?commodities: pulses and beans, teak, rice, rubber, hardwood 

Exports?partners: India 17%, Singapore 14%, China 11%, Thailand 9%, Japan
4% (1997) 

Imports: $2.2 billion (1997) 

Imports?commodities: machinery, transport equipment, construction
materials, food products 

Imports?partners: Singapore 30%, Japan 17%, China 10%, Thailand 10%,
Malaysia 7% (1997) 

Debt?external: $4.3 billion (1997 est.) 

Economic aid?recipient: $156.9 million (1995) 

Currency: 1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas 

Exchange rates: kyats (K) per US$1?6.1163 (January 1999), 6.3432 (1998),
6.2418 (1997), 5.9176 (1996), 5.6670
(1995), 5.9749 (1994); unofficial?310-350 (1998) 

Fiscal year: 1 April?31 March 

                                         Communications


[Top of Page] 

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 3, shortwave 3 (1998) 

Radios: NA 

Television broadcast stations: 2 (1998 est.) 

Televisions: 88,000 (1992 est.) 

                                          Transportation


[Top of Page] 

Railways: 
total: 3,740 km 
narrow gauge: 3,740 km 1.000-m gauge (1997) 

Highways: 
total: 28,200 km 
paved: 3,440 km 
unpaved: 24,760 km (1996 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: 41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 464,478 GRT/695,923 DWT 
ships by type: bulk 14, cargo 20, container 2, oil tanker 3, passenger-cargo 2 
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships of 2 countries: Japan
owns 2 ships, US 3 (1998 est.) 

Airports: 80 (1998 est.) 

Airports?with paved runways: 
total: 11 
over 3,047 m: 2 
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1998 est.) 

Airports?with unpaved runways: 
total: 69 
over 3,047 m: 2 
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 
914 to 1,523 m: 23 
under 914 m: 32 (1998 est.) 

Heliports: 1 (1998 est.) 

                                             Military


[Top of Page] 

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force 

Military manpower?military age: 18 years of age 

Military manpower?availability: 
males age 15-49: 12,475,987 
females age 15-49: 12,224,947 (1999 est.) 
note: both sexes liable for military service 

Military manpower?fit for military service: 
males age 15-49: 6,660,309 
females age 15-49: 6,510,730 (1999 est.) 

Military manpower?reaching military age annually: 
males: 496,912 
females: 477,803 (1999 est.) 

Military expenditures?dollar figure: $3.904 billion (FY97/98) 

Military expenditures?percent of GDP: 2.1% (FY97/98) 

                                       Transnational Issues


[Top of Page] 

Disputes?international: sporadic conflict with Thailand over alignment of
border 

Illicit drugs: world's largest producer of illicit opium (cultivation in
1998?130,300 hectares, a 16% decline from 1997;
potential production?1,750 metric tons, down 26% due to drought and the
first eradication effort since the current
government took power in 1987) 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 continues to hinder the overall
antidrug effort; growing role in the production of
methamphetamines for regional consumption 


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