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This is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It was the starting point for creating a real Wikitravel country article according to our country article template, which is now at Burma. It may have some useful information for updating that page, but please don't bother updating this one. Update the actual country page instead.

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[edit] 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
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 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, hydropower

Land use 

arable land: 14.53%
permanent crops: 0.9%
other: 84.57% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

15,920 sq km (1998 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, 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

Geography - note 

strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes

[edit] People

Population 

42,238,224
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 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 28.6% (male 6,158,039; female 5,905,314)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 13,976,047; female 14,162,467)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 905,476; female 1,130,881) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

0.56% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

19.65 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

12.25 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

-1.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

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: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

72.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 55.41 years
female: 57.07 years (2002 est.)
male: 53.85 years

Total fertility rate 

2.23 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 

1.99% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 

530,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths 

48,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality 

noun: Burmese (singular and plural)
adjective: Burmese

Ethnic groups 

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

Religions 

Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 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.)
note: these are official statistics; estimates of functional literacy are likely closer to 30% (1999 est.)

[edit] Government

Country name 

conventional long form: Union of Burma
conventional short form: Burma
local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw
local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of Myanmar)
former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma
note: since 1989 the military authorities in Burma have promoted the name Myanmar as a conventional name for their state; this decision was not approved by any sitting legislature in Burma, and the US Government did not adopt the name, which is a derivative of the Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw

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; progress has since been stalled

Legal system 

has not accepted 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 Sr. 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 Sr. 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 392, SNLD 23, NUP 10, other 60

Judicial branch 

remnants of the British-era legal system are 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 League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary]; National Unity Party or NUP (proregime) [THA KYAW]; Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [U KHUN TUN OO]; Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (proregime, a social and political organization) [THAN AUNG, general secretary]; and other smaller 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 [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); several Shan factions; United Wa State Army or UWSA

International organization participation 

ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador TIN WINN
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: [1] (202) 332-9046
telephone: [1] (202) 332-9044
chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US 

chief of mission: Permanent Charge d'Affaires Carmen M. MARTINEZ
embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521)
mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546
telephone: [95] (1) 256-019, 256-016
FAX: [95] (1) 256-018

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

[edit] Economy

Economy - overview 

Burma is a resource-rich country that suffers from abject rural poverty. The military regime took steps in the early 1990s to liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the "Burmese Way to Socialism", but those efforts have since stalled. Burma has been unable to achieve monetary or fiscal stability, resulting in an economy that suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances - including an official exchange rate that overvalues the Burmese kyat by more than 100 times the market rate. In addition, most overseas development assistance ceased after the junta suppressed the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently ignored the results of the 1990 election. Burma is data poor, and official statistics are often dated and inaccurate. Published estimates of Burma's foreign trade are greatly understated because of the size of the black market and border trade - often estimated to be one to two times the official economy.

GDP 

purchasing power parity - $63 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

2.3% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

agriculture: 42%
industry: 17%
services: 41% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line 

25% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share 

lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 32% (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

20% (2001 est.)

Labor force 

23.7 million (1999 est.)

Labor force - by occupation 

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

Unemployment rate 

5.1% (2001 est.)

Budget 

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

Industries 

agricultural processing; knit and woven apparel; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer

Industrial production growth rate 

NA%

Electricity - production 

4.766 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 83%
hydro: 17%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption 

4.432 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 

0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 

0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products 

rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane; hardwood; fish and fish products

Exports 

$1.8 billion f.o.b. (2001)

Exports - commodities 

apparel 55%, foodstuffs 18%, wood products 13%, precious stones 2% (2000)

Exports - partners 

US 27%, India 16%, China 7%, Japan 6%, Singapore 6% (2000 est.)
note: official trade statistics do not include trade in illicit goods - such as narcotics, teak, and gems - or the largely unrecorded border trade with China and Thailand

Imports 

$2.2 billion f.o.b. (2001)

Imports - commodities 

machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, food products, textile fabrics, petroleum products

Imports - partners 

China 26%, Singapore 23%, South Korea 15%, Japan 10%, Taiwan 10% (2000 est.)

Debt - external 

$6 billion

Economic aid - recipient 

$99 million (FY98/99)

Currency 

kyat (MMK)

Currency code 

MMK

Exchange rates 

kyats per US dollar - official rate - 6.8581 (January 2002), 6.7489 (2001), 6.5167 (2000), 6.2858 (1999), 6.3432 (1998), 6.2418 (1997); kyats per US dollar - black market exchange rate - 435 (yearend 2000)

Fiscal year 

1 April - 31 March

[edit] Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

250,000 (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

8,492 (1997)

Telephone system 

general assessment: 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 

4.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations 

2 (1998)

Televisions 

320,000 (2000)

Internet country code 

.mm

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

1
note: as of September 2000, Internet connections were legal only for the government, tourist offices, and a few large businesses (2000)

Internet users 

10,000 (2002)

[edit] Transportation

Railways 

total: 3,991 km
narrow gauge: 3,991 km 1.000-m gauge (2000 est.)

Highways 

total: 28,200 km
paved: 3,440 km
unpaved: 24,760 km (1996)

Waterways 

12,800 km
note: 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: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 382,386 GRT/582,084 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 5, Japan 4 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 21, container 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1

Airports 

80 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 8
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 72
under 914 m: 34 (2002)
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 20

Heliports 

1 (2002)

[edit] Military

Military branches 

Army, Navy, Air Force

Military manpower - military age 

18 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability 

males age 15-49: 12,211,144
note: both sexes liable for military service (2002 est.)
females age 15-49: 12,223,069

Military manpower - fit for military service 

males age 15-49: 6,502,013
females age 15-49: 6,491,732 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually 

males: 486,432
females: 470,667 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$39 million (FY97/98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

2.1% (FY97/98)

[edit] Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

despite renewed border committee talks, significant differences remain with Thailand over boundary alignment and the handling of ethnic guerrilla rebels, refugees, smuggling, and drug trafficking in cross-border region; Burmese attempts to construct a dam on border stream with Bangladesh in 2001 prompted an armed response halting construction; Burmese Muslim migration into Bangladesh strains Bangladesh's meager resources

Illicit drugs 

world's second largest producer of illicit opium (potential production in 2002 - 630 metric tons, down 27% due to drought and, to a lesser extent, eradication; cultivation in 2002 - 77,000 hectares, a 27% decline from 2001); 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; major source of methamphetamine and heroin for regional consumption