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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.)
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—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
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.)
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 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)
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
Source: 1999 CIA World Factbook
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