Burma (Myanmar)

Union of BurmaPyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the US Government as Union of

military regime

Burma (Myanmar) as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 79 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalRangoon (sometimes translated as Yangon)

Area678,500 km2

LocationSoutheast Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand

1993

Every edition of Burma (Myanmar)

Populationas each edition published it

43.46 million July 1993 est. · 41.28m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.88% 1993 est. · 0.69% in 2025

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 25.3 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

59.5 years 1993 est. · 70.3 yrs in 2025

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.7 children per woman 1993 est. · 4.2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

65.7 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 97 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$660 1992 · $5,300 in 2025

GDP real growth% a year

1.3% 1992 · -1% in 2025

Geography

Southeast Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand

14 fields

Land useshare of 678,500 km2

arable land 15%meadows and pastures 1%forest and woodland 49%other 34%permanent crops 1% in all · irrigated 10,180 km2 (1989)

Area

678,500km2

land area: 657,740 km2comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas

Coastline

1,930km

contiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of continental marginexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

5,876km

total · Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km

Location

Southeast Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand

Map references

Asia, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

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

Natural resources

petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas

Environment

subject to destructive earthquakes and cyclones;
flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September);
deforestation

Note

strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes

People

14 fields

Population

43,455,953

(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 1.88% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth

28.88Death

10.05Net migration

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years59.5

57.5 · 61.63

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy81%

89% · 72%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990)

Ethnic divisions

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%

Labor force

16.007million

(1992)by occupation: agriculture 65.2%, industry 14.3%, trade 10.1%, government 6.3%, other 4.1% (FY89 est.)

Infant mortality rate

65.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Burmese (singular and plural)
adjective:: Burmese

Languages

Burmese; minority ethnic groups have their own languages

Government

Military regime

21 fields

Names

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

Capital

Rangoon (sometimes translated as Yangon)

Administrative divisions

7 divisions* (yin-mya, singular - yin) and 7 states (pyine-mya, singular -, pyine); Chin State,

State, Rangoon, Sagaing, Shan, State, Tenasserim*, Independence

4 January 1948 (from UK)

Constitution

3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988); National Convention started on 9 January 1993 to draft chapter headings for a new constitution

Legal system

has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Political parties and leaders

National Unity Party (NUP; proregime), THA KYAW;
National League for Democracy (NLD), U AUNG SHWE;
National Coalition of Union of Burma (NCGUB), SEIN WIN (which consists of individuals legitimately elected to parliament, but not recognized by military regime) fled to border area and joined with insurgents in December 1990 to form a parallel government

Other political or pressure groups

Kachin Independence Army (KIA);
United Wa State Army (UWSA);
Karen National Union (KNU - the only non-drug group);
several Shan factions, including the Mong Tai Army (MTA)

Elections

People's Assembly:: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never convened;
results - NLD 80%;
seats - (485 total) NLD 396, the regime-favored NUP 10, other 79

Executive branch

chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council, State Law and Order Restoration Council

Legislative branch

unicameral People's Assembly (Pyithu Hluttaw) was dissolved after the coup of 18 September 1988

Judicial branch

none; Council of People's Justices was abolished after the coup of 18 September 1988

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government: Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992)

Member of

AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador U THAUNG
chancery:: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: (202) 332-9044 through 9046
consulate general:: New York

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: (vacant); Deputy Chief of Mission, Charge d'Affaires Franklin P. HUDDLE, Jr.
embassy:: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon
mailing address:: GPO Box 521, AMEMB Box B, APO AP 96546
telephone:: [95] (1) 82055, 82181
FAX:: [95] (1) 80409

Flag

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

Burma is a poor Asian country, with a per capita GDP of about $660.

19 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$660

(1992)

Real growth rate

1.3%

(1992)industrial production growth: growth rate 2.6% (FY90 est.); accounts for 10% of GDP

Inflation, consumer prices

50%

(1992)

Unemployment rate

9.6%

(FY89 est.) in urban areas

Budget

Revenues

$8.1 billionExpenditures

$11.6 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)

Burma is a poor Asian country, with a per capita GDP of about $660. The nation has been unable to achieve any substantial improvement in export earnings because of falling prices for many of its major commodity exports. For rice, traditionally the most important export, the drop in world prices has been accompanied by shrinking markets and a smaller volume of sales.

In 1985 teak replaced rice as the largest export and continues to hold this position. The economy is heavily dependent on the agricultural sector, which generates about 40% of GDP and provides employment for 65% of the work force. Burma has been largely isolated from international economic forces and has been trying to encourage foreign investment, so far with little success.

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $28 billion (1992)

Exports

$535.1 million (FY92)

commodities:: teak, rice, oilseed, metals, rubber, gems
partners:: China, India, Thailand, Singapore

Imports

$907.0 million (FY92)

commodities:: machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, food products
partners:: Japan, China, Singapore

External debt

$4 billion (1992)

Electricity

1,100,000 kW capacity; 2,800 million kWh produced, 65 kWh per capita (1992)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 40% of GDP (including fish and forestry);
self-sufficient in food;
principal crops - paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane, pulses;
world's largest stand of hardwood trees;
rice and teak account for 55% of export revenues

Illicit drugs

world's largest illicit producer of opium poppy and minor producer of cannabis for the international drug trade;
opium production has nearly doubled since the collapse of Rangoon's antinarcotic programs

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $158 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.9 billion;
Communist countries (1970-89), $424 million

Currency

1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas

Exchange rates

kyats (K) per US$1 - 6.0963 (January 1992), 6.2837 (1991), 6.3386 (1990), 6.7049 (1989), 6.46 (1988), 6.6535 (1987); unofficial - 105

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Communications

8 fields

Merchant marine, 62 ships by typeone square, one ship

passenger-cargo 3cargo 18refrigerated cargo 5vehicle carrier 4container 2oil tanker 2chemical 3combination ore/oil 1bulk 23combination bulk 162 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 940,264 GRT/1,315,156 DWT

Networkskm

Highways

27,000Railroads

3,991Inland waterways

12,800

Highways: ; 3,200 km bituminous, 17,700 km improved earth or gravel, 6,100 km unimproved earth · Railroads: , all government owned; 3,878 km 1.000-meter gauge, 113 km narrow-gauge industrial lines; 362 km double track · Inland waterways: ; 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels

Railroads

3,991 km total, all government owned;
3,878 km 1.000-meter gauge, 113 km narrow-gauge industrial lines;
362 km double track

total:: 83
usable:: 78
with permanent-surface runways:: 26
with runways over 3,659 m:: 0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:: 3
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:: 38

Telecommunications

meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government;
international service is good;
53,000 telephones (1986);
radiobroadcast coverage is limited to the most populous areas;
broadcast stations - 2 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV (1985);
1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station