Burma (Myanmar)

military regimeIndependence 4 January 1948 (from UK)

Burma (Myanmar) as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 121 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)
LocationSoutheastern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and
1994

Every edition of Burma (Myanmar)

Populationas each edition published it
44.28 million July 1994 est. · 41.28m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.86% 1994 est. · 1.88% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 25.3 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 59.5 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
3.64 children per woman 1994 est. · 4.2 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
63.7 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 97 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$950 1993 est. · $660 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
5% 1993 est. · 1.3% in 1993

Geography

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and | Thailand

25 fields
Coastline
1,930km
Land boundaries
5,876km
total · Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km
Irrigated land
10,180sq km
(1989)

Location

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

Map references

Asia, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

total area

678,500 sq km

land area

657,740 sq km

comparative area

slightly smaller than Texas

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or to the edge of 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

Natural resources

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

arable land

15%

permanent crops

1%

meadows and pastures

1%

forest and woodland

49%

other

34%

current issues

deforestation

natural hazards

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

international agreements

party to - Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea

Note

strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes

People

21 fields
Population
44,277,014
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 1.86% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
28.45Death
9.84Net migration
0

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)
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1990 est.)

Infant mortality rate

63.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

59.98 years

male

57.94 years

female

62.15 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.64 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Burmese (singular and plural)

adjective

Burmese

Languages

Burmese; minority ethnic groups have their own languages

total population

81%

male

89%

female

72%

by occupation

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

Government

Military regime

31 fields

Legislature, 485 seatsseats by party

NLD 396the regime-favored NUP 10other 79was dissolved after the coup of 18 September 1988

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

Type

military regime

Capital

Rangoon (sometimes translated as Yangon)

Administrative divisions

  • 7 divisions* (yin-mya, singular - yin) and 7 states (pyine-mya, singular - pyine);
  • Chin State, Irrawaddy*, Kachin State, Karan State, Kayah State, Magwe*, Mandalay*, Mon State, Pegu*, Rakhine State, Rangoon*, Sagaing*, Shan State, Tenasserim*

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 chapter headings for a new constitution

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

chief of state and head of government

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

State Law and Order Restoration Council

military junta which assumed power 18 September 1988

People's Assembly (Pyithu Hluttaw)

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

Political parties and leaders

  • Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), leader NA;
  • National Unity Party (NUP; proregime), THA KYAW;
  • National League for Democracy (NLD), U AUNG SHWE

Other political or pressure groups

National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), headed by the elected prime minister SEIN WIN (consists of individuals legitimately elected to Parliament 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)

Member of

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

chief of mission

Ambassador U THAUNG

chancery

2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

(202) 332-9044 or 9045

consulate(s) general

New York

chief of mission

(vacant); Deputy Chief of Mission, Charge d'Affaires Franklin P. HUDDLE, Jr.

embassy

581 Merchant Street, Rangoon

mailing address

American Embassy, 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 has a mixed economy with about 70% private activity, mainly in | agriculture, light industry, and transport, and with about 30% | state-controlled activity, mainly in energy, heavy industry, and | foreign trade.

26 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$950
(1993 est.)
Real growth rate
5%
(1993 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 4.9% (FY93 est.); accounts for 10% of GDP
External debt
$4billion
(1992)

Overview

Burma has a mixed economy with about 70% private activity, mainly in agriculture, light industry, and transport, and with about 30% state-controlled activity, mainly in energy, heavy industry, and foreign trade. Government policy in the last five years, 1989-93, has aimed at revitalizing the economy after four 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. Inflation has been running at 25% to 30% annually. Good weather helped boost GDP by perhaps 5% in 1993. Although Burma remains a poor Asian country, its rich resources furnish the potential for substantial long-term increases in income, exports, and living standards.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $41 billion (1993 est.)

revenues

$8.1 billion

expenditures

$11.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)

Exports

$613.4 million (FY93)

commodities

pulses and beans, teak, rice, hardwood

partners

Singapore, China, Thailand, India, Hong Kong

Imports

$1.02 billion (FY93)

commodities

machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, food products

partners

Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia

capacity

1,100,000 kW

production

2.8 billion kWh

consumption per capita

65 kWh (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 and 66% of employment (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 timber account for 55% of export revenues

Illicit drugs

  • world's largest illicit producer of opium (2,575 metric tons in 1993) and minor producer of cannabis for the international drug trade;
  • opium production has doubled since the collapse of Rangoon's antinarcotic programs

recipient

  • 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 - 6.2301 (December 1993), 6.1570 (1993), 6.1045 (1992), 6.2837 (1991), 6.3386 (1990), 6.7049 (1989); unofficial - 105

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Communications

15 fields

Networkskm

Railroads
3,991Inland waterways
12,800
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

27,000 km

paved

bituminous 3,200 km

unpaved

gravel, improved earth 17,700 km; unimproved earth 6,100 km

Inland waterways

12,800 km; 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels

Pipelines

crude oil 1,343 km; natural gas 330 km

Ports

Rangoon, Moulmein, Bassein

Merchant marine

47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 665,628 GRT/941,512 DWT, bulk 15, cargo 15, chemical 1, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 1, container 2, oil tanker 2, passenger-cargo 3, refrigerated cargo 5, vehicle carrier 2

total

83

usable

78

with permanent-surface runways

24

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

Defense Forces

Army, Navy, Air Force

3 fields

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 11,199,531;
  • females age 15-49 11,273,643;
  • males fit for military service 5,979,710;
  • females fit for military service 6,034,810;
  • males reach military age (18) annually 445,933 (1994 est.);
  • females reach military age (18) annually 430,738 (1994 est.);
  • both sexes liable for military service

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

Central Intelligence Agency. “Burma.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/burma/1994.

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