Burma (Myanmar)

• 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)

current issues:

• deforestation;
• industrial pollution of air, soil, and water;
• inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease

natural hazards:

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

international agreements:

• party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83;
• signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea

0-14 years:

36% (female 7,963,544; male 8,285,459)

15-64 years:

60% (female 13,478,211; male 13,404,987)

65 years and over:

4% (female 1,080,922; male 890,686) (July 1995 est.)

noun:

Burmese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Burmese

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

• 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*

• 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

People's Assembly (Pyithu Hluttaw):

• election 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

• 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

• Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), THAN AUNG, Secretary;
• National Unity Party (NUP; proregime), THA KYAW;
• National League for Democracy (NLD), U AUNG SHWE;
• and eight other minor legal parties

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)

chief of mission:

Ambassador U THAUNG

chancery:

2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 332-9044, 9045

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

(vacant); Charge d'Affaires Marilyn A. MEYERS

embassy:

581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521)

mailing address:

American Embassy, Box B, APO AP 96546

telephone:

[95] (1) 82055, 82182 (operator assistance required)

• 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

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

• accounts for 65% of GDP and 65% of employment (including fishing, animal husbandry, 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

• world's largest illicit producer of opium (2,030 metric tons in 1994 - dropped 21% due to regional drought in 1994) and minor producer of cannabis for the international drug trade;
• opium production continues to be almost double since the collapse of Rangoon's antinarcotic programs;
• growing role in amphetamine production for regional consumption

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

total:

3,991 km (3,878 km common carrier lines, 113 km industrial lines)

standard gauge:

3,878 km 1.435-m gauge

other:

113 km NA-m gauge

total:

27,000 km

paved:

bituminous 3,200 km

unpaved:

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

total:

49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 638,297 GRT/884,492 DWT

ships by type:

bulk 19, cargo 15, chemical tanker 1, container 2, oil tanker 3, passenger-cargo 3, refrigerated cargo 4, vehicle carrier 2

• 53,000 telephones (1986);
• meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government;
• international service is good

local:

NA

intercity:

NA

international:

1 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) earth station

broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1985)

radios:

NA

note: radiobroadcast coverage is limited to the most populous areas

broadcast stations:

1 (1985)

televisions:

NA

• males age 15-49 11,553,094;
• females age 15-49 11,463,189;
• males fit for military service 6,180,091;
• females fit for military service 6,116,421;
• males reach military age (18) annually 457,445 (1995 est.);
• females reach military age (18) annually 441,628 (1995 est.)

note: both sexes liable for military service