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)

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

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

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

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.)

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.)

noun:

Burmese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Burmese

• 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;
• progress has since been stalled

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

• 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

• 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

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

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

• 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

lowest 10%:

3%

highest 10%:

32% (1998)

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

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

• 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)

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)

total:

3,991 km

narrow gauge:

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

total:

28,200 km

paved:

3,440 km

unpaved:

24,760 km (1996)

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

males age 15-49:

12,211,144

note: both sexes liable for military service (2002 est.)

females age 15-49:

12,223,069

males age 15-49:

6,502,013

females age 15-49:

6,491,732 (2002 est.)

males:

486,432

females:

470,667 (2002 est.)

• 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

• 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