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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.76 male(s)/female

total population:

0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations (2005)

noun:

Burmese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Burmese

name:

Rangoon (Yangon)

geographic coordinates:

16 47 N, 96 10 E

time difference:

UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

note: Naypyidaw is being established as a government center

• 3 January 1974;
• suspended since 18 September 1988;
• national convention convened in 1993 to draft a new constitution but collapsed in 1996;
• reconvened in 2004 but does not include participation of democratic opposition

chief of state:

Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992)

head of government:

Prime Minister, Gen SOE WIN (since 19 October 2004)

cabinet:

Cabinet is overseen by the SPDC; military junta, so named 15 November 1997, assumed power 18 September 1988 under the name State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC)

elections:

none

• National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary];
• National Unity Party or NUP (pro-regime) [THA KYAW] (at last report);
• Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [HKUN HTUN OO];
• and other smaller parties

• National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or NCGUB (self-proclaimed government in exile) ["Prime Minister" Dr. SEIN WIN] consists of individuals, some legitimately elected to the People's Assembly in 1990 (the group fled to a border area and joined insurgents in December 1990 to form parallel government in exile);
• Kachin Independence Organization or KIO;
• Karen National Union or KNU;
• several Shan factions;
• United Wa State Army or UWSA;
• Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (pro-regime, a social and political mass-member organization) [HTAY OO, general secretary]

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires MYINT LWIN

chancery:

2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 332-3344

FAX:

[1] (202) 332-4351

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Shari VILLAROSA

embassy:

581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521)

mailing address:

Box B, APO AP 96546

telephone:

[95] (1) 379-880, 379-881

FAX:

[95] (1) 256-018

• red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing, 14 white five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel containing a stalk of rice;
• the 14 stars represent the seven administrative divisions and seven states

agriculture:

70%

industry:

7%

services:

23% (2001)

lowest 10%:

2.8%

highest 10%:

32.4% (1998)

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

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

general assessment:

barely meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government; international service is fair

domestic:

NA

international:

country code - 95; satellite earth station - 2, Intelsat (Indian Ocean), and ShinSat

total:

3,955 km

narrow gauge:

3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)

total:

27,000 km

paved:

3,200 km

unpaved:

23,800 km (2005)

total:

34 ships (1000 GRT or over) 402,699 GRT/620,642 DWT

by type:

bulk carrier 8, cargo 20, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, specialized tanker 1

foreign-owned:

9 (Germany 5, Japan 4) (2006)

males age 18-49:

12,268,850

females age 18-49:

12,469,771 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49:

7,946,701

females age 18-49:

8,543,705 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49:

469,841

females:

455,689 (2005 est.)

• over half of Burma's population consists of diverse ethnic groups with substantial numbers of kin beyond its borders;
• despite continuing border committee talks, significant differences remain with Thailand over boundary alignment and the handling of ethnic rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities;
• ethnic Karens flee into Thailand to escape fighting between Karen rebels and Burmese troops;
• in 2005 Thailand sheltered about 121,000 Burmese refugees;
• Karens also protest Thai support for a Burmese hydroelectric dam on the Salween River near the border;
• environmentalists in Burma and Thailand continue to voice concern over China's construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan Province;
• India seeks cooperation from Burma to keep Indian Nagaland separatists from hiding in remote Burmese uplands

current situation:

• Burma is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked to East and Southeast Asia for sexual exploitation, domestic service, and forced commercial labor;
• a significant number of victims are economic migrants who wind up in forced or bonded labor and forced prostitution;
• to a lesser extent, Burma is a country of transit and destination for women trafficked from China for sexual exploitation;
• internal trafficking of persons occurs primarily for labor in industrial zones and agricultural estates;
• internal trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation occurs from villages to urban centers and other areas;
• the military junta's economic mismanagement, human rights abuses, and policy of using forced labor are driving factors behind Burma's large trafficking problem

tier rating:

Tier 3 - Burma does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so

• remains world's second largest producer of illicit opium (estimated production in 2004 - 292 metric tons, down 40% from 2003 due to eradication efforts and drought; cultivation in 2004 - 30,900 hectares, a 34% decline from 2003);
• lack of government will 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;
• currently under Financial Action Task Force countermeasures due to continued failure to address its inadequate money-laundering controls (2005)