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:

1.032 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.757 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2007 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

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007)

noun:

Burmese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Burmese

name:

Rangoon (Yangon)

geographic coordinates:

16 48 N, 96 09 E

time difference:

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

note: Nay Pyi Taw is administrative capital

• 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, Lt. Gen THEIN SEIN (since 24 October 2007)

cabinet:

Cabinet is overseen by SPDC; military junta assumed power 18 September 1988 under name State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC)

elections:

none

• National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, AUNG SAN SUU KYI];
• National Unity Party or NUP (pro-regime) [TUN YE];
• Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [HKUN HTUN OO];
• and other smaller parties

• Ethnic Nationalities Council or ENC (based in Thailand);
• Federation of Trade Unions-Burma or FTUB (exile trade union and labor advocates);
• 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;
• Karenni National People's Party or KNPP;
• National Council-Union of Burma or NCUB (exile coalition of opposition groups);
• 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];
• 88 Generation Students (pro-democracy movement) [MIN KO NAING]

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:

110 University Avenue, Kamayut Township, Rangoon

mailing address:

Box B, APO AP 96546

telephone:

[95] (1) 556-509, 535-756

FAX:

[95] (1) 650-306

• 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;
• wood and wood products;
• copper, tin, tungsten, iron;
• cement, construction materials;
• pharmaceuticals;
• fertilizer;
• natural gas;
• garments, jade and gems

• fabric, petroleum products, fertilizer, plastics, machinery, transport equipment;
• cement, construction materials, crude oil;
• food products, edible oil

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;
• landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe;
• satellite earth stations - 2, Intelsat (Indian Ocean), and ShinSat (2007)

total:

3,955 km

narrow gauge:

3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

total:

27,000 km

paved:

3,200 km

unpaved:

23,800 km (2005)

total:

33 ships (1000 GRT or over) 364,447 GRT/549,310 DWT

by type:

bulk carrier 7, cargo 20, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, specialized tanker 1

foreign-owned:

8 (Germany 5, Japan 3) (2007)

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 who have substantial numbers of kin in neighboring countries;
• Thailand must deal with Karen and other ethnic rebels, illegal cross-border activities, Karen and other refugees, and asylum seekers from Burma;
• Thailand is studying the feasibility of jointly constructing the Hatgyi Dam on the Salween River near the border with Burma;
• in 2004, international environmentalist pressure prompted China to halt construction of 13 dams on the Salween River which flows through China, Burma, and Thailand;
• India seeks cooperation from Burma to keep Indian Nagaland separatists, such as the United Liberation Front of Assam, from hiding in remote Burmese Uplands;
• Burmese Rohingya Muslim refugees reside in two camps in Bangladesh

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 with an estimated production in 2005 of 380 metric tons, up 13% from 2004 and cultivation in 2005 was 40,000 hectares, a 10% increase from 2004;
• the decline in opium production in the United Wa State Army's areas of greatest control was more than offset by increases in south and east Shan state;
• 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)