Map of Myanmar | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: Britain conquered Burma over a period of 62 years (1824-1886) and incorporated it into its Indian Empire. Burma was administered as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate self-governing colony; independence from the Commonwealth was attained in 1948. Gen. NE WIN dominated the government from 1962 to 1988 first as military ruler then as self-appointed president and later as political kingpin. In September 1988 the military deposed NE WIN and established a new ruling junta. Despite multiparty legislative elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory the junta refused to hand over power. NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG SAN SUU KYI who was under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 and 2000 to 2002 was imprisoned in May 2003 and subsequently transferred to house arrest. She was finally released in November 2010. After the ruling junta in August 2007 unexpectedly increased fuel prices tens of thousands of Burmese marched in protest led by prodemocracy activists and Buddhist monks. In late September 2007 the government brutally suppressed the protests killing at least 13 people and arresting thousands for participating in the demonstrations. Since then the regime has continued to raid homes and monasteries and arrest persons suspected of participating in the pro-democracy protests. Burma in early May 2008 was struck by Cyclone Nargis which official estimates claimed left over 80,000 dead and 50,000 injured. Despite this tragedy the junta proceeded with its May constitutional referendum the first vote in Burma since 1990. Parliamentary elections held in November 2010 considered flawed by many in the international community saw the junta's Union Solidarity and Development Party garnering over 70 percent of the seats. Parliament is constitutionally mandated to convene within 90 days of the election; the president two vice presidents and ministers will be selected at that time.


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Location: Southeastern Asia bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal between Bangladesh and Thailand

Geographic coordinates: 22 00 N 98 00 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 676,578 km²
Rank: 40
Land: 653,508 km²
Water: 23,070 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 5,876 km
Border countries: (5) Bangladesh 193 km; China 2,185 km; India 1463 km; Laos 235 km; Thailand 1800 km

Coastline: 1930 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

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

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m

Natural resources: petroleum timber tin antimony zinc copper tungsten lead coal marble limestone precious stones natural gas hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 14.92%
Permanent crops: 1.31%
Other: 83.77% (2005)

Irrigated land: 18,700 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 1045.6 km³ (1999)

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

Geography
Note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes


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Population: 53,414,374
Rank: 24
Note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy higher infant mortality higher death rates lower population growth rates and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)
Growth rate: 1.096% (2010 est.)
Growth rate rank: 116
Below poverty line: 32.7% (2007 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Burmese
Adjective: Burmese

Ethnic groups: Burman 68% Shan 9% Karen 7% Rakhine 4% Chinese 3% Indian 2% Mon 2% other 5%

Languages: Burmese (offical) minority ethnic groups have their own languages

Religions: Buddhist 89% Christian 4% (Baptist 3% Roman Catholic 1%) Muslim 4% animist 1% other 2%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 25.3%
15-64 years: 69.3% (male 16,510,648/female 16,828,462)
65 years and over: 5.4% (male 1,121,412/female 1,493,298) (2010 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 26.5 years
Male: 26 years
Female: 27.1 years (2010 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.096% (2010 est.)
Rank: 116

Birth rate: 19.49 births/1000 population (2010 est.)
Rank: 99

Death rate: 8.23 deaths/1000 population (July 2010 est.)
Rank: 97

Net migration rate: -0.31 migrant(s)/1000 population
Rank: 134

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 33% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 2.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; industrial pollution of air soil and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease
International agreements 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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 50.76 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 50
Male: 57.85 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 43.24 deaths/1000 live births (2010 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 64.52 years
Rank: 167
Male: 62.23 years
Female: 66.94 years (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.28 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Rank: 106

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.7% (2007 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 64
People living with hivaids: 240,000 (2007 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 28
Deaths: 25,000 (2007 est.)
Deaths rank: 18

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
Water contact disease: leptospirosis
Animal contact disease: rabies
Note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 1.2% of GDP (2001)
Rank: 181

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 89.9%
Male: 93.9%
Female: 86.4% (2006 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 9 years
Male: 8 years
Female: 8 years (2007)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
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
Note: since 1989 the military authorities in Burma have promoted the name Myanmar as a conventional name for their state; the US Government did not adopt the name which is a derivative of the Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw

Government type: military regime

Capital
Name: Rangoon
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

Administrative divisions: 7 divisions (taing-myar singular - taing) and 7 states* (pyi ne-myar singular - pyi ne)
Divisions: Ayeyarwady Bago Magway Mandalay Sagaing Tanintharyi Yangon
States: Chin Kachin Kayah Kayin Mon Rakhine (Arakan) Shan

Dependent areas

Independence: 4 January 1948 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 4 January (1948); Union Day 12 February (1947)

Constitution: 3 January 1974; suspended since 18 September 1988; a constitution officially received 92.48% support in a flawed May 2008 referendum that most observers judged fell far short of international standards of free and fair elections; note - a new constitution is to take effect when a parliament is convened possibly in late January 2011

Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council 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 the military regime that assumed power 18 September 1988 under the name State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC); changed in 1997 to SPDC
Elections: none

Legislative branch: bicameral consists of the House of Nationalities [Amyotha Hluttaw] (224 seats 168 directly elected and 56 appointed by the military; members serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives [Pythu Hluttaw] (440 seats 330 directly elected and 110 appointed by the military; members serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held on 7 November 2010 (next to be held in December 2015)
Election results: House of Nationalities - percent of vote by party - USDP 74.8% others (NUP SNDP RNDP NDF AMRDP) 25.2%; seats by party - USDP 129 others 39; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - USDP 79.6% others (NUP SNDP RNDP NDF AMRDP) 20.4%; seats by party - USDP 259 others 66

Judicial branch: remnants of the British-era legal system are in place but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not independent of the executive

Political parties and leaders: All Mon Region Democracy Party or AMRDP; National Democratic Force or NDF [KHIN MAUNG SWE]; National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE AUNG SAN SUU KYI]; note - the party is defunct because it did not register for the 2010 election; National Unity Party or NUP [TUN YE]; Rakhine Nationalities Development Party or RNDP; Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [HKUN HTUN OO]; Union Solidarity and Development Party or USDP [THEIN SEIN]; numerous smaller parties

International organization participation: ADB ARF ASEAN BIMSTEC CP EAS FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC ISO (correspondent) ITU NAM OPCW (signatory) SAARC (observer) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador ; Charge d'Affaires HAN THU - note: Burma does not have an ambassador to the United States
In the us chancery: 2,300 S Street NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 332-3,344
In the us fax: [1] (202) 332-4,351
In the us consulate general: none; Burma has a Mission to the UN in New York
From the us chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires Larry M. DINGER - note: The United States does not have an ambassador to Burma
From the us embassy: 110 University Avenue Kamayut Township Rangoon
From the us mailing address: Box B APO AP 96,546
From the us telephone: [95] (1) 536-509 535-756 538-038
From the us fax: [95] (1) 650-306

Flag description: design consists of three equal horizontal stripes of yellow (top) green and red; centered on the green band is a large white five-pointed star that partially overlaps onto the adjacent colored stripes; the design revives the triband colors used by Burma from 1943-45 during the Japanese occupation

National symbols

National anthem
Name: 'Kaba Ma Kyei'
Lyricsmusic: SAYA TIN
Note: adopted 1948; Burma is among a handful of non-European nations that have anthems rooted in indigenous traditions; the beginning portion of the anthem is a traditional Burmese anthem before transitioning into a Western-style orchestrated work

National heritage


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Economy overview: Burma a resource-rich country suffers from pervasive government controls inefficient economic policies corruption and rural poverty. Despite Burma's emergence as a natural gas exporter socio-economic conditions have deteriorated under the regime's mismanagement leaving most of the public in poverty while military leaders and their business cronies exploit the country's ample natural resources. The economy suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances - including rising inflation fiscal deficits multiple official exchange rates that overvalue the Burmese kyat a distorted interest rate regime unreliable statistics and an inability to reconcile national accounts to determine a realistic GDP figure. Burma's poor investment climate hampers the inflow of foreign investment; in recent years foreign investors have shied away from nearly every sector except for natural gas power generation timber and mining. The business climate is widely perceived as opaque corrupt and highly inefficient. Over 60% of the FY 2009-10 budget is allocated to state owned enterprises - most operating at a deficit. The government has recently privatized a number of state owned enterprises but most of the benefits have accrued to regime insiders and cronies. The most productive sectors will continue to be in extractive industries - especially oil and gas mining and timber - with the latter two causing significant environmental degradation. Other areas such as manufacturing tourism and services struggle in the face of inadequate infrastructure unpredictable trade policies neglected health and education systems and endemic corruption. A major banking crisis in 2003 caused 20 private banks to close; private banks still operate under tight restrictions limiting the private sector's access to credit. The United States the European Union Canada and Australia have imposed financial and economic sanctions on Burma prohibiting most financial transactions with Burmese entities imposing travel bans on Burmese officials and others connected to the ruling regime and banning imports of certain Burmese products. These sanctions affected the country's fledgling garment industry isolated the struggling banking sector and raised the costs of doing business with Burmese companies particularly firms tied to Burmese regime leaders. The global crisis of 2008-09 caused exports and domestic consumer demand to drop. Remittances from overseas Burmese workers - who had provided significant financial support for their families - slowed or dried up as jobs were lost and migrant workers returned home. Though the Burmese government has good economic relations with its neighbors better investment and business climates and an improved political situation are needed to promote serious foreign investment exports and tourism.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 86
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 117

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 209
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 43.2%
Industry: 20%
Services: 36.8% (2010 est.)

Agriculture products: rice pulses beans sesame groundnuts sugarcane; hardwood; fish and fish products

Industries: agricultural processing; wood and wood products; copper tin tungsten iron; cement construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer; oil and natural gas; garments jade and gems

Industrial production growth rate: 4.3% (2010 est.)
Rank: 77

Labor force: 31.68 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 18
By occupation agriculture: 70%
By occupation industry: 7%
By occupation services: 23% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate: 4.9% (2009 est.)
Rank: 56

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 32.7% (2007 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.8%
Highest 10: 32.4% (1998)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.5% (2009 est.)
Rank: 197

Central bank discount rate: 12% (31 December 2008)
Rank: 34

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 17% (31 December 2008 est.)
Rank: 33

Stock of narrow money: $4.038 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Rank: 89
Note: this number reflects the vastly overvalued official exchange rate of 5.38 kyat per dollar in 2007; at the unofficial black market rate of 1305 kyat per dollar for 2007 the stock of kyats would equal only US$2.465 billion and Burma's velocity of money (the number of times money turns over in the course of a year) would be six in line with the velocity of money for other countries in the region; in 2009 the unofficial black market rate averaged 1090 kyat per dollar.

Stock of broad money: $6.231 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 108

Stock of domestic credit: $6.858 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 98

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: $705 million (2009 est.)
Rank: 47

Exports: $6.862 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 94
Note: official export figures are grossly underestimated due to the value of timber gems narcotics rice and other products smuggled to Thailand China and Bangladesh
Commodities: natural gas wood products pulses beans fish rice clothing jade and gems
Partners: Thailand 46.57% India 12.99% China 9.01% Japan 5.65% (2009)

Imports: $4.02 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 121
Note: import figures are grossly underestimated due to the value of consumer goods diesel fuel and other products smuggled in from Thailand China Malaysia and India
Commodities: fabric petroleum products fertilizer plastics machinery transport equipment; cement construction materials crude oil; food products edible oil
Partners: China 33.1% Thailand 26.28% Singapore 15.18% (2009)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $3.561 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 79

Debt external: $7.079 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 96

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: kyats (MMK) per US dollar - 1000 (2010) 1055 (2009) 1205 (2008) 1296 (2007) 1280 (2006)


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Electricity
Production: 6.286 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 105
Consumption: 4.403 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 113
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 12.4 billion m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 39
Consumption: 3.85 billion m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 66
Exports: 8.55 billion m³ (2008 est.)
Exports rank: 22
Imports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 198
Proven reserves: 283.2 billion m³ (1 January 2010 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 41

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 812,000 (2009)
Main lines in use rank: 86
Mobile cellular: 448,000 (2009)
Mobile cellular rank: 160

Telephone system
General assessment: meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government
Domestic: system barely capable of providing basic service; mobile-cellular phone system is grossly underdeveloped with a subscribership base of only 1 per 100 persons
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 (2009)

Broadcast media: government controls all domestic broadcast media; 3 state-controlled television stations with 1 of the stations controlled by the armed forces; a fourth TV channel a pay-TV station is a joint state-private venture; access to satellite TV is limited with residents required to register and pay a fee for all satellite television receivers; 2 state-controlled domestic radio stations; transmissions of several international broadcasters are available in Burma; the opposition-backed station Democratic Voice of Burma broadcasts into Burma via shortwave (2009)

Internet
Country code: .mm
Hosts: 172 (2010)
Hosts rank: 197
Users: 110,000 (2009)
Users rank: 158

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 2.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 69

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-35 years of age (men) and 18-27 years of age (women) for compulsory military service; service obligation 2 years; male (ages 18-45) and female (ages 18-35) professionals (including doctors engineers mechanics) serve up to 3 years; service terms may be streched to 5 years in an officially declared emergency; forced conscription of children although officially prohibited reportedly continues (2011)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 76 (2010)
Rank: 72
With paved runways total: 37
With paved runways over 3047 m: 12
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 15
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2010)
With unpaved runways total: 39
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 11
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 23 (2010)

Heliports: 6 (2010)

Pipelines: gas 2,228 km; oil 558 km (2009)

Railways
Total: 3,955 km
Rank: 44
Narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Total: 27,000 km
Rank: 101
Paved: 3,200 km
Unpaved: 23,800 km (2006)

Waterways: 12,800 km (2008)
Rank: 10

Merchant marine
Total: 26
Rank: 90
By type: bulk carrier 1 cargo 19 passenger 2 passenger/cargo 3 specialized tanker 1
Foreign owned: 3 (Cyprus 1 Germany 1 Japan 1)
Registered in other countries: 3 (Panama 3) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Moulmein Rangoon Sittwe


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Disputes international: 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 refugees asylum seekers and rebels as well as illegal cross-border activities from Burma; Thailand is studying the feasibility of jointly constructing the Hatgyi Dam on the Salween River near the border with Burma; citing environmental cultural and social concerns China is reconsidering construction of 13 dams on the Salween River but energy-starved Burma with backing from Thailand remains intent on building five hydro-electric dams downstream despite identical regional and international protests; India seeks cooperation from Burma to keep Indian Nagaland separatists such as the United Liberation Front of Assam from hiding in remote Burmese Uplands; after 21 years Bangladesh in January 2008 resumed talks with Burma on delimiting a maritime boundary

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Idps: 503,000 (2007)

Illicit drugs: remains world's second largest producer of illicit opium with an estimated production in 2008 of 340 metric tons an increase of 26% and poppy cultivation in 2008 totaled 22,500 hectares a 4% increase from 2007; production in the United Wa State Army's areas of greatest control remains low; Shan state is the source of 94% of Burma's poppy cultivation; 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 metham