Map of Myanmar | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: Various ethnic Burmese and ethnic minority city-states or kingdoms occupied the present borders through the 19th century. Over a period of 62 years (1824-1886) Britain conquered Burma and incorporated the country into its Indian Empire. Burma was administered as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate self-governing colony; in 1948 Burma attained independence from the Commonwealth. 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. Multiparty legislative elections in 1990 resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory. Instead of handing over power the junta placed NLD leader (and Nobel Peace Prize recipient) AUNG SAN SUU KYI (ASSK) under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 2000 to 2002 and from May 2003 to November 2010. In late September 2007 the ruling junta brutally suppressed protests over increased fuel prices led by prodemocracy activists and Buddhist monks killing at least 13 people and arresting thousands for participating in the demonstrations. In early May 2008 Burma was struck by Cyclone Nargis which left over 138,000 dead and tens of thousands injured and homeless. 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 ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party garnering over 75% of the seats. Parliament convened in January 2011 and selected former Prime Minister THEIN SEIN as president. Although the vast majority of national-level appointees named by THEIN SEIN are former or current military officers the government has initiated a series of political and economic reforms leading to a substantial opening of the long-isolated country. These reforms have included a senior-level dialogue with ASSK re-registering the NLD as a political party enabling party members including ASSK to contest parliamentary by-elections on 1 April 2012 the release of many (but not all) political prisoners preliminary peace agreements with some armed ethnic groups a reduction in media censorship and an increasingly open debate in the Parliament.


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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

Area
Rank: 40
Comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries

Coastline: 1930 km

Maritime claims

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

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

Land use

Irrigated land: 22,500 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: 54,584,650 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 24
Growth rate: 1.07% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 108
Below poverty line: 32.7% (2007 est.)

Nationality

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

Languages: Burmese (official)

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

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.07% (2012 est.)
Rank: 108

Birth rate: 19.11 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 98

Death rate: 8.1 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 92

Net migration rate: -0.3 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 129

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; industrial pollution of air soil and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 46

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 168

Total fertility rate: 2.23 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 104

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.457 physicians/1000 population (2008)

Hospital bed density: 0.6 beds/1000 population (2006)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 62
People living with hivaids: 240,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 24
Deaths: 18,000 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 17

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 29.6% (2003)
Rank: 19

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: nominally civilian parliamentary government took power in March 2011

Capital

Administrative divisions: 7 regions (taing-myar singular - taing) and 7 states (pyi ne-myar singular - pyi ne)

Dependent areas

Independence: 4 January 1948 (from the UK)

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

Constitution: approved by referendum 29 May 2008; reformed by a series of acts in 2011

Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law (as introduced in codifications designed for colonial India) and customary law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

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)

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; the 2011 constitution calls for a Supreme Court a Courts-Martial and a Constitutional Tribunal of the Union

Political parties and leaders: All Mon Region Democracy Party or AMRDP [NAING NGWE THEIN]; National Democratic Force or NDF [KHIN MAUNG SWE Dr.THAN NYEIN]; National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SAN SUU KYI]; National Unity Party or NUP [TUN YE]; Rakhine Nationalities Development Party or RNDP [Dr. AYE MG]; Shan Nationalities Democratic Party [SAI AIKE PAUNG]; Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [HKUN HTUN OO]; Union Solidarity and Development Party or USDP [SHWE MANN HTAY OO]; 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 IPU ISO (correspondent) ITU ITUC (NGOs) NAM OPCW (signatory) SAARC (observer) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation

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: chinthe (mythical lion)

National anthem

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 mismanagement of the previous regime. Approximately 32% of the population lives in poverty and Burma is the poorest country in Southeast Asia. The business climate is widely perceived as opaque corrupt and highly inefficient. Wealth from country's ample natural resources is concentrated in the hands of an elite group of military leaders and business associates. In 2010-11 the transfer of state assets - especially real estate - to military families under the guise of a privatization policy further widened the gap between the economic elite and the public. The economy suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances - including multiple official exchange rates that overvalue the Burmese kyat fiscal deficits lack of commercial credit further distorted by a non-market interest rate regime unpredictable inflation unreliable economic data and an inability to reconcile national accounts. Burma's poor investment climate - including weak rule of law - 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 exploitation of natural resources does not benefit the population at large. 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 poor infrastructure unpredictable trade policies undeveloped human resources (the result of neglected health and education systems) endemic corruption and inadequate access to capital for investment. Private banks still operate under tight domestic and international restrictions limiting the private sector's access to credit. During the past decade the United States the European Union and Canada had imposed financial and economic sanctions on Burma. US sanctions prohibited most financial transactions with Burmese entities imposed travel bans on senior Burmese military and civilian leaders and others connected to the ruling regime and banned imports of 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. Many of these sanctions are being lifted in response to the new liberalization that is taking place in Burma. Remittances from overseas Burmese workers - who had provided significant financial support for their families - have driven the Ministry of Finance to license domestic banks to carry out overseas operations. In 2011 the government took initial steps toward reforming and opening up the economy by lowering export taxes easing restrictions on its financial sector and reaching out to international organizations for assistance. Although the Burmese government has good economic relations with its neighbors significant improvements in economic governance the business climate and the political situation are needed to promote serious foreign investment.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 77

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 36

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 206

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

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

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: 4.3% (2010 est.)
Rank: 76

Labor force: 33.41 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 19

Unemployment rate: 5.5% (2011 est.)
Rank: 53

Youth unemployment

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

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -4% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 132

Taxes and other revenues: 4.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 213

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5% (2011 est.)
Rank: 82

Central bank discount rate: 12% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 15

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 16.33% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 32

Stock of narrow money: $8.652 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 77

Stock of broad money: $1.68 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 8

Stock of domestic credit: $11.83 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 89

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: $96.1 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 108

Exports: $8.196 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 98
Commodities: natural gas wood products pulses beans fish rice clothing jade and gems
Partners: Thailand 36.7% China 18.8% India 14.1% Japan 6.6% (2011)

Imports: $5.982 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 111
Commodities: fabric petroleum products fertilizer plastics machinery transport equipment; cement construction materials crude oil; food products edible oil
Partners: China 38.8% Thailand 22.6% Singapore 9.7% South Korea 5.4% Malaysia 4.5% Japan 4.1% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $3.931 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 97

Debt external: $5.804 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 111

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 5.708 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 113
Consumption: 3.794 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 122
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 167
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 164
Installed generating capacity: 1.86 million kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 103
Generation sources fossil fuels: 67.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 114
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 53
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 32.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 69
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 112

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 20,200 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 70
Crude oil exports: 880 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 65
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 161
Crude oil proven reserves: 50 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 80

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 16,700 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 99
Products consumption: 40,620 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 108
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 156
Products imports: 12,730 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 127

Natural gas
Production: 12.1 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 39
Consumption: 3.29 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 70
Exports: 8.81 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 24
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 164
Proven reserves: 283.2 billion m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 41

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 12.8 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 95

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 521,100 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 96
Mobile cellular: 1.244 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 151

Telephone system

Broadcast media: government controls all domestic broadcast media; 2 state-controlled TV stations with 1 of the stations controlled by the armed forces; 2 pay-TV stations are joint state-private ventures; access to satellite TV is limited; 1 state-controlled domestic radio station and 6 FM stations that are joint state-private ventures; transmissions of several international broadcasters are available in parts of Burma; the Voice of America (VOA) Radio Free Asia (RFA) BBC Burmese service and the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) use shortwave to send broadcasts into Burma; VOA RFA and DVB produce daily TV news programs that are transmitted by satellite to audiences in Burma (2009)

Internet
Country code: .mm
Hosts: 1055 (2012)
Hosts rank: 172
Users: 110,000 (2009)
Users rank: 158

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 2.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 67

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 extended to 5 years in an officially declared emergency; forced conscription of children although officially prohibited reportedly continues; on 27 June 2012 the regime signed a Joint Action Plan on prevention of child recruitment (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 74 (2012)
Rank: 73

Heliports: 9 (2012)

Pipelines: gas 3,046 km; oil 551 km (2010)

Railways
Rank: 36

Roadways
Rank: 94

Waterways: 12,800 km (2011)
Rank: 10

Merchant marine
Rank: 86

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; the Naf river on the border with Bangladesh serves as a smuggling and illegal transit route; Bangladesh struggles to accommodate 29,000 Rohingya Burmese Muslim minority from Arakan State living as refugees in Cox's Bazar; Burmese border authorities are constructing a 200 km (124 mi) wire fence designed to deter illegal cross-border transit and tensions from the military build-up along border with Bangladesh in 2010; Bangladesh referred its maritime boundary claims with Burma and India to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea; Burmese forces attempting to dig in to the largely autonomous Shan State to rout local militias tied to the drug trade prompts local residents to periodically flee into neighboring Yunnan Province in China; fencing along the India-Burma international border at Manipur's Moreh town is in progress to check illegal drug trafficking and movement of militants; 140,000 mostly Karen refugees fleeing civil strife political upheaval and economic stagnation in Burma live in remote camps in Thailand near the border

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: world's third largest producer of illicit opium with an estimated production in 2009 of 250 metric tons a decrease of 27% and poppy cultivation in 2009 totaled 17,000 hectares a 24% decrease from 2008; production in the United Wa State Army's areas of greatest control remains low; Shan state is the source of 94.5% 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 methamphetamine