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. Despite multiparty legislative elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory the ruling 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 where she remains virtually incommunicado. In February 2006 the junta extended her detention for another year. Her supporters as well as all those who promote democracy and improved human rights are routinely harassed or jailed.

Geographic coordinates: 22 00 N 98 00 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 678,500 km²
Land: 657,740 km²
Water: 20,760 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 5,876 km
Border countries: (5) Bangladesh 193 km; , China 2,185 km; , India 1,463 km; , Laos 235 km; , Thailand 1,800 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 some 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)

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

Population
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 and death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)
Growth rate: 0.815% (2007 est.)
Below poverty line: 25% (2000 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Burmese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Burmese

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

Languages: Burmese minority ethnic groups have their own languages

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 26.1% (male 6,277,073/female 6,084,001)
15-64 years: 68.6% (male 16,089,764/female 16,425,299)
65 years and over: 5.3% (male 1,075,868/female 1,421,953) (2007 est.)

Median age
Total: 27.4 years
Male: 26.8 years
Female: 28 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.815% (2007 est.)

Birth rate: 17.48 births/1000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate: 9.33 deaths/1000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2007 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.032 male/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.757 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 50.68 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 57.33 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 43.63 deaths/1000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 62.49 years
Male: 60.29 years
Female: 64.83 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.95 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.2% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 330,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 20,000 (2003 est.)

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 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)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 89.9%
Male: 93.9%
Female: 86.4% (2000 est.)

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; this decision was not approved by any sitting legislature in Burma, and the US Government did not adopt the name, which is a derivative of the Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw

Government type: military junta

Capital
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

Administrative divisions
Divisions: Ayeyarwady, Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing, Tanintharyi, Yangon
States: Chin State, Kachin State, Kayah State, Kayin State, Mon State, Rakhine State, Shan State

Independence: 4 January 1948 (from UK)

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

Constitution: 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

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
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

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never allowed by junta to convene
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NLD 392 (opposition), SNLD 23 (opposition), NUP 10 (pro-government), other 60

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: 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

International organization participation: APT ARF AsDB 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) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires MYINT LWIN
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 consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Shari VILLAROSA
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) 556-509, 535-756
From the us fax: [95] (1) 650-306

Flag description: 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

Economy overview: Burma a resource-rich country suffers from pervasive government controls inefficient economic policies and rural poverty. The junta took steps in the early 1990s to liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the 'Burmese Way to Socialism' but those efforts stalled and some of the liberalization measures were rescinded. Lacking monetary or fiscal stability 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. Most overseas development assistance ceased after the junta began to suppress the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently refused to honor the results of the 1990 legislative elections. In response to the government of Burma's attack in May 2003 on AUNG SAN SUU KYI and her convoy the US imposed new economic sanctions in August 2003 against Burma - including a ban on imports of Burmese products and a ban on provision of financial services by US persons. Further a poor investment climate hampers attracting outside investment slowing the inflow of foreign exchange. The most productive sectors will continue to be in extractive industries especially oil and gas mining and timber with the latter especially causing environmental degradation. Other areas such as manufacturing and services are struggling with inadequate infrastructure unpredictable import/export policies deteriorating health and education systems and endemic corruption. A major banking crisis in 2003 shuttered the country's 20 private banks and disrupted the economy. As of 2006 the largest private banks operate under tight restrictions limiting the private sector's access to formal credit. Official statistics are inaccurate. Published statistics on foreign trade are greatly understated because of the size of the black market and unofficial border trade - often estimated to be as large as the official economy. 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: $85.2 billion (2006 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (2006 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $1800 (2006 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 54.7%
Industry: 10.6%
Services: 34.7% (2006 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; natural gas; garments jade and gems

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 28.49 million (2006 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 70%
By occupation industry: 7%
By occupation services: 23% (2001)

Unemployment rate: 10.2% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line: 25% (2000 est.)

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

Budget
Revenues: $2.18 billion
Expenditures: $2.36 billion (2006 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 20% (2006 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: $1.044 billion (2006 est.)

Exports
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 (2006 est.)
Commodities: gas wood products pulses beans fish rice clothing jade and gems
Partners: Thailand 48.8% India 12.7% China 5.2% Japan 5.2% (2006)

Imports
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 (2006 est.)
Commodities: fabric petroleum products fertilizer plastics machinery transport equipment; cement construction materials crude oil; food products edible oil
Partners: China 35.1% Thailand 22.1% Singapore 16.4% Malaysia 4.8% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.248 billion (2006 est.)

Debt external: $6.632 billion (2006 est.)

Exchange rates
Note: unofficial exchange rates ranged in 2004 from 815 kyat/US dollar to nearly 970 kyat/US dollar, and by yearend 2005, the unofficial exchange rate was 1,075 kyat/US dollar; data shown for 2002-05 are official exchange rates

Electricity
Production: 5.806 billion kWh (2005)
Consumption: 3.707 billion kWh (2005)
Exports: 0 kWh (2005)
Imports: 0 kWh (2005)

Natural gas
Production: 12.47 billion m³ (2005 est.)
Consumption: 3.971 billion m³ (2005 est.)
Exports: 8.497 billion m³ (2005 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2005)
Proven reserves: 271.6 billion m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 503,900 (2005)
Mobile cellular: 214,200 (2006)

Telephone system
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)

Internet
Country code: .mm
Hosts: 101 (2007)
Users: 31,500 (2005)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 2.1% (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service for both sexes; forced conscription of children although officially prohibited reportedly continues (2007)

Airports: 86 (2007)
With paved runways total: 25
With paved runways over 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 10
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 61
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 14
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 14
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 32 (2007)

Heliports: 4 (2007)

Pipelines: gas 2,224 km; oil 558 km (2006)

Railways
Total: 3,955 km
Narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways
Total: 27,000 km
Paved: 3,200 km
Unpaved: 23,800 km (2005)

Waterways: 12,800 km (2007)

Merchant marine
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)

Ports and terminals: Moulmein Rangoon Sittwe

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 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

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Idps: 540,000 (government offensives against ethnic insurgent groups near the eastern borders; most IDPs are ethnic Karen, Karenni, Shan, Tavoyan, and Mon) (2006)

Illicit drugs: 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