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Communications

Airports [time series]

85 total, 82 usable; 27 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 38 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

17 major transport aircraft (including 3 helicopters)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

27,000 km total; 3,200 km bituminous, 17,700 km improved earth or gravel, 6,100 km unimproved earth

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

12,800 km; 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels

Merchant marine [time series]

71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,036,018 GRT/1,514,121 DWT; includes 3 passenger-cargo, 19 cargo, 5 refrigerated cargo, 3 vehicle carrier, 3 container, 2 petroleum tanker, 6 chemical, 1 combination ore/oil, 27 bulk, 1 combination bulk, 1 roll-on/roll-off

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil 1,343 km; natural gas 330 km

Ports [time series]

Rangoon, Moulmein, Bassein

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

3,991 km total, all government owned; 3,878 km 1.000-meter gauge, 113 km narrow-gauge industrial lines; 362 km double track

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service; international service is good; 53,000 telephones (1986); radiobroadcast coverage is limited to the most populous areas; broadcast stations - 2 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV (1985); 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Army, Navy, Air Force

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $1.28 billion, FY(91-92)

Manpower availability [time series]

eligible 15-49, 21,447,878; of the 10,745,530 males 15-49, 5,759,840 are fit for military service; of the 10,702,348 females 15-49, 5,721,868 are fit for military service; 424,474 males and 410,579 females reach military age (18) annually; both sexes are liable for military service

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for 40% of GDP (including fish and forestry); self-sufficient in food; principal crops - paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane, pulses; world's largest stand of hardwood trees; rice and teak account for 55% of export revenues; fish catch of 740,000 metric tons (FY90)

Budget [time series]

revenues $7.2 billion; expenditures $9.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $6 billion (1991)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

kyat (plural - kyats); 1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas

Economic aid [time series]

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $158 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.9 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $424 million

Electricity [time series]

950,000 kW capacity; 2,900 million kWh produced, 70 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates [time series]

kyats (K) per US$1 - 6.0963 (January 1992), 6.2837 (1991), 6.3386 (1990), 6.7049 (1989), 6.46 (1988), 6.6535 (1987)

Exports [time series]

$568 million commodities: teak, rice, oilseed, metals, rubber, gems partners: Southeast Asia, India, Japan, China, EC, Africa

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$4.2 billion (1991)

Fiscal year [time series]

1 April - 31 March

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $22.2 billion, per capita $530; real growth rate 5.6% (1991)

Illicit drugs [time series]

world's largest illicit producer of opium poppy and minor producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; opium production is on the increase as growers respond to the collapse of Rangoon's antinarcotic programs

Imports [time series]

$1.16 billion commodities: machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, food products partners: Japan, EC, China, Southeast Asia

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 2.6% (FY90 est.); accounts for 10% of GDP

Industries [time series]

agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and wood products; petroleum refining; mining of copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

40% (1991)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

Burma is a poor Asian country, with a per capita GDP of about $500. The nation has been unable to achieve any substantial improvement in export earnings because of falling prices for many of its major commodity exports. For rice, traditionally the most important export, the drop in world prices has been accompanied by shrinking markets and a smaller volume of sales. In 1985 teak replaced rice as the largest export and continues to hold this position. The economy is heavily dependent on the agricultural sector, which generates about 40% of GDP and provides employment for 65% of the work force. Burma has been largely isolated from international economic forces and has been trying to encourage foreign investment, so far with little success.

Unemployment rate [time series]

9.6% in urban areas (FY89 est.)

Geography

Climate [time series]

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)

Coastline [time series]

1,930 km

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly smaller than Texas

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

none

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

subject to destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); deforestation

Area (Land area) [time series]

657,740 km2

Land boundaries [time series]

5,876 km; Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km

Land use [time series]

arable land 15%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 49%; other 34%; includes irrigated 2%

Maritime claims [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

crude oil, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas

Note [time series]

strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes

Terrain [time series]

central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands

Area (Total area) [time series]

678,500 km2

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

7 divisions* (yin-mya, singular - yin) and 7 states (pyine-mya, singular - pyine); Chin State, Irrawaddy*, Kachin State, Karan State, Kayah State, Magwe*, Mandalay*, Mon State, Pegu*, Rakhine State, Rangoon*, Sagaing*, Shan State, Tenasserim*

Capital [time series]

Rangoon (sometimes translated as Yangon)

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

several hundred (est.) in Burma Communist Party (BCP)

Constitution [time series]

3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988)

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador U THAUNG; Chancery at 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-9044 through 9046; there is a Burmese Consulate General in New York US: Ambassador (vacant); Deputy Chief of Mission, Charge d'Affaires Franklin P. HUDDLE, Jr.; Embassy at 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (mailing address is GPO Box 521, AMEMB Box B, APO AP 96546); telephone [95] (1) 82055, 82181; FAX [95] (1) 80409

Executive branch (Elections) [time series]

People's Assembly: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never convened; results - NLD 80%; seats - (485 total) NLD 396, the regime-favored NUP 10, other 79

Executive branch [time series]

chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council, State Law and Order Restoration Council

Flag [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

4 January 1948 (from UK)

Judicial branch [time series]

Council of People's Justices was abolished after the coup of 18 September 1988

Executive branch (Leaders) [time series]

Chief of State and Head of Government: Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992)

Legal system [time series]

martial law in effect throughout most of the country; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral People's Assembly (Pyithu Hluttaw) was dissolved after the coup of 18 September 1988

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Union of Burma; note - the local official name is Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw, which has been translated by the US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of Myanmar

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 4 January (1948)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

Kachin Independence Army (KIA), United Wa State Army (UWSA), Karen National Union (KNU) , several Shan factions, including the Shan United Army (SUA) (all ethnically based insurgent groups)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

National Unity Party (NUP; proregime), THA KYAW; National League for Democracy (NLD), U AUNG SHWE; National Coalition of Union of Burma (NCGUB), SEIN WIN - consists of individuals legitimately elected but not recognized by military regime; fled to border area and joined with insurgents in December 1990 to form a parallel government

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18

Government type (Type) [time series]

military regime

People

Birth rate [time series]

29 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate [time series]

10 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

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

Infant mortality rate [time series]

68 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force [time series]

16,036,000; agriculture 65.2%, industry 14.3%, trade 10.1%, government 6.3%, other 4.1% (FY89 est.)

Languages [time series]

Burmese; minority ethnic groups have their own languages

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

57 years male, 61 years female (1992)

Literacy [time series]

81% (male 89%, female 72%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun - Burmese (singular and plural); adjective - Burmese

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor [time series]

Workers' Asiayone (association), 1,800,000 members; Peasants' Asiayone, 7,600,000 members

Population [time series]

42,642,418 (July 1992), growth rate 1.9% (1992)

Religions [time series]

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

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.8 children born/woman (1992)

Burma (Myanmar)