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Communications

Airports [time series]

total: 83 usable: 78 with permanent-surface runways: 26 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 38

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]

62 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 940,264 GRT/1,315,156 DWT; includes 3 passenger-cargo, 18 cargo, 5 refrigerated cargo, 4 vehicle carrier, 2 container, 2 oil tanker, 3 chemical, 1 combination ore/oil, 23 bulk, 1 combination bulk

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 for business and government; 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 - $NA, NA% of GDP (1992)

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49 11,004,419; females age 15-49 10,945,899; males fit for military service 5,894,514; females fit for military service 5,847,958; males reach military age (18) annually 435,030; females reach military age (18) annually 420,487 (1993 est.); 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

Budget [time series]

revenues $8.1 billion; expenditures $11.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

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]

1,100,000 kW capacity; 2,800 million kWh produced, 65 kWh per capita (1992)

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); unofficial - 105

Exports [time series]

$535.1 million (FY92) commodities: teak, rice, oilseed, metals, rubber, gems partners: China, India, Thailand, Singapore

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$4 billion (1992)

Fiscal year [time series]

1 April - 31 March

Illicit drugs [time series]

world's largest illicit producer of opium poppy and minor producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; opium production has nearly doubled since the collapse of Rangoon's antinarcotic programs

Imports [time series]

$907.0 million (FY92) commodities: machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, food products partners: Japan, China, Singapore

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]

50% (1992)

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

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $28 billion (1992)

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$660 (1992)

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

1.3% (1992)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

Burma is a poor Asian country, with a per capita GDP of about $660. 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% (FY89 est.) in urban areas

Geography

Area [time series]

total area: 678,500 km2 land area: 657,740 km2 comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas

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

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

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

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

none

Irrigated land [time series]

10,180 km2 (1989)

Land boundaries [time series]

total 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%

Location [time series]

Southeast Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand

Map references [time series]

Asia, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims [time series]

contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

petroleum, 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

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

7 divisions* (yin-mya, singular - yin) and 7 states (pyine-mya, singular -, pyine); Chin State,

Capital [time series]

Rangoon (sometimes translated as Yangon)

Constitution [time series]

3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988); National Convention started on 9 January 1993 to draft chapter headings for a new constitution

Digraph [time series]

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

chief of mission: Ambassador U THAUNG chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 332-9044 through 9046 consulate general: New York

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

Judicial branch [time series]

none; 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]

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

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

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

Country name (Names) [time series]

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

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 - the only non-drug group); several Shan factions, including the Mong Tai Army (MTA)

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 (which consists of individuals legitimately elected to parliament, but not recognized by military regime) fled to border area and joined with insurgents in December 1990 to form a parallel government

State, Rangoon*, Sagaing*, Shan, State, Tenasserim*, Independence [time series]

4 January 1948 (from UK)

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Government type (Type) [time series]

military regime

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

chief of mission: (vacant); Deputy Chief of Mission, Charge d'Affaires Franklin P. HUDDLE, Jr. embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon mailing address: GPO Box 521, AMEMB Box B, APO AP 96546 telephone: [95] (1) 82055, 82181 FAX: [95] (1) 80409

People

Birth rate [time series]

28.88 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate [time series]

10.05 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

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]

65.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Labor force [time series]

16.007 million (1992) by occupation: 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]

total population: 59.5 years male: 57.5 years female: 61.63 years (1993 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 81% male: 89% female: 72%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Burmese (singular and plural) adjective: Burmese

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population [time series]

43,455,953 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

1.88% (1993 est.)

Religions [time series]

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

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.7 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Burma (Myanmar)