|
|
Back to Burma
|
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
claimed 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 junta's 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. The vast
majority of national-level appointees
named by THEIN SEIN are former or
current military officers.
|
|
|
|
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 references:
|
Southeast Asia
|
|
Area:
|
total: 676,578
sq km
country
comparison to the world: 40
land: 653,508
sq km
water: 23,070
sq km
|
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly smaller than Texas
|
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 5,876
km
border countries: Bangladesh
193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463
km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km
|
|
Coastline:
|
1,930 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
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:
|
22,500 sq km (2008)
|
|
Total renewable water resources:
|
1,045.6 cu km (1999)
|
|
Freshwater withdrawal
(domestic/industrial/agricultural):
|
total: 33.23
cu km/yr (1%/1%/98%)
per capita: 658
cu m/yr (2000)
|
|
Natural hazards:
|
destructive earthquakes and cyclones;
flooding and landslides common during
rainy season (June to September);
periodic droughts
|
|
Environment - current issues:
|
deforestation; industrial pollution of
air, soil, and water; inadequate
sanitation and water treatment
contribute to disease
|
|
Environment - 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
signed, but not ratified: none
of the selected agreements
|
|
Geography - note:
|
strategic location near major Indian
Ocean shipping lanes
|
|
|
|
People
and Society ::Burma |
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%
|
|
Religions:
|
Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist
3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%,
animist 1%, other 2%
|
|
Languages:
|
Burmese (official)
note: minority
ethnic groups have their own languages
|
|
Population:
|
53,999,804 (July 2011 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 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
|
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 27.5%
(male 7,560,859/female 7,278,652)
15-64 years: 67.5%
(male 18,099,707/female 18,342,696)
65 years and over: 5%
(male 1,184,291/female 1,533,599)
(2011 est.)
|
|
Median age:
|
total: 26.9
years
male: 26.3
years
female: 27.5
years (2011 est.)
|
|
Population growth rate:
|
1.084% (2011 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 108 |
|
Birth rate:
|
19.31 births/1,000 population (2011
est.)
country
comparison to the world: 97 |
|
Death rate:
|
8.16 deaths/1,000 population (July
2011 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 97 |
|
Net migration rate:
|
-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2011 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 129 |
|
Urbanization:
|
urban population: 34%
of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 2.9%
annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
|
|
Major cities - population:
|
RANGOON (capital) 4.259 million;
Mandalay 1.009 million; Nay Pyi Taw
992,000 (2009)
|
|
Sex ratio:
|
at birth: 1.06
male(s)/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 (2011 est.)
|
|
Maternal mortality rate:
|
240 deaths/100,000 live births (2008)
country
comparison to the world: 54 |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total: 49.23
deaths/1,000 live births
country
comparison to the world: 50
male: 56.16
deaths/1,000 live births
female: 41.88
deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)
|
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 64.88
years
country
comparison to the world: 167
male: 62.57
years
female: 67.33
years (2011 est.)
|
|
Total fertility rate:
|
2.26 children born/woman (2011 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 101 |
|
Health expenditures:
|
2% of GDP (2009)
country
comparison to the world: 188 |
|
Physicians density:
|
0.457 physicians/1,000 population
(2008)
|
|
Hospital bed density:
|
0.6 beds/1,000 population (2006)
|
|
Drinking water source:
|
improved:
urban: 75% of population
rural: 69% of population
total: 71% of population
unimproved:
urban: 25% of population
rural: 31% of population
total: 29% of population (2008)
|
|
Sanitation facility access:
|
improved:
urban: 86% of population
rural: 79% of population
total: 81% of population
unimproved:
urban: 14% of population
rural: 21% of population
total: 19% of population (2008)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
0.6% (2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 62 |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with
HIV/AIDS:
|
240,000 (2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 24 |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
18,000 (2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 17 |
|
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)
|
|
Children under the age of 5 years
underweight:
|
29.6% (2003)
country
comparison to the world: 19 |
|
Education expenditures:
|
NA
|
|
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)
|
|
|
|
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 (a nominally civilian
government has been named, but a
formal transfer of power has not yet
taken place)
|
|
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 the 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
|
|
Independence:
|
4 January 1948 (from the UK)
|
|
National holiday:
|
Independence Day, 4 January (1948);
Union Day, 12 February (1947)
|
|
Constitution:
|
3 January 1974; suspended 18 September
1988; a new constitution was to take
effect when the bicameral legislature
convened 31 January 2011, but no
announcement has been made
|
|
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
|
|
Suffrage:
|
18 years of age; universal
|
|
Executive branch:
|
chief of state: President
THEIN SEIN (since 4 February 2011);
Vice President SAI MOUK KHAM (since 3
February 2011); Vice President TIN
AUNG MYINT OO (since 4 February 2011)
head of government: Prime
Minister THEIN SEIN (since 24 October
2007)
cabinet: cabinet
is appointed by the president and
confirmed by the parliament
elections: THEIN
SEIN elected president by the
parliament from among three vice
presidents; the upper house, the lower
house, and military members of the
parliament each nominate one vice
president (president serves a
five-year term)
|
|
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; 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 SHWE, U TIN
OO, AUNG SAN SUU KYI]; note - the
party was deregisted because it did
not register for the 2010 election,
but it is still active; 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
|
|
Political pressure groups and
leaders:
|
Thai border: Ethnic
Nationalities Council or ENC;
Federation of Trade Unions-Burma or
FTUB (exile trade union and labor
advocates); National Coalition
Government of the Union of Burma or
NCGUB (self-proclaimed government in
exile) ["Prime Minister" Dr.
SEIN WIN] consists of individuals,
some legitimately elected to the
People's Assembly in 1990 (the group
fled to a border area and joined
insurgents in December 1990 to form a
parallel government in exile);
National Council-Union of Burma or
NCUB (exile coalition of opposition
groups)
Inside Burma: Kachin
Independence Organization or KIO;
Karen National Union or KNU; Karenni
National People's Party or KNPP; Union
Solidarity and Development Association
or USDA (pro-regime, a social and
political mass-member organization) [HTAY
OO, general secretary] became the
Union Solidarity and Development Party
in 2010; United Wa State Army or UWSA;
88 Generation Students (pro-democracy
movement); several other Shan factions
note: freedom
of expression is highly restricted in
Burma; political groups, other than
parties approved by the government,
are limited in number
|
|
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
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires HAN THU;
note - Burma does not have an
ambassador to the United States
chancery: 2300
S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1]
(202) 332-3344
FAX: [1]
(202) 332-4351
consulate(s) general: none;
Burma has a Mission to the UN in New
York
|
|
Diplomatic representation from the
US:
|
chief of mission: Charge
d'Affaires Michael E. THURSTON; note -
the United States does not have an
ambassador to Burma
embassy: 110
University Avenue, Kamayut Township,
Rangoon
mailing address: Box
B, APO AP 96546
telephone: [95]
(1) 536-509, 535-756, 538-038
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
symbol(s):
|
chinthe (mythical lion)
|
|
National anthem:
|
name: "Kaba
Ma Kyei" (Till the End of the
World, Myanmar)
lyrics/music: 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
|
|
|
|
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 transfer of
state assets, especially real estate,
to cronies and military families in
2010 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 unpredictable 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. 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 exploitation of natural resources
does not benefit the population at
large. The business climate is widely
perceived as opaque, corrupt, and
highly inefficient. Over 60% of the FY
2009-10 budget was allocated to state
owned enterprises - most operating at
a deficit. 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, and
Canada have imposed financial and
economic sanctions on Burma. US
sanctions, prohibiting most financial
transactions with Burmese entities,
impose travel bans on senior Burmese
military and civilian leaders and
others connected to the ruling regime,
and ban 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.
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. 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.
|
|
GDP (purchasing power parity):
|
$76.47 billion (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 80
$72.65 billion (2009 est.)
$69.1 billion (2008 est.)
note: data
are in 2010 US dollars
|
|
GDP (official exchange rate):
|
$42.95 billion (2010 est.)
|
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
5.3% (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 65
5.1% (2009 est.)
3.6% (2008 est.)
|
|
GDP - per capita (PPP):
|
$1,400 (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 202
$1,400 (2009 est.)
$1,300 (2008 est.)
note: data
are in 2010 US dollars
|
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 43.1%
industry: 20%
services: 36.9%
(2010 est.)
|
|
Labor force:
|
31.68 million (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 18 |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture: 70%
industry: 7%
services: 23%
(2001 est.)
|
|
Unemployment rate:
|
5.7% (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 53
4.9% (2009 est.)
|
|
Population below poverty line:
|
32.7% (2007 est.)
|
|
Household income or consumption by
percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 32.4%
(1998)
|
|
Investment (gross fixed):
|
15.1% of GDP (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 134 |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $1.411
billion
expenditures: $3.042
billion (2010 est.)
|
|
Taxes and other revenues:
|
3.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 210 |
|
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
|
-3.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 114 |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
7.7% (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 184
1.5% (2009 est.)
|
|
Central bank discount rate:
|
9.95% (31 December 2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 20
12% (31 December 2009 est.)
|
|
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
|
17% (31 December 2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 36
17% (31 December 2009 est.)
|
|
Stock of narrow money:
|
$4.907 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 90
$4.038 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
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 1,305 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
January-February 2011, the unofficial
black market rate averaged 890 kyat
per dollar.
|
|
Stock of broad money:
|
$7.8 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 109
$6.231 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
|
|
Stock of domestic credit:
|
$11.32 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 93
$7.538 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
|
|
Market value of publicly traded
shares:
|
$NA
|
|
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.)
country
comparison to the world: 96 |
|
Electricity - production:
|
6.426 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 106 |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
4.63 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 115 |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh (2009 est.)
|
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh (2009 est.)
|
|
Oil - production:
|
21,120 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 75 |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
37,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 109 |
|
Oil - exports:
|
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 153 |
|
Oil - imports:
|
19,700 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 113 |
|
Oil - proved reserves:
|
50 million bbl (1 January 2011 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 79 |
|
Natural gas - production:
|
11.54 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 38 |
|
Natural gas - consumption:
|
3.25 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 68 |
|
Natural gas - exports:
|
8.29 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 23 |
|
Natural gas - imports:
|
0 cu m (2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 157 |
|
Natural
gas - proved reserves:
|
283.2 billion cu m (1 January 2011
est.)
country
comparison to the world: 40 |
|
Current
account balance:
|
$1.549 billion (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 46
$704.8 million (2009 est.)
|
|
Exports:
|
$8.813 billion (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 93
$6.862 billion (2009 est.)
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
|
|
Exports
- commodities:
|
natural gas, wood products, pulses,
beans, fish, rice, clothing, jade and
gems
|
|
Exports
- partners:
|
Thailand 38.3%, India 20.8%, China
12.9%, Japan 5.2% (2010)
|
|
Imports:
|
$4.296 billion (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 124
$4.02 billion (2009 est.)
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
|
|
Imports
- commodities:
|
fabric, petroleum products,
fertilizer, plastics, machinery,
transport equipment; cement,
construction materials, crude oil;
food products, edible oil
|
|
Imports
- partners:
|
China 38.9%, Thailand 23.2%, Singapore
12.9%, South Korea 5.8% (2010)
|
|
Reserves
of foreign exchange and gold:
|
$3.762 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 93
$3.561 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
|
|
Debt
- external:
|
$7.998 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 94
$8.186 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
|
|
Exchange
rates:
|
kyats (MMK) per US dollar -
966 (2010)
1,055 (2009)
1,205 (2008)
1,296 (2007)
1,280 (2006)
|
|
|
|
Telephones
- main lines in use:
|
812,000 (2009)
country
comparison to the world: 87 |
|
Telephones
- mobile cellular:
|
502,000 (2009)
country
comparison to the world: 159 |
|
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
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; 2 state-controlled
television stations with 1 of the
stations controlled by the armed
forces; a third TV channel, a pay-TV
station, is a joint state-private
venture; 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 opposition-backed station
Democratic Voice of Burma broadcasts
into Burma via shortwave (2009)
|
|
Internet
country code:
|
.mm
|
|
Internet
hosts:
|
172 (2010)
country
comparison to the world: 197 |
|
Internet
users:
|
110,000 (2009)
country
comparison to the world: 158
|
|
|
|
Airports:
|
76 (2010)
country
comparison to the world: 72 |
|
Airports
- with paved runways:
|
total: 37
over 3,047 m: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1
(2010)
|
|
Airports
- with unpaved runways:
|
total: 39
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 23
(2010)
|
|
Heliports:
|
6 (2010)
|
|
Pipelines:
|
gas 3,046 km; oil 551 km (2010)
|
|
Railways:
|
total: 5,031
km
country
comparison to the world: 36
narrow gauge: 5,031
km 1.000-m gauge (2010)
|
|
Roadways:
|
total: 27,000
km
country
comparison to the world: 101
paved: 3,200
km
unpaved: 23,800
km (2006)
|
|
Waterways:
|
12,800 km (2008)
country
comparison to the world: 10 |
|
Merchant
marine:
|
total: 26
country
comparison to the world: 91
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
|
|
|
|
Military
branches:
|
Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw): Army
(Tatmadaw Kyi), Navy (Tatmadaw Yay),
Air Force (Tatmadaw Lay) (2011)
|
|
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 (2011)
|
|
Manpower
available for military service:
|
males age 16-49: 14,747,845
females age 16-49: 14,710,871
(2010 est.)
|
|
Manpower
fit for military service:
|
males age 16-49: 10,451,515
females age 16-49: 11,181,537
(2010 est.)
|
|
Manpower
reaching militarily significant age
annually:
|
male: 522,478
female: 506,388
(2010 est.)
|
|
Military
expenditures:
|
2.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 68
|
|
|
|
Transnational
Issues ::Burma |
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:
|
IDPs: 503,000
(government offensives against ethnic
insurgent groups near the eastern
borders; most IDPs are ethnic Karen,
Karenni, Shan, Tavoyan, and Mon)
(2007)
|
|
Trafficking
in persons:
|
current situation: Burma
is a source country for women,
children, and men trafficked for the
purpose of forced labor and commercial
sexual exploitation; Burmese women and
children are trafficked to East and
Southeast Asia for commercial sexual
exploitation, domestic servitude, and
forced labor; Burmese children are
subjected to conditions of forced
labor in Thailand as hawkers and
beggars; women are trafficked for
commercial sexual exploitation to
Malaysia and China; some trafficking
victims transit Burma from Bangladesh
to Malaysia and from China to
Thailand; Burma's internal trafficking
remains the most serious concern
occurring primarily from villages to
urban centers and economic hubs for
labor in industrial zones,
agricultural estates, and commercial
sexual exploitation; the Burmese
military continues to engage in the
unlawful conscription of child
soldiers, and continues to be the main
perpetrator of forced labor inside
Burma; a small number of foreign
pedophiles occasionally exploit
Burmese children in the country
tier rating: Tier
3 - the driving factors behind Burma's
significant trafficking problem are
the regime's gross economic
mismanagement and human rights abuses,
the military's continued widespread
use of forced and child labor, and the
recruitment of child soldiers;
although the government of Burma has
taken some steps to address
cross-border sex trafficking, it has
not demonstrated serious and sustained
efforts to clamp down on military and
local authorities who are themselves
deriving economic benefit from forced
labor practices (2011)
|
|
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 methamphetamine and heroin for
regional consumption (2008)
|
|
|
AsianInfo.org
supports I.C.E.Y. -
H.O.P.E. (non-profit org)
(International
Cooperation of Environmental Youth - Helping Our Polluted
Earth) Any advertisement you view helps save the
environment! Thanks! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|