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1. WordNet® 3.0 (2006)
Burma
    n 1: a mountainous republic in southeastern Asia on the Bay of
         Bengal; "much opium is grown in Myanmar" [syn: Myanmar,
         Union of Burma, Burma]

2. CIA World Factbook 2002
Burma

   Introduction Burma
   ------------------
                            Background: Despite multiparty elections in 1990
                                        that resulted in the main opposition
                                        party winning a decisive victory,
                                        the ruling military junta refused to
                                        hand over power. Key opposition
                                        leader and Nobel Peace Prize
                                        recipient AUNG SAN SUU KYI, under
                                        house arrest from 1989 to 1995, was
                                        again placed under house detention
                                        in September 2000; her supporters
                                        are routinely harassed or jailed.
  
   Geography Burma
   ---------------
                              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: 678,500 sq km
                                        land: 657,740 sq km
                                        water: 20,760 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: contiguous zone: 24 NM
                                        territorial sea: 12 NM
                                        continental shelf: 200 NM or to the
                                        edge of the continental margin
                                        exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
                               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,
                                        some marble, limestone, precious
                                        stones, natural gas, hydropower
                              Land use: arable land: 14.53%
                                        permanent crops: 0.9%
                                        other: 84.56% (1998 est.)
                        Irrigated land: 15,920 sq km (1998 est.)
                       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 party to: Biodiversity, Climate
                            agreements: Change, Desertification, Endangered
                                        Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear
                                        Test Ban, 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 Burma
   ------------
                            Population: 42,238,224
                                        note: estimates for this country
                                        explicitly 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
                                        and growth rates, and changes in the
                                        distribution of population by age
                                        and sex than would otherwise be
                                        expected (July 2002 est.)
                         Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.6% (male 6,158,039;
                                        female 5,905,314)
                                        15-64 years: 66.6% (male 13,976,047;
                                        female 14,162,467)
                                        65 years and over: 4.8% (male
                                        905,476; female 1,130,881) (2002
                                        est.)
                Population growth rate: 0.56% (2002 est.)
                            Birth rate: 19.65 births/1,000 population (2002
                                        est.)
                            Death rate: 12.25 deaths/1,000 population (2002
                                        est.)
                    Net migration rate: -1.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population
                                        (2002 est.)
                             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: 0.8 male(s)/
                                        female
                                        total population: 0.99 male(s)/
                                        female (2002 est.)
                 Infant mortality rate: 72.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
                                        est.)
              Life expectancy at birth: total population: 55.41 years
                                        female: 57.07 years (2002 est.)
                                        male: 53.85 years
                  Total fertility rate: 2.23 children born/woman (2002 est.)
      HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.99% (1999 est.)
     HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 530,000 (1999 est.)
                                  AIDS:
                     HIV/AIDS - deaths: 48,000 (1999 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%
                             Religions: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist
                                        3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%,
                                        animist 1%, other 2%
                             Languages: Burmese, minority ethnic groups have
                                        their own languages
                              Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
                                        and write
                                        total population: 83.1%
                                        male: 88.7%
                                        female: 77.7% (1995 est.)
                                        note: these are official statistics;
                                        estimates of functional literacy are
                                        likely closer to 30% (1999 est.)
  
   Government Burma
   ----------------
                          Country name: conventional long form: Union of
                                        Burma
                                        conventional short form: Burma
                                        local short form: Myanma
                                        Naingngandaw
                                        local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma
                                        Naingngandaw (translated by the US
                                        Government as Union of Myanma and by
                                        the Burmese as Union of Myanmar)
                                        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 regime
                               Capital: Rangoon (regime refers to the
                                        capital as Yangon)
              Administrative divisions: 7 divisions* (yin-mya, singular -
                                        yin) and 7 states (pyine-mya,
                                        singular - pyine); Chin State,
                                        Ayeyarwady*, Bago*, Kachin State,
                                        Kayin State, Kayah State, Magway*,
                                        Mandalay*, Mon State, Rakhine State,
                                        Sagaing*, Shan State, Tanintharyi*,
                                        Yangon*
                          Independence: 4 January 1948 (from UK)
                      National holiday: Independence Day, 4 January (1948)
                          Constitution: 3 January 1974 (suspended since 18
                                        September 1988); national convention
                                        started on 9 January 1993 to draft a
                                        new constitution; progress has since
                                        been stalled
                          Legal system: has not accepted compulsory ICJ
                                        jurisdiction
                              Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
                      Executive branch: chief of state: Prime Minister and
                                        Chairman of the State Peace and
                                        Development Council Sr. Gen. THAN
                                        SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note -
                                        the prime minister is both the chief
                                        of state and head of government
                                        head of government: Prime Minister
                                        and Chairman of the State Peace and
                                        Development Council Sr. Gen. THAN
                                        SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note -
                                        the prime minister is both the chief
                                        of state and head of government
                                        cabinet: State Peace and Development
                                        Council (SPDC); military junta, so
                                        named 15 November 1997, which
                                        initially assumed power 18 September
                                        1988 under the name State Law and
                                        Order Restoration Council; the SPDC
                                        oversees the cabinet
                                        elections: none; the prime minister
                                        assumed power upon resignation of
                                        the former prime minister
                    Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly or
                                        Pyithu Hluttaw (485 seats; members
                                        elected by popular vote to serve
                                        four-year terms)
                                        elections: last held 27 May 1990,
                                        but Assembly never convened
                                        election results: percent of vote by
                                        party - NA%; seats by party - NLD
                                        392, SNLD 23, NUP 10, 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, chairman, AUNG SAN SUU
                                        KYI, general secretary]; National
                                        Unity Party or NUP (proregime) [THA
                                        KYAW]; Shan Nationalities League for
                                        Democracy or SNLD [U KHUN TUN OO];
                                        Union Solidarity and Development
                                        Association or USDA (proregime, a
                                        social and political organization)
                                        [THAN AUNG, general secretary]; and
                                        other smaller parties
          Political pressure groups and All Burma Student Democratic Front
                               leaders: or ABSDF; Kachin Independence Army
                                        or KIA; Karen National Union or KNU;
                                        National Coalition Government of the
                                        Union of Burma or NCGUB [Dr. SEIN
                                        WIN] consists of individuals
                                        legitimately elected to the People's
                                        Assembly but not recognized by the
                                        military regime (the group fled to a
                                        border area and joined with
                                        insurgents in December 1990 to form
                                        a parallel government); several Shan
                                        factions; United Wa State Army or
                                        UWSA
             International organization ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, CP, ESCAP,
                         participation: FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,
                                        IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
                                        IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW
                                        (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
                                        UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
                                        WTrO
   Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador U LINN
                                        MYAING
                                        consulate(s) general: New York
                                        FAX: [1] (202) 332-9046
                                        telephone: [1] (202) 332-9044
                                        chancery: 2300 S Street NW,
                                        Washington, DC 20008
     Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Permanent Charge
                                    US: d'Affaires Priscilla A. CLAPP
                                        embassy: 581 Merchant Street,
                                        Rangoon (GPO 521)
                                        mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546
  
                                        telephone: [95] (1) 282055, 282182
                                        FAX: [95] (1) 280409
                      Flag description: 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
  
   Economy Burma
   -------------
                    Economy - overview: Burma is a resource-rich country
                                        that suffers from abject rural
                                        poverty. The military regime took
                                        steps in the early 1990s to
                                        liberalize the economy after decades
                                        of failure under the "Burmese Way to
                                        Socialism", but those efforts have
                                        since stalled. Burma has been unable
                                        to achieve monetary or fiscal
                                        stability, resulting in an economy
                                        that suffers from serious
                                        macroeconomic imbalances - including
                                        an official exchange rate that
                                        overvalues the Burmese kyat by more
                                        than 100 times the market rate. In
                                        addition, most overseas development
                                        assistance ceased after the junta
                                        suppressed the democracy movement in
                                        1988 and subsequently ignored the
                                        results of the 1990 election. Burma
                                        is data poor, and official
                                        statistics are often dated and
                                        inaccurate. Published estimates of
                                        Burma's foreign trade are greatly
                                        understated because of the size of
                                        the black market and border trade -
                                        often estimated to be one to two
                                        times the official economy.
                                   GDP: purchasing power parity - $63
                                        billion (2001 est.)
                GDP - real growth rate: 2.3% (2001 est.)
                      GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,500
                                        (2001 est.)
           GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 42%
                                        industry: 17%
                                        services: 41% (2000 est.)
         Population below poverty line: 25% (2000 est.)
     Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 2.8%
                      percentage share: highest 10%: 32.4% (1998)
      Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20% (2001 est.)
                           Labor force: 23.7 million (1999 est.)
           Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 10%,
                                        services 25% (1999 est.)
                     Unemployment rate: 5.1% (2001 est.)
                                Budget: revenues: $7.9 billion
                                        expenditures: $12.2 billion,
                                        including capital expenditures of
                                        $5.7 billion (FY96/97)
                            Industries: agricultural processing; knit and
                                        woven apparel; wood and wood
                                        products; copper, tin, tungsten,
                                        iron; construction materials;
                                        pharmaceuticals; fertilizer
     Industrial production growth rate: NA%
              Electricity - production: 4.766 billion kWh (2000)
    Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 83.3%
                                        hydro: 16.7%
                                        other: 0% (2000)
                                        nuclear: 0%
             Electricity - consumption: 4.432 billion kWh (2000)
                 Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
                 Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
                Agriculture - products: rice, pulses, beans, sesame,
                                        groundnuts, sugarcane; hardwood;
                                        fish and fish products
                               Exports: $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
                 Exports - commodities: apparel 55%, foodstuffs 18%, wood
                                        products 13%, precious stones 2%
                                        (2000)
                    Exports - partners: US 27%, India 16%, China 7%, Japan
                                        6%, Singapore 6% (2000 est.)
                                        note: official trade statistics do
                                        not include trade in illicit goods -
                                        such as narcotics, teak, and gems -
                                        or the largely unrecorded border
                                        trade with China and Thailand
                               Imports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
                 Imports - commodities: machinery, transport equipment,
                                        construction materials, food
                                        products, textile fabrics, petroleum
                                        products
                    Imports - partners: China 26%, Singapore 23%, South
                                        Korea 15%, Japan 10%, Taiwan 10%
                                        (2000 est.)
                       Debt - external: $6 billion (FY99/00 est.)
              Economic aid - recipient: $99 million (FY98/99)
                              Currency: kyat (MMK)
                         Currency code: MMK
                        Exchange rates: kyats per US dollar - official rate
                                        - 6.8581 (January 2002), 6.7489
                                        (2001), 6.5167 (2000), 6.2858
                                        (1999), 6.3432 (1998), 6.2418
                                        (1997); kyats per US dollar - black
                                        market exchange rate - 435 (yearend
                                        2000)
                           Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
  
   Communications Burma
   --------------------
        Telephones - main lines in use: 250,000 (2000)
          Telephones - mobile cellular: 8,492 (1997)
                      Telephone system: general assessment: meets minimum
                                        requirements for local and intercity
                                        service for business and government;
                                        international service is good
                                        domestic: NA
                                        international: satellite earth
                                        station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
              Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 3 (1998)
                                Radios: 4.2 million (1997)
         Television broadcast stations: 2 (1998)
                           Televisions: 320,000 (2000)
                 Internet country code: .mm
     Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1
                                        note: as of September 2000, Internet
                                        connections were legal only for the
                                        government, tourist offices, and a
                                        few large businesses (2000)
                        Internet users: 500 (2000)
  
   Transportation Burma
   --------------------
                              Railways: total: 3,991 km
                                        narrow gauge: 3,991 km 1.000-m gauge
                                        (2000 est.)
                              Highways: total: 28,200 km
                                        paved: 3,440 km
                                        unpaved: 24,760 km (1996)
                             Waterways: 12,800 km
                                        note: 3,200 km navigable by large
                                        commercial vessels
                             Pipelines: crude oil 1,343 km; natural gas 330
                                        km
                     Ports and harbors: Bassein, Bhamo, Chauk, Mandalay,
                                        Moulmein, Myitkyina, Rangoon, Akyab
                                        (Sittwe), Tavoy
                       Merchant marine: total: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
                                        totaling 382,386 GRT/582,084 DWT
                                        note: includes some foreign-owned
                                        ships registered here as a flag of
                                        convenience: Germany 5, Japan 4
                                        (2002 est.)
                                        ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 21,
                                        container 1, passenger/cargo 3,
                                        petroleum tanker 1
                              Airports: 80 (2001)
         Airports - with paved runways: total: 8
                                        over 3,047 m: 2
                                        2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
                                        914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2001)
                                        1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
       Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 72
                                        under 914 m: 33 (2001)
                                        over 3,047 m: 2
                                        1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
                                        914 to 1,523 m: 21
                             Heliports: 2 (2001)
  
   Military Burma
   --------------
                     Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
      Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
      Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 12,211,144
                                        note: both sexes liable for military
                                        service (2002 est.)
                                        females age 15-49: 12,223,069
   Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 6,502,013
                               service: females age 15-49: 6,491,732 (2002
                                        est.)
           Military manpower - reaching males: 486,432
                 military age annually: females: 470,667 (2002 est.)
         Military expenditures - dollar $39 million (FY97/98)
                                figure:
     Military expenditures - percent of 2.1% (FY97/98)
                                   GDP:
  
   Transnational Issues Burma
   --------------------------
              Disputes - international: despite renewed border committee
                                        talks, significant differences
                                        remain with Thailand over boundary
                                        alignment and the handling of ethnic
                                        guerrilla rebels, refugees,
                                        smuggling, and drug trafficking in
                                        cross-border region; Burmese
                                        attempts to construct a dam on
                                        border stream with Bangladesh in
                                        2001 prompted an armed response
                                        halting construction; Burmese Muslim
                                        migration into Bangladesh strains
                                        Bangladesh's meager resources
                         Illicit drugs: world's largest producer of illicit
                                        opium, surpassing Afghanistan
                                        (potential production in 2001 - 865
                                        metric tons, down 21% due to
                                        drought, and to a lesser extent,
                                        eradication; cultivation in 2002 -
                                        105,000 hectares, a 3% decline from
                                        2000); surrender of drug warlord
                                        KHUN SA's Mong Tai Army in January
                                        1996 was hailed by Rangoon as a
                                        major counternarcotics success, but
                                        lack of government will and ability
                                        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
  
                                       



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