1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
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)
Coastline
1,930 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Texas
Contiguous zone
24 nm
Continental shelf
edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Disputes
none
Environment
subject to destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); deforestation
Exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Land area
657,740 km2
Land boundaries
5,876 km; Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km
Land use
arable land 15%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 49%; other 34%; includes irrigated 2%
Natural resources
crude oil, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas
Note
strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes
Terrain
central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
678,500 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
29 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
10 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%
Infant mortality rate
68 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
16,036,000; agriculture 65.2%, industry 14.3%, trade 10.1%, government 6.3%, other 4.1% (FY89 est.)
Languages
Burmese; minority ethnic groups have their own languages
Life expectancy at birth
57 years male, 61 years female (1992)
Literacy
81% (male 89%, female 72%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun - Burmese (singular and plural); adjective - Burmese
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
Workers' Asiayone (association), 1,800,000 members; Peasants' Asiayone, 7,600,000 members
Population
42,642,418 (July 1992), growth rate 1.9% (1992)
Religions
Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist beliefs 1%, other 2%
Total fertility rate
3.8 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
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
Rangoon (sometimes translated as Yangon)
Chief of State and Head of Government
Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992)
Communists
several hundred (est.) in Burma Communist Party (BCP)
Constitution
3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988)
Diplomatic representation
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
chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council, State Law and Order Restoration Council
Flag
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
4 January 1948 (from UK)
Judicial branch
Council of People's Justices was abolished after the coup of 18 September 1988
Legal system
martial law in effect throughout most of the country; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral People's Assembly (Pyithu Hluttaw) was dissolved after the coup of 18 September 1988
Long-form name
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
Member of
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
Independence Day, 4 January (1948)
Other political or pressure groups
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)
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
Political parties and leaders
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
universal at age 18
Type
military regime
Economy
Agriculture
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
revenues $7.2 billion; expenditures $9.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $6 billion (1991)
Currency
kyat (plural - kyats); 1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas
Economic aid
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
950,000 kW capacity; 2,900 million kWh produced, 70 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
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
$568 million commodities: teak, rice, oilseed, metals, rubber, gems partners: Southeast Asia, India, Japan, China, EC, Africa
External debt
$4.2 billion (1991)
Fiscal year
1 April - 31 March
GDP
exchange rate conversion - $22.2 billion, per capita $530; real growth rate 5.6% (1991)
Illicit drugs
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
$1.16 billion commodities: machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, food products partners: Japan, EC, China, Southeast Asia
Industrial production
growth rate 2.6% (FY90 est.); accounts for 10% of GDP
Industries
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)
40% (1991)
Overview
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
9.6% in urban areas (FY89 est.)
Communications
Airports
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
17 major transport aircraft (including 3 helicopters)
Highways
27,000 km total; 3,200 km bituminous, 17,700 km improved earth or gravel, 6,100 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways
12,800 km; 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels
Merchant marine
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
crude oil 1,343 km; natural gas 330 km
Ports
Rangoon, Moulmein, Bassein
Railroads
3,991 km total, all government owned; 3,878 km 1.000-meter gauge, 113 km narrow-gauge industrial lines; 362 km double track
Telecommunications
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
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $1.28 billion, FY(91-92)
Manpower availability
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