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)
Education expenditures:
1.2% of GDP (2001)
country comparison to the world: 181
Government ::Burma
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
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 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 since 18 September 1988; a constitution
officially received 92.48% support in a flawed May 2008 referendum
that most observers judged fell far short of international standards
of free and fair elections; note - a new constitution is to take
effect when a parliament is convened possibly in late January 2011
Legal system:
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC) Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Lt. Gen THEIN SEIN (since 24
October 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet is overseen by the military regime that assumed
power 18 September 1988 under the name State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC); changed in 1997 to SPDC
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: none
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
Political parties and leaders:
All Mon Region Democracy Party or AMRDP; National Democratic Force
or NDF [KHIN MAUNG SWE]; National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG
SHWE, AUNG SAN SUU KYI]; note - the party is defunct because it did
not register for the 2010 election; National Unity Party or NUP [TUN
YE]; Rakhine Nationalities Development Party or RNDP; Shan
Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [HKUN HTUN OO]; Union
Solidarity and Development Party or USDP [THEIN SEIN]; 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
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 Larry M. DINGER - 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 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 ::Burma
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 economy suffers from serious macroeconomic
imbalances - including rising 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 to determine a realistic GDP figure.
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 business climate is widely perceived as
opaque, corrupt, and highly inefficient. Over 60% of the FY 2009-10
budget is allocated to state owned enterprises - most operating at a
deficit. The government has recently privatized a number of state
owned enterprises, but most of the benefits have accrued to regime
insiders and cronies. 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, Canada, and Australia have
imposed financial and economic sanctions on Burma, prohibiting most
financial transactions with Burmese entities, imposing travel bans
on Burmese officials and others connected to the ruling regime, and
banning imports of certain 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. Though the Burmese government has good economic relations with
its neighbors, better investment and business climates and an
improved political situation are needed to promote serious foreign
investment, exports, and tourism.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$60.07 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
$58.27 billion (2009 est.)
$57.24 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$35.65 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.1% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117
1.8% (2009 est.)
1.1% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,100 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 209
$1,100 (2009 est.)
$1,100 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 43.2%
industry: 20%
services: 36.8% (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: 56
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: 129
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.6% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
1.5% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
12% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 34
12% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
17% (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
17% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$4.907 billion (31 December 2010 est)
country comparison to the world: 89
$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 2009, the unofficial black market rate averaged 1,090
kyat per dollar.
Stock of broad money:
$7.8 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
$6.231 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$8.552 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
$6.858 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: 77
Electricity - production:
6.286 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
Electricity - consumption:
4.403 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
18,880 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75
Oil - consumption:
42,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
Oil - exports:
2,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
Oil - imports:
18,250 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114
Oil - proved reserves:
50 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78
Natural gas - production:
12.4 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
Natural gas - consumption:
3.85 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66
Natural gas - exports:
8.55 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198
Natural gas - proved reserves:
283.2 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
Current account balance:
$652 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47
$705 million (2009 est.)
Exports:
$7.841 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
$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 46.57%, India 12.99%, China 9.01%, Japan 5.65% (2009)
Imports:
$4.532 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121
$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 33.1%, Thailand 26.28%, Singapore 15.18% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.762 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
$3.561 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$7.145 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
$7.079 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
kyats (MMK) per US dollar - 1,000 (2010), 1,055 (2009), 1,205
(2008), 1,296 (2007), 1,280 (2006)
Communications ::Burma
Telephones - main lines in use:
812,000 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 86
Telephones - mobile cellular:
448,000 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 160
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 with a
subscribership base of only 1 per 100 persons
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; 3 state-controlled
television stations with 1 of the stations controlled by the armed
forces; a fourth TV channel, a pay-TV station, is a joint
state-private venture; access to satellite TV is limited with
residents required to register and pay a fee for all satellite
television receivers; 2 state-controlled domestic radio stations;
transmissions of several international broadcasters are available in
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
Transportation ::Burma
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 2,228 km; oil 558 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 3,955 km
country comparison to the world: 44
narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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: 90
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 ::Burma
Military branches:
Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw): Army (Tatmadaw Kyi), Navy (Tatmadaw
Yay), Air Force (Tatmadaw Lay) (2010)
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
streched 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: 14,558,921
females age 16-49: 14,539,703 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 10,281,131
females age 16-49: 10,988,695 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 526,557
female: 510,538 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
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;
Thailand must deal with Karen and other ethnic refugees, asylum
seekers, and rebels, as well as illegal cross-border activities from
Burma; Thailand is studying the feasibility of jointly constructing
the Hatgyi Dam on the Salween River near the border with Burma;
citing environmental, cultural, and social concerns, China is
reconsidering construction of 13 dams on the Salween River but
energy-starved Burma with backing from Thailand remains intent on
building five hydro-electric dams downstream, despite identical
regional and international protests; India seeks cooperation from
Burma to keep Indian Nagaland separatists, such as the United
Liberation Front of Assam, from hiding in remote Burmese Uplands;
after 21 years, Bangladesh in January 2008 resumed talks with Burma
on delimiting a maritime boundary
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; ethnic insurgent groups also used compulsory
labor of adults and unlawful recruitment of children; the regime's
widespread use of and lack of accountability in forced labor and
recruitment of child soldiers is particularly worrying and
represents the top causal factor for Burma's significant trafficking
problem
tier rating: Tier 3 - serious problems remain in Burma, and in some
areas, most notably in the area of forced labor, the Government of
Burma is not making significant efforts to comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking, warranting a ranking
of Tier 3; in other areas, particularly with regard to international
sex trafficking of women and girls, the Government of Burma is
making significant efforts (2010)
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)
page last updated on January 24, 2011
======================================================================
@Burundi (Africa)
Introduction ::Burundi
Background:
Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in
October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread
ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. More than 200,000
Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen
years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced
or became refugees in neighboring countries. An internationally
brokered power-sharing agreement between the Tutsi-dominated
government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a
transition process that led to an integrated defense force,
established a new constitution in 2005, and elected a majority Hutu
government in 2005. The new government, led by President Pierre
NKURUNZIZA, signed a South African brokered ceasefire with the
country's last rebel group in September of 2006 but still faces many
challenges.
Geography ::Burundi
Location:
Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates:
3 30 S, 30 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 27,830 sq km
country comparison to the world: 146
land: 25,680 sq km
water: 2,150 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 974 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda
290 km, Tanzania 451 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate: