Burma (Myanmar)

• 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)

current issues:

• deforestation;
• industrial pollution of air, soil, and water;
• inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease

natural hazards:

• destructive earthquakes and cyclones;
• flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September);
• periodic droughts

international agreements:

• party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83;
• signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea, Tropical Timber 94

0-14 years:

37% (male 8,637,102; female 8,308,282)

15-64 years:

59% (male 13,577,232; female 13,571,312)

65 years and over:

4% (male 853,403; female 1,028,294) (July 1996 est.)

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.83 male(s)/female

all ages:

1.01 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

noun:

Burmese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Burmese

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

• 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*

• 3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988);
• national convention started on 9 January 1993 to draft a new constitution;
• chapter headings and three of 15 sections have been approved

People's Assembly (Pyithu Hluttaw):

• election last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never convened;
• results - NLD 80%;
• seats - (485 total) NLD 396, NUP 10, other 79

• limited;
• remnants of the British-era legal system in place, but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial;
• the judiciary is not independent of the executive

• Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA; pro-regime), THAN AUNG, secretary;
• National Unity Party (NUP), pro-regime, THA KYAW;
• National League for Democracy (NLD), AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary;
• and eight minor legal parties

• National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), headed by the elected prime minister 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;
• Kachin Independence Army (KIA);
• United Wa State Army (UWSA);
• Karen National Union (KNU);
• several Shan factions, including the Mong Tai Army (MTA);
• All Burma Student Democratic Front (ABSDF)

chief of mission:

Ambassador U THAUNG

chancery:

2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 332-9044, 9045

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Marilyn A. MEYERS

embassy:

581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521)

mailing address:

Box B, APO AP 96546

telephone:

[95] (1) 82055, 82182 (operator assistance required)

• 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

• agricultural processing;
• textiles and footwear;
• wood and wood products;
• petroleum refining;
• copper, tin, tungsten, iron;
• construction materials;
• pharmaceuticals;
• fertilizer

• world's largest illicit producer of opium (2,340 metric tons in 1995) and source for over 60% of US heroin imports;
• minor producer of cannabis for the international drug trade;
• Rangoon's antinarcotic programs hindered by lack of resources, government commitment;
• growing role in methamphetamine production for regional consumption

total:

3,569 km

narrow gauge:

3,569 km 1.000-m gauge (1995)

total:

26,861 km

paved:

3,181 km

unpaved:

23,680 km (1988 est.)

total:

40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 444,957 GRT/610,420 DWT

ships by type:

bulk 11, cargo 15, chemical tanker 5, container 1, oil tanker 3, passenger-cargo 3, vehicle carrier 2 (1995 est.)

males age 15-49:

11,759,636

females age 15-49:

11,588,181

males fit for military service:

6,291,986

females fit for military service:

6,184,667

males reach military age (18) annually:

473,255

females reach military age (18) annually:

454,786 (1996 est.)

note: both sexes liable for military service