Myanmar Location:
Physical. Myanmar (also called Burma) is located in Southeastern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, with India on the west and China on the east. It covers an area slightly smaller than Texas. The terrain consists of central lowlands surrounded by steep, rocky highlands. A tropical monsoon gives the country hot, humid and rainy summers with mild winters. Natural resources include petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas and hydropower.
Myanmar Geography:
Geography
Area: 678,500 sq km
Capital: Naypyidaw (unknown population)
Environmental concerns: deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment
Geographical features: central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands (strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes)
Climate: tropical monsoon (southwest monsoon, June to September, northeast monsoon, December to April); cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers with less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter
Myanmar People:
People. Almost 47.4 million people live in Myanmar. Burmese is the predominant language, but minority ethnic groups have their own languages as well. Ethnically, 68% of the people are Burman, with minorities including Shan (9%), Karen (7%), Rakhine (4%), Chinese (3%), Mon (2%), and Indian (2%). Primarily Buddhists (89%), other religions include Christian (4%) and Muslim (4%).
People
47,383,000 (estimates take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS which can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) Burman (68%), Shan (9%), Karen (7%), Rakhine (4%), Chinese (3%), Indian (2%), Mon (2%), other (5%)
Annual growth rate: 0.81% (2006 est.)
Major languages are Burmese, and minority ethnic groups have their own languages
Religions: Buddhist (89%), Christian (4% - Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim (4%), animist (1%), other (2%)
Myanmar Government:
Government. The country is officially known as the Union of Burma and locally referred to as Union of Myanmar. The capital, Rangoon, is located in the south-central region of the country. Myanmar gained its independence from the United Kingdom on January 4, 1948. A constitution was ratified in 1974, but it was suspended in September 1988, when the military junta assumed power. The regime is currently referred to as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Political parties include the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD). In 1990 the opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won a landslide victory. When the ruling junta refused to hand over power, the US imposed sanctions. NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi was under house arrest from 1989 to 1995, 2000 to 2002, and was re-imprisoned in May 2003.
Myanmar is a military junta. The chief of state is Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Sr. Gen. Than Shwe (since 23 April 1992). The head of the government is Prime Minister, Gen Soe Win (since 19 October 2004).
Universal suffrage 18 years of age
Myanmar Communication:
Communication and transportation
424,900 (2004) main telephone lines in use
63,700 (2005) Internet users
27,000 km of roadways
3,955 km railroads
84 (2005) airports
69,000 motor vehicles (2004)
Myanmar Economy:
Economy. While rich in resources, Myanmar suffers from intrusive government controls, inefficient economic policies, and rural poverty. Steps to liberalize the economy in early 1990s stalled and many liberalization measures were withdrawn. The most productive sectors will continue to be oil and gas, mining, and timber. Other areas are hampered by inadequate infrastructure, unpredictable import/export policies, deteriorating health and education systems, and corruption. A major banking crisis in 2003 disrupted the economy. Better investment and business climates and an improved political situation are needed to promote foreign investment, exports, and tourism. Gross domestic product (GDP) is comprised of: agriculture (55%), industry (13%), services (32%).
Currency: kyat
Per capita GDP: $1,700 (2005 est.)
GDP: $78.74 billion (2005 est.)
GDP growth rate: 2.9% (2005 est.)
Inflation rate: 25% (2005 est.)
Labor force: agriculture (70%), industry (7%) and services (23%) (2001 est.)
Myanmar More Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/myanmar |
