Myanmar

Myanmar is a country in Southeast Asia, formerly known as Burma. The name of the country was changed in 1989, and this change of name has been officially recognized by the United Nations. However, some states, such as the United States, do not recognize this change of name, since they do not recognize the military government which instituted it. Today, many people use Myanmar, which is a derivative of the Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw, regardless of their opinion of the military government.

History of Myanmar

The history of Burma began in the 9th century when the Myamma or Bamar people migrated from the China-Tibet border region into the valley of the Irrawaddy.

The Burmese Kingdom

The Burmese soon converted to Buddhism and created the state which in 1057 became the First Burmese Empire. The two names by which this people were known gave rise to the names Myanmar (in Burmese) and Burma (in English).

After the devastating invasion by the Mongol army of Kublai Khan in 1287, Burma broke up into several states. Ever since, the Burmese inhabitants of the Irrawaddy valley have sought to regain control of the neighbouring hill peoples such as the Shan and the Karen, but these peoples have usually maintained de facto independence.

The Portuguese reached Burma in the late 15th century, and established trading posts, but their attempts to extend their control were repelled. This external threat galvanised the Burmese to establish a stronger state, and in 1613 King Aukhpetlan decisively defeated Portuguese attempts to take over Burma.

By the 18th century conflicts had begun to occur along the Burmese border with British India, and the British proved a far greater threat than the other European powers. The First Burmese War (1824-26 ended with Burma ceding territory to the British, and the Second Burmese War (1852) resulted in the annexation of Lower Burma (in the south) and its conversion to a province of British India.

King Mindon of Upper (northern) Burma (ruled 1853-78) tried to modernise the Burmese state and economy to resist British encroachments better, and he fortified the northern capital, Mandalay. But in 1886 his son Thibaw was unable to prevent the Third Burmese War, which resulted in the annexation of the whole country and the abolition of the Burmese monarchy.

British rule

Burma benefitted economically from British rule, but Burmese nationalism remained powerful. In 1935 the British separated Burma from India and promised that self-government would be introduced. But in early 1942 the Japanese invaded the country and rapidly drove the British out.

Burmese nationalists, led by Aung San, at first welcomed the defeat of the British, but soon realised that the Japanese had no intention of allowing Burmese independence. Aung San then established contact with the British and transferred the support of his 10,000 strong army to the Allied side, in exchange for a promise of immediate independence after the war.

Independent Burma

Following a 1947 conference in London, Burma gained its independence from the United Kingdom on January 4, 1948. Attempts by the non-Burmese minorities to secede from the Burmese state were prevented, but the Burmese government had no more control over the hill territories than the British had done.

National elections in April 1947 had returned Aung San with an overwhelming majority. But while the new constitution was being drawn up Aung San was assassinated by a political rival. He was succeeded by his close associate U Nu. Under his government Burma enjoyed a period of peace and democratic government, but in 1958 he was succeeded by General Ne Win. When elections in 1962 gave U Nu a majority, Ne Win staged a coup and brought Burmese democracy to an end.

Under Ne Win, Burma became an isolated military dictatorship, in which the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) imposed a version of socialism which soon reduced a prosperous country to poverty. The regime conducted many fruitless wars against the Karens and Shans, against the Burmese Communists, and later against drug bosses such as Khun Sa.

In 1974 Ne Win declared the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma, with a facade of popular government to conceal the reality of military rule. Demonstration against the regime broke out in 1988, and hundreds, possibly thousands, of people were killed. The military then removed Ne Win from power and promised free elections. Aung San Suu Kyi, Aung San’s daughter, returned from exile and established the National League for Democracy (NLD).

After further disturbances the promised elections were held in 1990, the military apparently believing that they could rig the results in favour of the National Unity Party, the old BSPP renamed. But the NLD won a landslide victory. After a period of indecision the military in effect staged a second coup. Aung San Suu Kyi was put under house arrest, the NLD banned, and a body called the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) took power headed by General Saw Maung.

Renewed dictatorship

The military regime has ruled Burma ever since, with Saw Maung being succeeded in 1992 by General Than Shwe and the SLORC being replaced in 1997 by a State Peace and Development Council. In 1991 Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and under international pressure the regime released her from house arrest in 1995. Plans were announced for a national convention to draft a new constitution, but this body has never produced any results.

The regime has survived due to strong economic and military support from the People's Republic of China, covert support from Thailand and other ASEAN states, and the proceeds of smuggling drugs and valuable timber resources. Since 1996 the regime has been subject to international sanctions by bodies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. But the regime has clung to power; Aung San Suu Kyi continues to have her activities restricted and her supporters are routinely harassed or jailed.

Burma and Myanmar

In 1989 the Burmese regime announced that the official name of the country was henceforth to be Myanmar, and the United Nations now uses that name. Myanmar has always been the name of the country in the Burmese language, whereas Burma has always been used in English. Governments such as the United States and Australia, which disapprove of the military regime, continue to call it Burma, and this is the name that Aung San Suu Kyi - seen by some as the elected leader of the country - uses.

Geography of Myanmar

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 km²
land: 657,740 km²
water: 20,760 km²

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 nautical miles
continental shelf: 200 nautical miles or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles
territorial sea: 12 nautical miles

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

Rivers:Irrawaddy, Salween, Mekong

Natural resources: petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 15%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 49%
other: 34% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 10,680 km² (1993 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 agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate 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

Economy

Economy - overview: Burma has a mixed economy with private activity dominant in agriculture, light industry, and transport, and with substantial state-controlled activity, mainly in energy, heavy industry, and the rice trade. Government policy in the last 11 years, 1989-99, has aimed at revitalizing the economy after three decades of tight central planning. Thus, private activity has markedly increased; foreign investment has been encouraged, so far with moderate success. State enterprises remain highly inefficient and privatization efforts have stalled. Published estimates of Burma's foreign trade are greatly understated because of the volume of black-market trade. A major ongoing problem is the failure to achieve monetary and fiscal stability. Burma remains a poor Asian country and living standards for the majority have not improved over the past decade. The short-term outlook is for continued sluggish growth because of poor government planning, internal unrest, minimal foreign investment, and the large trade deficit.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $59.4 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4.6% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,200 (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 59%
industry: 11%
services: 30% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: 23% (1997 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 38% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 19.7 million (FY98/99 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 10%, services 25% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 7.1% (official FY97/98 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $7.9 billion
expenditures: $12.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.7 billion (FY96/97)

Industries: agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 4.31 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 61.72%
hydro: 38.28%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)

Electricity - consumption: 4.008 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Agriculture - products: paddy rice, Maize, oilseed, sugarcane, pulses; hardwood

Exports: $1.2 billion (1998)

Exports - commodities: pulses and beans, prawns, fish, rice; teaks, opiates

Exports - partners: India 13%, mainland China 11%, Singapore 10%, Thailand 8% (1998)

Imports: $2.5 billion (1998)

Imports - commodities: machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, food products

Imports - partners: Singapore 31%, Japan 12%, Thailand 12%, mainland China 9%, Malaysia 8% (1998)

Debt - external: $5.9 billion (FY98/99 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $99 million (FY98/99)

Currency: 1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas

Exchange rates: kyats (K) per US$1 - official rate - 6.2665 (January 2000), 6.2858 (1999), 6.3432 (1998), 6.2418 (1997), 5.9176 (1996), 5.6670 (1995); kyats (K) per US$1 - market exchange rate - 330 (yearend 1999)

Demographics

Population: 42,510,537
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 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 28.1% (male 6,091,220; female 5,840,968)
15-64 years: 67% (male 14,162,190; female 14,347,751)
65 years and over: 4.9% (male 916,702; female 1,151,706) (2003 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.52% (2003 est.)
Birth rate: 19.15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate: 12.17 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 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 (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 70.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 55.79 years
male: 54.12 years
female: 57.56 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.15 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Burmese (singular and plural)
adjective: Burmese
Ethnic groups: Burman 68 %, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%
Religions:Buddist 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.

source : www.loc.gov