The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency (ereader iphone .txt) 📖

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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:

National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, AUNG SAN SUU KYI];
National Unity Party or NUP (pro-regime) [TUN YE]; Shan
Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [HKUN HTUN OO]; and other
smaller parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Ethnic Nationalities Council or ENC (based in Thailand); 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 parallel government in exile); Kachin Independence Organization or KIO; Karen National Union or KNU; Karenni National People's Party or KNPP; National Council-Union of Burma or NCUB (exile coalition of opposition groups); United Wa State Army or UWSA; Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (pro-regime, a social and political mass-member organization) [HTAY OO, general secretary]; 88 Generation Students (pro-democracy movement) [MIN KO NAING] other: several Shan factions

International organization participation:

ADB, APT, 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, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires MYINT LWIN chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-3344 FAX: [1] (202) 332-4351 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Larry M. DINGER 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:

red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 14, white, five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel containing a stalk of rice; the 14 stars represent the seven administrative divisions and seven states

Economy
Burma

Economy - overview:

Burma, a resource-rich country, suffers from pervasive government controls, inefficient economic policies, and rural poverty. The junta took steps in the early 1990s to liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the "Burmese Way to Socialism," but those efforts stalled, and some of the liberalization measures were rescinded. Despite Burma's increasing oil and gas revenue, socio-economic conditions have deteriorated due to the regime's mismanagement of the economy. Lacking monetary or fiscal stability, 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. Most overseas development assistance ceased after the junta began to suppress the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently refused to honor the results of the 1990 legislative elections. In response to the government of Burma's attack in May 2003 on AUNG SAN SUU KYI and her convoy, the US imposed new economic sanctions in August 2003 including a ban on imports of Burmese products and a ban on provision of financial services by US persons. Further, a poor investment climate hampers attracting outside investment slowing the inflow of foreign exchange. The most productive sectors will continue to be in extractive industries, especially oil and gas, mining, and timber with the latter especially causing environmental degradation. Other areas, such as manufacturing and services, are struggling with inadequate infrastructure, unpredictable import/export policies, deteriorating health and education systems, and endemic corruption. A major banking crisis in 2003 shuttered the country's 20 private banks and disrupted the economy. As of 2007, the largest private banks operated under tight restrictions limiting the private sector's access to formal credit. Moreover, the September 2007 crackdown on prodemocracy demonstrators, including thousands of monks, further strained the economy as the tourism industry, which directly employs about 500,000 people, suffered dramatic declines in foreign visitor levels. In November 2007, the European Union announced new sanctions banning investment and trade in Burmese gems, timber and precious stones, while the United States expanded its sanctions list to include more Burmese government and military officials and their family members, as well as prominent regime business cronies, their family members, and associated companies. Official statistics are inaccurate. Published statistics on foreign trade are greatly understated because of the size of the black market and unofficial border trade - often estimated to be as large as the official economy. 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):

$91.13 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$13.53 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 42.4% industry: 18.9% services: 38.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

29.26 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 70% industry: 7% services: 23% (2001)

Unemployment rate:

5.2% (2007 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):

13.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: NA expenditures: NA (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

35% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

12% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

17% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$598 billion note: This number reflects the vastly overvalued official exchange rate of 5.38 kyat per dollar. At the unofficial black market rate of 1305 kyat per dollar, 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. (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$216.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$887.7 billion (31 December 2007)

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; natural gas; garments, jade and gems

Industrial production growth rate:

9% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

5.961 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

4.289 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 44.5% hydro: 43.4% nuclear: 0% other: 12.1% (2002)

Oil - production:

21,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

43,140 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

5,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - imports:

22,180 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

50 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

12.6 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

3.62 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

9.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

283.2 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$1.427 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$6.122 billion f.o.b. 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 (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

natural gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice, clothing, jade and gems

Exports - partners:

Thailand 44.3%, India 14.5%, China 7.1%, Japan 5.7% (2007)

Imports:

$2.942 billion f.o.b. 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 (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

fabric, petroleum products, fertilizer, plastics, machinery, transport equipment; cement, construction materials, crude oil; food products, edible oil

Imports - partners:

China 33.7%, Thailand 19.1%, Singapore 15.5%, South Korea 5.8%,
Indonesia 5.2%, Malaysia 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$144.7 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.262 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$7.022 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

kyat (MMK)

Currency code:

MMK

Exchange rates:

kyats (MMK) per US dollar - 1,296 (2007), 1,280 (2006), 5.761 (2005), 5.7459 (2004), 6.0764 (2003) note: unofficial exchange rates ranged in 2004 from 815 kyat/US dollar to nearly 970 kyat/US dollar, and by yearend 2005, the unofficial exchange rate was 1,075 kyat/US dollar; data shown for 2003-05 are official exchange rates

Communications
Burma

Telephones - main lines in use:

503,900 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

214,200 (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government domestic: system barely capable of providing basic service; cellular phone system is grossly underdeveloped with a subscribership base of less than 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 (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 3 (2007)

Radios:

4.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (2008)

Televisions:

320,000 (2000)

Internet country code:

.mm

Internet hosts:

108 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 note: as of September 2000, Internet connections were legal only for the government, tourist offices, and a few large businesses (2000)

Internet users:

40,000 (2007)

Transportation
Burma

Airports:

86 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 25 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 61 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 32 (2007)

Heliports:

4 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 2,790 km; oil 558 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,955 km narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 27,000 km paved: 3,200 km unpaved: 23,800 km (2006)

Waterways:

12,800 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 24 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 17, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 3 (Cyprus 1, Germany 1, Japan 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Moulmein, Rangoon, Sittwe

Military
Burma

Military branches:

Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw): Army, Navy, Air Force (Tatmadaw
Lay) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service for both sexes; forced conscription of children, although officially prohibited, reportedly continues (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 13,402,788 females age 16-49: 13,437,042 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 9,031,046 females age 16-49: 9,396,547 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 423,809 female: 415,843 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

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 resumes talks with Burma on delimiting a maritime boundary in January 2008

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 503,000 (government offensives