Country name:

Burma

Conventional long form: Union of Burma
conventional short form: Burma
local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw
local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of Myanmar)
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; this decision was not approved by any sitting legislature in Burma, and 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:

Rangoon (regime refers to the capital as Yangon)

Administrative divisions:

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*

Independence:

4 January 1948 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 4 January (1948)

Constitution:

3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988); national convention started on 9 January 1993 to draft a new constitution; progress has since been stalled

Population:

42,238,224
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 2002 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 28.6% (male 6,158,039; female 5,905,314)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 13,976,047; female 14,162,467)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 905,476; female 1,130,881) (2002 est.)

Location:

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand

Geographic coordinates:

22 00 N, 98 00 E

Asian Melting Pot

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Area:

Total: 678,500 sq km
Land: 657,740 sq km
Water: 20,760 sq km

Area - comparative:

Slightly smaller than Texas

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

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

Natural resources:

Petroleum, Timber, Tin, Antimony, Zinc, Copper, Tungsten, Lead, Coal, Marble, Limestone, Precious stones, Natural gas, Hydropower

Land use:

Arable land: 14.53%
Permanent crops: 0.9%
Other: 84.57% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:

15,920 sq km (1998 est.)

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

Natural hazards:

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

Geography - note:

Strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes