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Compare Burma (2003) - British Virgin Islands (2008)

Compare Burma (2003) z British Virgin Islands (2008)

 Burma (2003)British Virgin Islands (2008)
 BurmaBritish Virgin Islands
Administrative divisions 7 divisions* (taing-myar, singular - taing) and 7 states (pyi ne-myar, singular - pyi ne); Chin State, Ayeyarwady*, Bago*, Kachin State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Magway*, Mandalay*, Mon State, Rakhine State, Sagaing*, Shan State, Tanintharyi*, Yangon* none (overseas territory of the UK)
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.)
0-14 years: 20.2% (male 2,410/female 2,337)


15-64 years: 74.5% (male 9,004/female 8,534)


65 years and over: 5.4% (male 665/female 602) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane; hardwood; fish and fish products fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports 80 (2002) 3 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 8


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2002)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 72


over 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 16


914 to 1,523 m: 20


under 914 m: 34 (2002)
total: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Area total: 678,500 sq km


land: 657,740 sq km


water: 20,760 sq km
total: 153 sq km


land: 153 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Texas about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Britain conquered Burma over a period of 62 years (1824-1886) and incorporated it into its Indian Empire. Burma was administered as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony; independence outside of the Commonwealth was attained in 1948. Gen. NE WIN dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as president, and later as political kingmaker. Despite multiparty elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party winning a decisive victory, the ruling military junta refused to hand over power. Key opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG SAN SUU KYI, under house arrest from 1989 to 1995, was again placed under house detention from September 2000 to May 2002 and again in May 2003; her supporters are routinely harassed or jailed. First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.
Birth rate 19.15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 14.82 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $7.9 billion


expenditures: $12.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.7 billion (FY96/97)
revenues: $204.7 million


expenditures: $180.4 million (2004)
Capital Rangoon (regime refers to the capital as Yangon) name: Road Town


geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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) subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline 1,930 km 80 km
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 13 June 2007
Country name 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


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
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: British Virgin Islands


abbreviation: BVI
Currency kyat (MMK) -
Death rate 12.17 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $6.1 billion (2002 est.) $36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Permanent Charge d'Affaires Carmen M. MARTINEZ


embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521)


mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546


telephone: [95] (1) 379 880, 379 881


FAX: [95] (1) 256 018
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador LINN MYAING


chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 332-9044


FAX: [1] (202) 332-9046


consulate(s) general: New York
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international despite continuing border committee talks, significant differences remain with Thailand over boundary alignment and the handling of ethnic rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities none
Economic aid - recipient $99 million (FY98/99) $NA
Economy - overview Burma is a resource-rich country that suffers from abject rural poverty. The military regime took steps in the early 1990s to liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the "Burmese Way to Socialism", but those efforts have since stalled. Burma has been unable to achieve monetary or fiscal stability, resulting in an economy that suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances - including a steep inflation rate and an official exchange rate that overvalues the Burmese kyat by more than 100 times the market rate. In addition, most overseas development assistance ceased after the junta suppressed the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently ignored the results of the 1990 election. Burma is data poor, and official statistics are often dated and inaccurate. Published estimates of Burma's foreign trade are greatly understated because of the size of the black market and border trade - often estimated to be one to two times the official economy. The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 820,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 2005. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, made the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the US dollar as its currency since 1959.
Electricity - consumption 5.709 billion kWh (2001) 41.85 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 6.139 billion kWh (2001) 45 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 44.4%


hydro: 55.6%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m


highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments)
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
-
Ethnic groups Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5% black 83%, other 17% (includes white, Indian, Asian and mixed)
Exchange rates kyats per US dollar - 6.64 (2002), 6.75 (2001), 6.52 (2000), 6.29 (1999), 6.34 (1998) the US dollar is used
Executive branch chief of state: Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992)


head of government: Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note - the appointed Prime Minister, Gen. KNIN NYUNT (since 25 August 2003), is not the head of government


cabinet: State Peace and Development Council (SPDC); military junta, so named 15 November 1997, which initially assumed power 18 September 1988 under the name State Law and Order Restoration Council; the SPDC oversees the cabinet


elections: none
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor David PEAREY (since 18 April 2006)


head of government: Premier Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 23 August 2007)


cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the House of Assembly


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governor
Exports NA (2001) 0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners Thailand 31.4%, US 13%, India 7.4%, China 4.7% (2002) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March 1 April - 31 March
Flag description 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 blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)
GDP purchasing power parity - $73.69 billion (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 60%


industry: 9%


services: 31% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 1.8%


industry: 6.2%


services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2002 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 5.3% (2002 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 22 00 N, 98 00 E 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Heliports 1 (2002) -
Highways total: 28,200 km


paved: 3,440 km


unpaved: 24,760 km (1996 est.)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.8%


highest 10%: 32.4% (1998)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs world's second largest producer of illicit opium (potential production in 2002 - 630 metric tons, down 27% due to drought and, to a lesser extent, eradication; cultivation in 2002 - 77,000 hectares, a 27% decline from 2001); surrender of drug warlord KHUN SA's Mong Tai Army in January 1996 was hailed by Rangoon as a major counternarcotics success, but lack of government will and ability to take on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment against money laundering continues to hinder the overall antidrug effort; major source of methamphetamine and heroin for regional consumption transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering
Imports NA (2001) 604.3 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, crude oil; food products building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners China 27%, Singapore 19.5%, Thailand 12%, Malaysia 9.1%, Taiwan 6.3%, South Korea 5.3%, Japan 4.3% (2002) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)
Independence 4 January 1948 (from UK) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA% NA%
Industries agricultural processing; knit and woven apparel; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate total: 70.35 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 76.48 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 63.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
total: 16.13 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 18.82 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 13.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 53.7% (2002 est.) 2% (2005)
International organization participation ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU
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)
-
Irrigated land 15,920 sq km (1998 est.) NA
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 Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Labor force 23.7 million (1999 est.) 12,770 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 70%, industry 7%, services 23% (2001 est.) agriculture: 0.6%


industry: 40%


services: 59.4% (2005)
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
0 km
Land use arable land: 14.53%


permanent crops: 0.9%


other: 84.57% (1998 est.)
arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 73.33% (2005)
Languages Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages English (official)
Legal system has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction English law
Legislative branch unicameral People's Assembly or Pyithu Hluttaw (485 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never convened


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NLD 392, SNLD 23, NUP 10, other 60
unicameral House of Assembly (13 elected seats and 1 non-voting ex officio member in the attorney general; members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from each of nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 20 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011)


election results: percent of vote by party - VIP 45.2%, NDP 39.6%, independent 15.2%; seats by party - VIP 10, NDP 2, independent 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 55.79 years


male: 54.12 years


female: 57.56 years (2003 est.)
total population: 76.86 years


male: 75.71 years


female: 78.07 years (2007 est.)
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.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references Southeast Asia Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 352,765 GRT/536,396 DWT


ships by type: bulk 7, cargo 21, container 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 5, Japan 4 (2002 est.)
-
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $39 million (FY97) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.1% (FY97) -
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 12,349,921


females age 15-49: 12,358,507


note: both sexes liable for military service (2003 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 6,566,122


females age 15-49: 6,553,458 (2003 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 453,420


females: 455,422 (2003 est.)
-
National holiday Independence Day, 4 January (1948) Territory Day, 1 July (1956)
Nationality noun: Burmese (singular and plural)


adjective: Burmese
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower NEGL
Net migration rate -1.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) 8.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines gas 2,056 km; oil 558 km (2003) -
Political parties and leaders National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary]; National Unity Party or NUP (proregime) [THA KYAW]; Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [KHUN TUN OO]; Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (proregime, a social and political organization) [THAN AUNG, general secretary]; and other smaller parties Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL]
Political pressure groups and leaders All Burma Student Democratic Front or ABSDF; Kachin Independence Army or KIA; Karen National Union or KNU; National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or NCGUB [Dr. 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); several Shan factions; United Wa State Army or UWSA NA
Population 42,510,537


note: estimates for this country 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.)
23,552 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 25% (2000 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 0.52% (2003 est.) 1.923% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Bassein, Bhamo, Chauk, Mandalay, Moulmein, Myitkyina, Rangoon, Akyab (Sittwe), Tavoy -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 3 (1998) AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
Railways total: 3,955 km


narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
-
Religions Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2% Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, other 2%, none 2% (1991)
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.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.031 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.055 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.105 male(s)/female


total population: 1.053 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government; international service is good


domestic: NA


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
general assessment: worldwide telephone service


domestic: NA


international: country code - 1-284; connected via submarine cable to Bermuda; the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable provides connectivity to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use 250,000 (2000) 11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 8,492 (1997) 8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 2 (1998) 1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997)
Terrain central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate 2.15 children born/woman (2003 est.) 1.72 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 5.1% (2001 est.) 3.6% (1997)
Waterways 12,800 km


note: 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels
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