Compare Burma (2005) - Cook Islands (2002)

Compare Burma (2005) z Cook Islands (2002)

	Burma (2005)	Cook Islands (2002)

Administrative divisions	7 divisions (taing-myar, singular - taing) and 7 states (pyi ne-myar, singular - pyi ne) divisions: Ayeyarwady, Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing, Tanintharyi, Yangon states: Chin State, Kachin State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Mon State, Rakhine State, Shan State	none
Age structure	0-14 years: 27.2% (male 5,967,487/female 5,717,795) 15-64 years: 67.8% (male 14,448,887/female 14,641,419) 65 years and over: 5% (male 939,092/female 1,194,784) (2005 est.)	0-14 years: NA% 15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA%
Agriculture - products	rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane; hardwood; fish and fish products	copra, citrus, pineapples, tomatoes, beans, pawpaws, bananas, yams, taro, coffee; pigs, poultry
Airports	78 (2004 est.)	7 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 9 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.)	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 69 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 31 (2004 est.)	total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2002)
Area	total: 678,500 sq km land: 657,740 sq km water: 20,760 sq km	total: 240 sq km land: 240 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Texas	1.3 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 from the Commonwealth was attained in 1948. Gen. NE WIN dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and later as political kingpin. Despite multiparty legislative elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory, the ruling junta refused to hand over power. NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG SAN SUU KYI, who was under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 and 2000 to 2002, was imprisoned in May 2003 and is currently under house arrest. In December 2004, the junta announced it was extending her detention for at least an additional year. Her supporters, as well as all those who promote democracy and improved human rights, are routinely harassed or jailed.	Named after Captain Cook, who sighted them in 1770, the islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965 residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and government deficits are continuing problems.
Birth rate	18.11 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	NA births/1,000 population
Budget	revenues: $474.9 million expenditures: $955.5 million, including capital expenditures of $5.7 billion (2004 est.)	revenues: $28 million expenditures: $27 million, including capital expenditures of $3.3 million (FY00/01 est. )
Capital	Rangoon (government refers to the capital as Yangon)	Avarua
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)	tropical; moderated by trade winds
Coastline	1,930 km	120 km
Constitution	3 January 1974; suspended since 18 September 1988; national convention convened in 1993 to draft a new constitution but collapsed in 1996; reconvened in 2004 but does not include participation of democratic opposition	4 August 1965
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: Cook Islands former: Harvey Islands
Currency	-	New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Death rate	12.15 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	NA deaths/1,000 population
Debt - external	$6.752 billion (2004 est.)	$141 million (1996 est.)
Dependency status	-	self-governing in free association with New Zealand; Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense, in consultation with the Cook Islands
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: 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 (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: vacant chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-9044 FAX: [1] (202) 332-9046 consulate(s) general: New York	none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)
Disputes - international	over half of Burma's population consists of diverse ethnic groups with substantial numbers of kin beyond its borders; 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; ethnic Karens flee into Thailand to escape fighting between Karen rebels and Burmese troops, in 2004 Thailand sheltered about 118,000 Burmese refugees; Karens also protest Thai support for a Burmese hydroelectric dam on the Salween River near the border; environmentalists in Burma and Thailand continue to voice concern over China's construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan Province; India seeks cooperation from Burma to keep Indian Nagaland separatists from hiding in remote Burmese uplands	none
Economic aid - recipient	$127 million (2001 est.)	$13.1 million (1995); note - New Zealand continues to furnish the greater part (1995)
Economy - overview	Burma is a resource-rich country that suffers from government controls, inefficient economic policies, and abject 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 have since stalled and some of the liberalization measures have been rescinded. Burma has been unable to achieve monetary or fiscal stability, resulting in an economy that suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances - including inflation and multiple official exchange rates that overvalue the Burmese kyat. In addition, most overseas development assistance ceased after the junta began to suppress the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently ignored the results of the 1990 legislative elections. Economic sanctions against Burma by the United States - including a ban on imports of Burmese products and a ban on provision of financial services by US persons in response to the government of Burma's attack in May 2003 on AUNG SAN SUU KYI and her convoy - further slowed the inflow of foreign exchange. 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 one to two times the size of the official economy. Though the Burmese government has good economic relations with its neighbors, a better investment climate and an improved political situation are needed to promote foreign investment, exports, and tourism. In February 2003, a major banking crisis hit the country's 20 private banks, shutting them down and disrupting the economy. As of January 2004, the largest private banks remained moribund, leaving the private sector with little formal access to credit.	Like many other South Pacific island nations, the Cook Islands' economic development is hindered by the isolation of the country from foreign markets, the limited size of domestic markets, lack of natural resources, periodic devastation from natural disasters, and inadequate infrastructure. Agriculture provides the economic base with major exports made up of copra and citrus fruit. Manufacturing activities are limited to fruit processing, clothing, and handicrafts. Trade deficits are offset by remittances from emigrants and by foreign aid, overwhelmingly from New Zealand. In the 1980s and 1990s, the country lived beyond its means, maintaining a bloated public service and accumulating a large foreign debt. Subsequent reforms, including the sale of state assets, the strengthening of economic management, the encouragement of tourism, and a debt restructuring agreement, have rekindled investment and growth.
Electricity - consumption	3.484 billion kWh (2003)	22.32 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2004)	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production	5.068 billion kWh (2003)	24 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Te Manga 652 m
Environment - current issues	deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease	NA
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea 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%	Polynesian (full blood) 81.3%, Polynesian and European 7.7%, Polynesian and non-European 7.7%, European 2.4%, other 0.9%
Exchange rates	kyats per US dollar - 5.7459 (2004), 6.0764 (2003), 6.5734 (2002), 6.6841 (2001), 6.4257 (2000) note: these are official exchange rates; unofficial exchange rates ranged in 2004 from 815 kyat/US dollar to nearly 970 kyat/US dollar	New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 2.3535 (January 2002), 2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999), 1.8632 (1998), 1.5083 (1997)
Executive branch	chief of state: Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992) head of government: Prime Minister, Gen SOE WIN (since 19 October 2004) 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 (SLORC); the SPDC oversees the cabinet elections: none	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Frederick GOODWIN (since NA); New Zealand High Commissioner Kurt MEYER (since NA), representative of New Zealand head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Robert WOONTON (since 12 February 2002); Deputy Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey HENRY (since 12 February 2002) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister; collectively responsible to Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the UK representative is appointed by the monarch; the New Zealand high commissioner is appointed by the New Zealand Government; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually becomes prime minister
Exports	3,356 bbl/day (2003)	$9.1 million (2000)
Exports - commodities	clothing, gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice	copra, papayas, fresh and canned citrus fruit, coffee; fish; pearls and pearl shells; clothing
Exports - partners	Thailand 37.8%, India 11.7%, China 6%, Japan 5.3% (2004)	Australia 34%, Japan 27%, New Zealand 25%, US 8% (2000)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	1 April - 31 March
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 7 administrative divisions and 7 states	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large circle of 15 white five-pointed stars (one for every island) centered in the outer half of the flag
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $105 million (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 56.6% industry: 8.8% services: 34.5% (2004 est.)	agriculture: 17% industry: 8% services: 75% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2004 est.)	purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-1.3% (2004 est.)	NA%
Geographic coordinates	22 00 N, 98 00 E	21 14 S, 159 46 W
Geography - note	strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes	the northern Cook Islands are seven low-lying, sparsely populated, coral atolls; the southern Cook Islands consist of eight elevated, fertile, volcanic isles where most of the populace lives
Heliports	1 (2004 est.)	-
Highways	total: 28,200 km paved: 3,440 km unpaved: 24,760 km (1996 est.)	total: 320 km (1992) paved: NA unpaved: NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 32.4% (1998)	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	remains world's second largest producer of illicit opium (estimated production in 2004 - 292 metric tons, down 40% from 2003 due to eradication efforts and drought; cultivation in 2004 - 30,900 hectares, a 34% decline from 2003); 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; currently under Financial Action Task Force countermeasures due to continued failure to address its inadequate money-laundering controls (2005)	-
Imports	49,230 bbl/day (2003)	$50.7 million (2000)
Imports - commodities	fabric, petroleum products, plastics, machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, crude oil; food products	foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber, capital goods
Imports - partners	China 29.8%, Singapore 20.8%, Thailand 19.3%, South Korea 5.2%, Malaysia 4.8% (2004)	NZ 61%, Fiji 19%, US 9%, Australia 6%, Japan 2% (2000)
Independence	4 January 1948 (from UK)	none (became self-governing in free association with New Zealand on 4 August 1965 and has the right at any time to move to full independence by unilateral action)
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; cement	fruit processing, tourism, fishing
Infant mortality rate	total: 67.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 73.11 deaths/1,000 live births female: 61.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	NA deaths/1,000 live births
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	17.2% (2004 est.)	3.2% (2000 est.)
International organization participation	APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO	ACP, AsDB, ESCAP (associate), FAO, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFRCS (associate), IOC, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, WHO, WMO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	3 (2000)
Irrigated land	15,920 sq km (1998 est.)	NA sq km
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	High Court
Labor force	27.01 million (2004 est.)	8,000 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 70%, industry 7%, services 23% (2001 est.)	agriculture 29%, industry 15%, services 56% note: shortage of skilled labor (1995)
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: 15.19% permanent crops: 0.97% other: 83.84% (2001)	arable land: 17.39% permanent crops: 13.04% other: 69.57% (1998 est.)
Languages	Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages	English (official), Maori
Legal system	has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	based on New Zealand law and English common 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 allowed by junta to convene election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NLD 392 (opposition), SNLD 23 (opposition), NUP 10 (pro-government), other 60	unicameral Parliament (25 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held NA June 1999 (next to be held by NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CIP 12, DAP 12, NAP 1 note: the House of Ariki (chiefs) advises on traditional matters and maintains considerable influence, but has no legislative powers
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 60.7 years male: 57.8 years female: 63.78 years (2005 est.)	total population: NA years male: NA years female: NA years
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.3% male: 89.2% female: 81.4% (2002)	definition: NA total population: 95% male: NA% female: NA%
Location	Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand	Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Map references	Southeast Asia	Oceania
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin	continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	total: 37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 429,144 GRT/659,622 DWT by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 19, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 3, roll on'roll off 3, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 10 (Germany 4, Japan 5, United Kingdom 1) (2005)	-
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request
Military branches	Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw): Army, Navy, Air Force (2005)	-
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$39 million (FY97)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.1% (FY97)	-
National holiday	Independence Day, 4 January (1948); Union Day, 12 February (1947)	Constitution Day, first Monday in August (1965)
Nationality	noun: Burmese (singular and plural) adjective: Burmese	noun: Cook Islander(s) adjective: Cook Islander
Natural hazards	destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts	typhoons (November to March)
Natural resources	petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower	NEGL
Net migration rate	-1.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-
Pipelines	gas 2,056 km; oil 558 km (2004)	-
Political parties and leaders	National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary]; National Unity Party or NUP (pro-government) [THA KYAW]; Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [KHUN HTUN OO]; and other smaller parties	Cook Islands People's Party or CIP [Geoffrey HENRY]; Democratic Alliance Party or DAP [Terepai MAOATE]; New Alliance Party or NAP [Norman GEORGE]
Political pressure groups and leaders	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 Army or KIA; Karen National Union or KNU; several Shan factions; United Wa State Army or UWSA; Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (pro-government, a social and political organization) [THAN AUNG, general secretary]	NA
Population	42,909,464 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 growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)	20,811 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	25% (2000 est.)	NA%
Population growth rate	0.42% (2005 est.)	NA% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	Moulmein, Rangoon, Sittwe	Avarua, Avatiu
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 1 (2004)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios	-	14,000 (1997)
Railways	total: 3,955 km narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)	0 km
Religions	Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%	Christian (majority of populace are members of the Cook Islands Christian Church)
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: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	NA
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	NA years of age; universal adult
Telephone system	general assessment: barely meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government; international service is fair domestic: NA international: country code - 95; satellite earth station - 2, Intelsat (Indian Ocean), and ShinSat	general assessment: NA domestic: the individual islands are connected by a combination of satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small exchanges connected to subscribers by open wire, cable, and fiber-optic cable international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	357,300 (2003)	5,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular	66,500 (2003)	0 (1994)
Television broadcast stations	2 (2004)	2 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997)
Terrain	central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands	low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south
Total fertility rate	2.01 children born/woman (2005 est.)	NA children born/woman
Unemployment rate	5.2% (2004 est.)	13% (1996)
Waterways	12,800 km (2004)	none

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