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Compare Burma (2008) - China (2001)

Compare Burma (2008) z China (2001)

 Burma (2008)China (2001)
 BurmaChina
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, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Mon, Rakhine, Shan
23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions* (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities** (shi, singular and plural); Anhui, Beijing**, Chongqing**, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi*, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol*, Ningxia*, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanghai**, Shanxi, Sichuan, Tianjin**, Xinjiang*, Xizang* (Tibet), Yunnan, Zhejiang; note - China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau
Age structure 0-14 years: 26.1% (male 6,277,073/female 6,084,001)


15-64 years: 68.6% (male 16,089,764/female 16,425,299)


65 years and over: 5.3% (male 1,075,868/female 1,421,953) (2007 est.)
0-14 years:
25.01% (male 166,754,893; female 151,598,117)

15-64 years:
67.88% (male 445,222,858; female 418,959,646)

65 years and over:
7.11% (male 42,547,296; female 48,028,480) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane; hardwood; fish and fish products rice, wheat, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish
Airports 86 (2007) 489 (2000 est.)
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)
total:
324

over 3,047 m:
27

2,438 to 3,047 m:
88

1,524 to 2,437 m:
147

914 to 1,523 m:
30

under 914 m:
32 (2000 est.)
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)
total:
165

over 3,047 m:
1

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
29

914 to 1,523 m:
56

under 914 m:
78 (2000 est.)
Area total: 678,500 sq km


land: 657,740 sq km


water: 20,760 sq km
total:
9,596,960 sq km

land:
9,326,410 sq km

water:
270,550 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Texas slightly smaller than the US
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 subsequently transferred to house arrest. After Burma's ruling junta in August 2007 unexpectedly increased fuel prices, tens of thousands of Burmese marched in protest, led by prodemocracy activists and Buddhist monks. In late September 2007, the government brutally suppressed the protests, killing at least 13 people and arresting thousands for participating in the demonstrations. Since then, the regime has continued to raid homes and monasteries and arrest persons suspected of participating in the pro-democracy protests. The junta appointed Labor Minister AUNG KYI in October 2007 as liaison to AUNG SAN SUU KYI, who remains under house arrest and virtually incommunicado with her party and supporters. For centuries China has stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences. But in the first half of the 20th century, China was beset by major famines, civil unrest, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established a dictatorship that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping gradually introduced market-oriented reforms and decentralized economic decision making. Output quadrupled in the next 20 years and China now has the world's second largest GDP. Political controls remain tight even while economic controls continue to weaken.
Birth rate 17.48 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 15.95 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: NA


expenditures: NA (2006 est.)
revenues:
$NA

expenditures:
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Capital name: Rangoon (Yangon)


geographic coordinates: 16 48 N, 96 09 E


time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


note: Nay Pyi Taw is administrative capital
Beijing
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) extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
Coastline 1,930 km 14,500 km
Constitution 3 January 1974; suspended since 18 September 1988; national convention convened in 1993 to establish principles to guide in the drafting of a new constitution concluded in 2007; it did not include participation of major democratic and ethnic majority representatives; a constitutional drafting committee appointed by the junta began meeting in December 2007 most recent promulgation 4 December 1982
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:
People's Republic of China

conventional short form:
China

local long form:
Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo

local short form:
Zhong Guo

abbreviation:
PRC
Currency - yuan (CNY)
Death rate 9.33 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 6.74 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $6.914 billion (31 December 2007 est.) $162 billion (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Shari VILLAROSA


embassy: 110 University Avenue, Kamayut Township, Rangoon


mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546


telephone: [95] (1) 556-509, 535-756


FAX: [95] (1) 650-306
chief of mission:
Ambassador Joseph W. PRUEHER

embassy:
Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing

mailing address:
PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002

telephone:
[86] (10) 6532-3431

FAX:
[86] (10) 6532-6422

consulate(s) general:
Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang
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
chief of mission:
Ambassador-designate YANG Jiechi

chancery:
2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 328-2500

consulate(s) general:
Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
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 rebels, illegal cross-border activities, Karen and other refugees, and asylum seekers from Burma; Thailand is studying the feasibility of jointly constructing the Hatgyi Dam on the Salween River near the border with Burma; in 2004, international environmentalist pressure prompted China to halt construction of 13 dams on the Salween River which flows through China, Burma, and Thailand; India seeks cooperation from Burma to keep Indian Nagaland separatists, such as the United Liberation Front of Assam, from hiding in remote Burmese Uplands; Burmese Rohingya Muslim refugees reside in two camps in Bangladesh most of boundary with India in dispute; dispute over at least two small sections of the boundary with Russia remains to be settled, despite 1997 boundary agreement; portions of the boundary with Tajikistan are indefinite; 33-km section of boundary with North Korea in the Paektu-san (mountain) area is indefinite; involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; maritime boundary agreement with Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin awaits ratification; Paracel Islands occupied by China, but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; claims Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Tai), as does Taiwan
Economic aid - recipient $144.7 million (2005 est.) $NA
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. In late 1978 the Chinese leadership began moving the economy from a sluggish Soviet-style centrally planned economy to a more market-oriented system. Whereas the system operates within a political framework of strict Communist control, the economic influence of non-state managers and enterprises has been steadily increasing. The authorities have switched to a system of household responsibility in agriculture in place of the old collectivization, increased the authority of local officials and plant managers in industry, permitted a wide variety of small-scale enterprise in services and light manufacturing, and opened the economy to increased foreign trade and investment. The result has been a quadrupling of GDP since 1978. In 2000, with its 1.26 billion people but a GDP of just $3,600 per capita, China stood as the second largest economy in the world after the US (measured on a purchasing power parity basis). Agricultural output doubled in the 1980s, and industry also posted major gains, especially in coastal areas near Hong Kong and opposite Taiwan, where foreign investment helped spur output of both domestic and export goods. On the darker side, the leadership has often experienced in its hybrid system the worst results of socialism (bureaucracy and lassitude) and of capitalism (windfall gains and stepped-up inflation). Beijing thus has periodically backtracked, retightening central controls at intervals. The government has struggled to (a) collect revenues due from provinces, businesses, and individuals; (b) reduce corruption and other economic crimes; and (c) keep afloat the large state-owned enterprises many of which had been shielded from competition by subsides and had been losing the ability to pay full wages and pensions. From 80 to 120 million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the cities, many subsisting through part-time low-paying jobs. Popular resistance, changes in central policy, and loss of authority by rural cadres have weakened China's population control program, which is essential to maintaining growth in living standards. Another long-term threat to continued rapid economic growth is the deterioration in the environment, notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table especially in the north. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and economic development. Weakness in the global economy in 2001 could hamper growth in exports. Beijing will intensify efforts to stimulate growth through spending on infrastructure--such as water control and power grids--and poverty relief and through rural tax reform aimed at eliminating arbitrary local levies on farmers.
Electricity - consumption 3.744 billion kWh (FY06) 1.084 trillion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 7.2 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 90 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 6.154 billion kWh (FY06) 1.173 trillion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
79.82%

hydro:
18.98%

nuclear:
1.2%

other:
0.01% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m


highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m
lowest point:
Turpan Pendi -154 m

highest point:
Mount Everest 8,850 m (1999 est.)
Environment - current issues deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal, produces acid rain; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development; desertification; trade in endangered species
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:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5% Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%
Exchange rates kyats 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
yuan per US dollar - 8.2776 (January 2001), 8.2785 (2000), 8.2783 (1999), 8.2790 (1998), 8.2898 (1997), 8.3142 (1996)

note:
beginning 1 January 1994, the People's Bank of China quotes the midpoint rate against the US dollar based on the previous day's prevailing rate in the interbank foreign exchange market
Executive branch chief of state: Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992)


head of government: Prime Minister, Lt. Gen THEIN SEIN (since 24 October 2007)


cabinet: Cabinet is overseen by SPDC; military junta assumed power 18 September 1988 under name State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC)


elections: none
chief of state:
President JIANG Zemin (since 27 March 1993) and Vice President HU Jintao (since 16 March 1998)

head of government:
Premier ZHU Rongji (since 18 March 1998); Vice Premiers QIAN Qichen (since 29 March 1993), LI Lanqing (29 March 1993), WU Bangguo (since 17 March 1995), and WEN Jiabao (since 18 March 1998)

cabinet:
State Council appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC)

elections:
president and vice president elected by the National People's Congress for five-year terms; elections last held 16-18 March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003); premier nominated by the president, confirmed by the National People's Congress

election results:
JIANG Zemin reelected president by the Ninth National People's Congress with a total of 2,882 votes (36 delegates voted against him, 29 abstained, and 32 did not vote); HU Jintao elected vice president by the Ninth National People's Congress with a total of 2,841 votes (67 delegates voted against him, 39 abstained, and 32 did not vote)
Exports 5,000 bbl/day (2006 est.) $232 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice, clothing, jade and gems machinery and equipment; textiles and clothing, footwear, toys and sporting goods; mineral fuels
Exports - partners Thailand 48.8%, India 12.7%, China 5.2%, Japan 5.2% (2006) US 21%, Hong Kong 18%, Japan 17%, South Korea, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Singapore, Taiwan (2000)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March calendar year
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 red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner
GDP - purchasing power parity - $4.5 trillion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 53.9%


industry: 10.6%


services: 35.5% (2007 est.)
agriculture:
15%

industry:
50%

services:
35% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $3,600 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5.5% (2007 est.) 8% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 22 00 N, 98 00 E 35 00 N, 105 00 E
Geography - note strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes world's fourth-largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US)
Heliports 4 (2007) -
Highways - total:
1.4 million km

paved:
271,300 km (with at least 16,000 km of expressways)

unpaved:
1,128,700 km (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.8%


highest 10%: 32.4% (1998)
lowest 10%:
2.4%

highest 10%:
30.4% (1998)
Illicit drugs remains world's second largest producer of illicit opium with an estimated production in 2005 of 380 metric tons, up 13% from 2004 and cultivation in 2005 was 40,000 hectares, a 10% increase from 2004; the decline in opium production in the United Wa State Army's areas of greatest control was more than offset by increases in south and east Shan state; lack of government will 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)
major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse problem; source country for chemical precursors and methamphetamine
Imports 19,180 bbl/day (2004 est.) $197 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities fabric, petroleum products, fertilizer, plastics, machinery, transport equipment; cement, construction materials, crude oil; food products, edible oil machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, plastics, iron and steel, chemicals
Imports - partners China 35.1%, Thailand 22.1%, Singapore 16.4%, Malaysia 4.8% (2006) Japan 18%, Taiwan 11%, US 10%, South Korea 10%, Germany, Hong Kong, Russia, Malaysia (2000)
Independence 4 January 1948 (from UK) 221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty 221 BC; Qing or Ch'ing Dynasty replaced by the Republic on 12 February 1912; People's Republic established 1 October 1949)
Industrial production growth rate 3.9% (2007 est.) 10% (2000 est.)
Industries agricultural processing; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; cement, construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer; natural gas; garments, jade and gems iron and steel, coal, machine building, armaments, textiles and apparel, petroleum, cement, chemical fertilizers, footwear, toys, food processing, automobiles, consumer electronics, telecommunications
Infant mortality rate total: 50.68 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 57.33 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 43.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
28.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 39.5% (2007 est.) 0.4% (2000 est.)
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), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO AfDB, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM (observer), OPCW, PCA, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer), ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 3 (2000)
Irrigated land 18,700 sq km (2003) 498,720 sq km (1993 est.)
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 Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's Congress); Local Peoples Courts (comprise higher, intermediate and local courts); Special Peoples Courts (primarily military, maritime, and railway transport courts)
Labor force 29.26 million (2007 est.) 700 million (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 70%


industry: 7%


services: 23% (2001 est.)
agriculture 50%, industry 24%, services 26% (1998)
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
total:
22,147.24 km

border countries:
Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, Hong Kong 30 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Macau 0.34 km, Mongolia 4,676.9 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km
Land use arable land: 14.92%


permanent crops: 1.31%


other: 83.77% (2005)
arable land:
10%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
43%

forests and woodland:
14%

other:
33% (1993 est.)
Languages Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)
Legal system based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction a complex amalgam of custom and statute, largely criminal law; rudimentary civil code in effect since 1 January 1987; new legal codes in effect since 1 January 1980; continuing efforts are being made to improve civil, administrative, criminal, and commercial 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 (junta has anounced plans to hold elections in 2010)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NLD 392 (opposition), SNLD 23 (opposition), NUP 10 (pro-government), other 60
unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,979 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held NA December 1997-NA February 1998 (next to be held late 2002-NA March 2003)

election results:
percent of vote - NA%; seats - NA
Life expectancy at birth total population: 62.49 years


male: 60.29 years


female: 64.83 years (2007 est.)
total population:
71.62 years

male:
69.81 years

female:
73.59 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 89.9%


male: 93.9%


female: 86.4% (2000 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
81.5%

male:
89.9%

female:
72.7% (1995 est.)
Location Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
Map references Southeast Asia Asia
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
contiguous zone:
24 NM

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

territorial sea:
12 NM
Merchant marine total: 33 ships (1000 GRT or over) 364,447 GRT/549,310 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 20, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, specialized tanker 1


foreign-owned: 8 (Germany 5, Japan 3) (2007)
total:
1,745 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,533,521 GRT/24,746,859 DWT

ships by type:
barge carrier 2, bulk 324, cargo 825, chemical tanker 21, combination bulk 11, combination ore/oil 1, container 132, liquefied gas 24, multi-functional large-load carrier 5, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 45, petroleum tanker 258, refrigerated cargo 22, roll on/roll off 23, short-sea passenger 41, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 1 (2000 est.)
Military branches Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw): Army, Navy, Air Force (Tatmadaw Lay) (2008) People's Liberation Army (PLA) - which includes Ground Forces, Navy (includes Marines and Naval Aviation), Air Force, Second Artillery Corps (the strategic missile force), People's Armed Police (internal security troops, nominally subordinate to Ministry of Public Security, but included by the Chinese as part of the "armed forces" and considered to be an adjunct to the PLA in wartime)
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $12.608 billion (FY99); note - China's real defense spending may be several times higher than the official figure because a number of significant items are funded elsewhere
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.1% (2005 est.) 1.2% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49:
366,306,353 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49:
200,886,946 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males:
10,089,458 (2001 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 4 January (1948); Union Day, 12 February (1947) Founding of the People's Republic of China, 1 October (1949)
Nationality noun: Burmese (singular and plural)


adjective: Burmese
noun:
Chinese (singular and plural)

adjective:
Chinese
Natural hazards destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts
Natural resources petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines gas 2,790 km; oil 558 km (2007) crude oil 9,070 km; petroleum products 560 km; natural gas 9,383 km (1998)
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 Chinese Communist Party or CCP [JIANG Zemin, General Secretary of the Central Committee]; eight registered small parties controlled by CCP
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); several Shan factions; 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] no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the government has identified the Falungong sect and the China Democracy Party as potential rivals
Population 47,373,958


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 2007 est.)
1,273,111,290 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 32.7% (2007 est.) 10% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 0.815% (2007 est.) 0.88% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors - Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Huangpu, Lianyungang, Nanjing, Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shantou, Tianjin, Xiamen, Xingang, Yantai, Zhanjiang
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 3 (2007) AM 369, FM 259, shortwave 45 (1998)
Radios - 417 million (1997)
Railways total: 3,955 km


narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
total:
67,524 km (including 5,400 km of provincial "local" rails)

standard gauge:
63,924 km 1.435-m gauge (13,362 km electrified; 20,250 km double track)

narrow gauge:
3,600 km 0.750-m and 1.000-m gauge local industrial lines (1998 est.)

note:
a new total of 68,000 km was estimated for early 1999 to take new construction programs into account (1999)
Religions Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2% Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 2%-3%, Christian 1% (est.)

note:
officially atheist
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.032 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.757 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth:
1.09 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.1 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
1.06 male(s)/female (2001 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: system capable of providing basic service; cellular mobile phone system functions more efficiently than traditional lines


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)
general assessment:
domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns

domestic:
interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system with 55 earth stations is in place

international:
satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); several international fiber-optic links to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and Germany (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use 503,900 (2005) 135 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular 214,200 (2006) 65 million (January 2001)
Television broadcast stations 4 (2008) 3,240 (of which 209 are operated by China Central Television, 31 are provincial TV stations and nearly 3,000 are local city stations) (1997)
Terrain central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east
Total fertility rate 1.95 children born/woman (2007 est.) 1.82 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 5.2% (2007 est.) urban unemployment roughly 10%; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas (2000 est.)
Waterways 12,800 km (2007) 110,000 km (1999)
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