Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
Jah-Jah.pl / Index countries / Western Sahara (2004) - Burma (2008) / Compare countries
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Western Sahara (2004) - Burma (2008)

Compare Western Sahara (2004) z Burma (2008)

 Western Sahara (2004)Burma (2008)
 Western SaharaBurma
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 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
Age structure 0-14 years: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA
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.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane; hardwood; fish and fish products
Airports 11 (2003 est.) 86 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.)
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: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
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)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 678,500 sq km


land: 657,740 sq km


water: 20,760 sq km
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado slightly smaller than Texas
Background Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. 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.
Birth rate NA births/1,000 population 17.48 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: NA


expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
revenues: NA


expenditures: NA (2006 est.)
Capital none 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
Climate hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew 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)
Coastline 1,110 km 1,930 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
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
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
Currency Moroccan dirham (MAD) -
Death rate NA deaths/1,000 population 9.33 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external NA $6.914 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none 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
Diplomatic representation in the US none 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
Disputes - international Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991 but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals 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
Economic aid - recipient NA $144.7 million (2005 est.)
Economy - overview Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. 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.
Electricity - consumption 83.7 million kWh (2001) 3.744 billion kWh (FY06)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 90 million kWh (2001) 6.154 billion kWh (FY06)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m


highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease
Environment - international agreements party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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
Ethnic groups Arab, Berber Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5%
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 9.574 (2003), 11.584 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999) 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
Executive branch none 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
Exports NA (2001) 5,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice, clothing, jade and gems
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts Thailand 48.8%, India 12.7%, China 5.2%, Japan 5.2% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year 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 seven administrative divisions and seven states
GDP purchasing power parity - NA -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA


industry: NA


services: 40% (1996 est.)
agriculture: 53.9%


industry: 10.6%


services: 35.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - NA -
GDP - real growth rate NA 5.5% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 22 00 N, 98 00 E
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes
Heliports - 4 (2007)
Highways total: 6,200 km


paved: 1,350 km


unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 2.8%


highest 10%: 32.4% (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)
Imports NA (2001) 19,180 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs fabric, petroleum products, fertilizer, plastics, machinery, transport equipment; cement, construction materials, crude oil; food products, edible oil
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2000) China 35.1%, Thailand 22.1%, Singapore 16.4%, Malaysia 4.8% (2006)
Independence - 4 January 1948 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA 3.9% (2007 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts agricultural processing; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; cement, construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer; natural gas; garments, jade and gems
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA 39.5% (2007 est.)
International organization participation none 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
Irrigated land NA sq km 18,700 sq km (2003)
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
Labor force 12,000 29.26 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% agriculture: 70%


industry: 7%


services: 23% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
total: 5,876 km


border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km
Land use arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2001)
arable land: 14.92%


permanent crops: 1.31%


other: 83.77% (2005)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages
Legal system - based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA years


male: NA years


female: NA years
total population: 62.49 years


male: 60.29 years


female: 64.83 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 89.9%


male: 93.9%


female: 86.4% (2000 est.)
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand
Map references Africa Southeast Asia
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue 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
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)
Military branches - Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw): Army, Navy, Air Force (Tatmadaw Lay) (2008)
Military expenditures - dollar figure NA -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 2.1% (2005 est.)
National holiday - Independence Day, 4 January (1948); Union Day, 12 February (1947)
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi,Sahrawian, Sahraouian
noun: Burmese (singular and plural)


adjective: Burmese
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower
Net migration rate - 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines - gas 2,790 km; oil 558 km (2007)
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 none 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]
Population 267,405 (July 2004 est.) 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.)
Population below poverty line NA 32.7% (2007 est.)
Population growth rate NA 0.815% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 3 (2007)
Railways - total: 3,955 km


narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
Religions Muslim Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%
Sex ratio NA 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.)
Suffrage none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
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)
Telephones - main lines in use about 2,000 (1999 est.) 503,900 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 214,200 (2006)
Television broadcast stations NA 4 (2008)
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands
Total fertility rate NA children born/woman 1.95 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 5.2% (2007 est.)
Waterways - 12,800 km (2007)
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.