unpaved runways: total: 31 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 16 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie,
National Police, People's Militia
Military manpower—availability:
males age 15–49: 2,399,724 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service:
males age 15–49: 1,230,713 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $66 million (1996)
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 2% (1996)
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: none
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@Burma——
Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the
Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand
Geographic coordinates: 22 00 N, 98 00 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 678,500 sq km
land: 657,740 sq km
water: 20,760 sq km
Area—comparative: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 5,876 km
border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km,
Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km
Coastline: 1,930 km
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
Climate: tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April)
Terrain: central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m
highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m
Natural resources: petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc,
copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious
stones, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 15%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 49%
other: 34% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 10,680 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding
and landslides common during rainy season (June to September);
periodic droughts
Environment—current issues: deforestation; industrial pollution
of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment
contribute to disease
Environment—international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, 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
Geography—note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean
shipping lanes
People
Population: 48,081,302 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 36% (male 8,883,099; female 8,542,087)
15–64 years: 60% (male 14,343,888; female 14,293,233)
65 years and over: 4% (male 906,517; female 1,112,478) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.61% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 28.48 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 12.39 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 76.25 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 54.74 years male: 53.24 years female: 56.32 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.63 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Burmese (singular and plural)
adjective: Burmese
Ethnic groups: Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese
3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%
Religions: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic
1%), Muslim 4%, animist beliefs 1%, other 2%
Languages: Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own
languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.1%
male: 88.7%
female: 77.7% (1995 est.)
Government
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
Data code: BM
Government type: military regime
Capital: Rangoon (regime refers to the capital as Yangon)
Administrative divisions: 7 divisions* (yin-mya, singular—yin)
and 7 states (pyine-mya, singular—pyine); Chin State, Ayeyarwady*,
Bago*, Kachin State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Magway*, Mandalay*,
Mon State, Rakhine State, Sagaing*, Shan State, Tanintharyi*, Yangon*
Independence: 4 January 1948 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 January (1948)
Constitution: 3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988); national convention started on 9 January 1993 to draft a new constitution; chapter headings and three of 15 sections have been