NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Union of Burma
Union of Myanma
Myanma Naingngandaw
former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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Britain conquered Burma over a period of 62 years (1824-86) 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; her supporters are routinely harassed or jailed. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand |
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Geographic coordinates:
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22 00 N, 98 00 E |
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Map references:
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Southeast Asia |
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Area:
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total: 678,500 sq km
land: 657,740 sq km water: 20,760 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Texas |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 5,876 km
border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km |
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Coastline:
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1,930 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
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Climate:
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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) |
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Terrain:
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central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m
highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land: 14.53%
permanent crops: 0.9% other: 84.57% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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15,920 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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42,238,224
note: estimates for this country explicitly 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 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 28.6% (male 6,158,039; female 5,905,314)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 13,976,047; female 14,162,467) 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 905,476; female 1,130,881) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.56% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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19.65 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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12.25 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-1.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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 (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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72.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 55.41 years
female: 57.07 years (2002 est.) male: 53.85 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.23 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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1.99% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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530,000 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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48,000 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Burmese (singular and plural)
adjective: Burmese |
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Ethnic groups:
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Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5% |
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Religions:
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Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2% |
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Languages:
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Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages |
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Literacy:
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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.) |