Country Facts - Myanmar

The People

Ethnic Composition

Burman	68%
Shan	9%
Karen	7%
Rakhine	4%
Chinese	3%
Mon	2%
Indian	2%
Other	5%

Religious Composition

Buddhist	89%
Christian	4%
Muslim	4%
Animist	1%
Other	2%

Nationality

Burmese (singular and plural).

Languages Spoken

Burmese, various other minority group languages.

Education and Literacy

83.1 percent of the population over the age of 15 can read. By gender, 88.7 percent of the male population, and 77.7 percent of the female population are literate.

Labor Force

Total: 18.8 million

By occupation:

Agriculture	65.2%
Industry	14.3%
Trade	10.1%
Government	6.3%
Other	4.1%

Geography

Land Mass Total

261,970 sq mi (678,500 sq km)

Land

253,954 sq mi (657,740 sq km)

Water

8,015 sq mi (20,760 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 1,409 mi (5,876 km)

Border countries: Bangladesh 119 mi (193 km), China 1,357 mi (2,185 km), India 909 mi (1,463 km), Laos 146 mi (235 km), Thailand 1,118 mi (1,800 km)

Coastline

1,199 mi (1,930 km)

Maritime claim

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/Weather

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: Andaman Sea 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: Hkakabo Razi 19,294 ft (5,881 m)

Natural Resources

Petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower.

Land use

Arable land	4%
Permanent crops	0%
Other	96%

(1998)

Natural hazards

Destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts.

Environment - current issues

Strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes.

Geography Note

Strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes.

Demographics

Population

41,734,853
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 2000 est.).

Age structure

0-14 years:	30%	male 6,341,546	female 6,086,650
15-64 years:	65%	male 13,565,379	female 13,764,242
65 years and over:	5%	male 885,583	female 1,091,453

Growth Rate

0.64% (2000)

Life Expectancy

54.91 years

Male: 53.6 years
Female: 56.29 years

GDP Per Capita

US$1,200 (1999)

Infant Mortality

75.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2000)

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:	0.81 male(s)/female
Total population:	0.99 male(s)/female

Net migration rate

-1.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000)

Economy & Trade

Myanmar has attempted to put a free market face on a mostly government owned and operated economic structure. In the early 1990s the government attempted to deflect criticism of its repressive political atmosphere by offering some of the most attractive terms for foreign investors to be found anywhere. While many international companies took the bait, most were either disappointed or had to withdraw investment due to considerable consumer pressure back home. Private ownership is permitted in most agricultural, transportation, and light industrial sectors while the government maintains a tight grip upon heavy manufactures, energy, and the all-important rice trade. Economists have been unable to get a true picture of the Burmese economy due to the extensive amount of black market activity. Predictions for the near future run the gamut from "sluggish" to "chaotic" with little hope of success regardless of Myanmar's controversial admission to ASEAN. The official forecast for growth in 2003 is 4.5 percent, but analysts suggest that half that rate is more realistic. Myanmar is in a state of arrears with its international debt, and there are few signs that this will change in the near future. Foreign direct investment is limited to a few small projects (many financed by the Japanese) due to the fact that most foreign firms fear the public relations fallout from association with the omnipresent and widely despised Myanmar government.

Unemployment

7.1% (official FY97/98)

Inflation Rate

38% (1999)

Industries

Agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer.

Exports

US$1.2 billion (1998)

Imports

US$2.5 billion (1998)

Total Trade

US$3.7 billion (1998)

Top Export Partners

India 17%, Singapore 14%, China 11%, Thailand 9%, Japan 4%.

Top Import Partners

Singapore 30%, Japan 17%, China 10%, Thailand 10%, Malaysia 7%.

Top Exports

Pulses and beans, teak, rice, rubber, hardwood.

Top Imports

Machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, food products.

Debt - external

US$5.9 billion (FY98/99 est.)

Economic aid

US$99 million (FY98/99)

Fiscal Year:

1st of April through 31st of March

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	9:30a.m. to 4:30p.m.	Closed
Retail	8:30a.m. to 5p.m.	Closed
Banks	10a.m. to 2p.m.	Closed
Government	9:30a.m. to 4:30p.m.	Closed

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 4	January 1	January 1
Day of Burmese Union	February 12	February 12	February 12
Festival of Sacrifice (Eid Al Adha)¹	February 12	February 2	January 21
Peasant's Day	March 2	March 2	March 2
Armed Forces Day	March 27	March 27	March 27
Thingyan (Water Festival)²	April 13	April 13	April 13
Myanmar New Year	April 17 & 18	April 17 & 18	April 17 & 18
Labor Day	May 1	May 1	May 1
Martyr's Day	July 19	July 19	July 19
Diwali, Festival of Lights³	October 26	November	November
Christmas Day*¹	December 25	December 25	December 25

¹	Culmination of the Haj or Holy Pilgrimage.
²	Buddhist washing ceremony to cleanse the soul. The Water Festival takes place four days before Myanmar New Year. All five days are public holidays.
³	Diwali, (Divali, or Deepavali), the Festival of Lights. Brought to Guyana by indentured servants from India, in 1853, Diwali is the celebration of light versus dark. Participants rejoice over the fabled the rescue of Lakshmi, Goddess of Light, from the demon, King Bali; and the return of Lord Rama from exile. Diwali is celebrated on the darkest night of the month of Kartic according to the Hindu calendar, falling somewhere in October or November.
*¹	Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press