The 2005 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

- deaths:

       20,000 (2003 est.)

      Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations (2004)

      Nationality:

       noun: Burmese (singular and plural)

       adjective: Burmese

      Ethnic groups:

       Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%,

       Mon 2%, other 5%

      Religions:

       Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim

       4%, animist 1%, other 2%

      Languages:

       Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages

      Literacy:

       definition: age 15 and over can read and write

       total population: 85.3%

       male: 89.2%

       female: 81.4% (2002)

      Government Burma

      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

      Government type:

       military junta

      Capital:

       Rangoon (government refers to the capital as Yangon)

      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 State, Kachin State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Mon

       State, Rakhine State, Shan State

      Independence:

       4 January 1948 (from UK)

      National holiday:

       Independence Day, 4 January (1948); Union Day, 12 February (1947)

      Constitution:

       3 January 1974; suspended since 18 September 1988; national

       convention convened in 1993 to draft a new constitution but

       collapsed in 1996; reconvened in 2004 but does not include

       participation of democratic opposition

      Legal system:

       has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

      Suffrage:

       18 years of age; universal

      Executive branch:

       chief of state: Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council

       Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992)

       head of government: Prime Minister, Gen SOE WIN (since 19 October

       2004)

       cabinet: State Peace and Development Council (SPDC); military junta,

       so named 15 November 1997, which initially assumed power 18

       September 1988 under the name State Law and Order Restoration

       Council (SLORC); the SPDC oversees the cabinet

       elections: none

      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

       election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -

       NLD 392 (opposition), SNLD 23 (opposition), NUP 10 (pro-government),

       other 60

      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

      Political parties and leaders:

       National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN

       SUU KYI, general secretary]; National Unity Party or NUP

       (pro-government) [THA KYAW]; Shan Nationalities League for Democracy

       or SNLD [KHUN HTUN OO]; and other smaller parties

      Political pressure groups and leaders:

       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 Army or KIA; Karen National Union or

       KNU; several Shan factions; United Wa State Army or UWSA; Union

       Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (pro-government, a

       social and political organization) [THAN AUNG, general secretary]

      International organization participation:

       APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,

       IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW

       (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

      Diplomatic representation in the US:

       chief of mission: vacant

       chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

       telephone: [1] (202) 332–9044

       FAX: [1] (202) 332–9046

       consulate(s) general: New York

      Diplomatic representation from the US:

       chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires Carmen M. MARTINEZ

       embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521)

       mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546

       telephone: [95] (1) 379 880, 379 881

       FAX: [95] (1) 256 018

      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 7 administrative divisions and 7