The 2003 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
head of government: Chairman of the State Peace and Development
Council Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note - the
appointed Prime Minister, Gen. KNIN NYUNT (since 25 August 2003), is
not the head of government
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; 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 convened
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NLD 392, SNLD 23, NUP 10, 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 (proregime)
[THA KYAW]; Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [KHUN
TUN OO]; Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA
(proregime, a social and political organization) [THAN AUNG, general
secretary]; and other smaller parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: All Burma Student Democratic Front or ABSDF; Kachin Independence Army or KIA; Karen National Union or KNU; National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or NCGUB [Dr. SEIN WIN] consists of individuals legitimately elected to the People's Assembly but not recognized by the military regime (the group fled to a border area and joined with insurgents in December 1990 to form a parallel government); several Shan factions; United Wa State Army or UWSA
International organization participation:
ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW
(signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador LINN MYAING
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: [1] (202) 332–9046
telephone: [1] (202) 332–9044
chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Permanent 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,
all in white, 14 five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel containing
a stalk of rice; the 14 stars represent the 14 administrative
divisions
Economy Burma
Economy - overview:
Burma is a resource-rich country that suffers from abject rural
poverty. The military regime took steps in the early 1990s to
liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the "Burmese
Way to Socialism", but those efforts have since stalled. Burma has
been unable to achieve monetary or fiscal stability, resulting in an
economy that suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances -
including a steep inflation rate and an official exchange rate that
overvalues the Burmese kyat by more than 100 times the market rate.
In addition, most overseas development assistance ceased after the
junta suppressed the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently
ignored the results of the 1990 election. Burma is data poor, and
official statistics are often dated and inaccurate. Published
estimates of Burma's foreign trade are greatly understated because
of the size of the black market and border trade - often estimated
to be one to two times the official economy.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $73.69 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.3% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 60% industry: 9% services: 31% (2002 est.)
Population below poverty line: 25% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 32.4% (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
53.7% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
23.7 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 70%, industry 7%, services 23% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate:
5.1% (2001 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $7.9 billion
expenditures: $12.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.7
billion (FY96/97)
Industries:
agricultural processing; knit and woven apparel; wood and wood
products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials;
pharmaceuticals; fertilizer
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
6.139 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 44.4% hydro: 55.6% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
5.709 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
14,170 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
38,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Oil