Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Peace and
Development Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note—the
prime minister is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Peace
and Development Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992);
note—the prime minister is both the chief of state and 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; the prime minister assumed power upon resignation
of the former prime minister
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
396, NUP 10, other 79
Judicial branch: limited; remnants of the British-era legal
system 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 Unity Party or NUP
SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary]; Union
Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (proregime, a social
eight minor legal parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: National Coalition 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; Kachin Independence Army or KIA; United Wa State Army or UWSA; Karen National Union or KNU; several Shan factions; All Burma Student Democratic Front or ABSDF
International organization participation: AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, CP,
ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU,
NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador TIN WINN
chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Kent M.
WIEDEMANN
embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521)
mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546
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
Economy—overview: Burma has a mixed economy with private activity dominant in agriculture, light industry, and transport, and with substantial state-controlled activity, mainly in energy, heavy industry, and the rice trade. Government policy in the last 10 years, 1989–98, has aimed at revitalizing the economy after three decades of tight central planning. Thus, private activity has markedly increased; foreign investment has been encouraged, so far with moderate success; and efforts continue to increase the efficiency of state enterprises. Published estimates of Burma's foreign trade are greatly understated because of the volume of black-market trade. A major ongoing problem is the failure to achieve monetary and fiscal stability. Although Burma remains a poor Asian country, its rich resources furnish the potential for substantial long-term increases in income, exports, and living standards. The short-term outlook is for continued sluggish growth because of internal unrest, minimal foreign investment, and the large trade deficit.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$56.1 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 1.1% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,200 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 59% industry: 11% services: 30% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 50% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 18.8 million (FY95/96 est.)
Labor force—by occupation: agriculture 65.2%, industry 14.3%, trade 10.1%, government 6.3%, other 4.1% (FY88/89 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $7.9 billion
expenditures: $12.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.7
billion (FY96/97)
Industries: agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer
Industrial production growth rate: 9.2% (FY95/96 est.)
Electricity—production: 3.75 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 61.33% hydro: 38.67% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 3.75 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane, pulses; hardwood
Exports: $940 million (1997)
Exports—commodities: pulses and beans, teak, rice, rubber,
hardwood
Exports—partners: India 17%, Singapore 14%, China 11%, Thailand
9%, Japan 4% (1997)
Imports: $2.2 billion (1997)
Imports—commodities: machinery, transport equipment, construction
materials, food products
Imports—partners: Singapore 30%, Japan 17%, China 10%, Thailand
10%, Malaysia 7% (1997)
Debt—external: $4.3 billion (1997 est.)
Economic aid—recipient: $156.9 million (1995)
Currency: 1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas
Exchange rates: kyats (K) per US$1—6.1163 (January 1999), 6.3432 (1998), 6.2418 (1997), 5.9176 (1996), 5.6670 (1995), 5.9749 (1994); unofficial—310–350 (1998)
Fiscal year: 1 April—31 March
Communications
Telephones: 122,195 (1993 est.)
Telephone system: meets minimum requirements for local and
intercity service for