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Country at a glance
- Did you know?
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The colours of the Burmese flag are: red signifying courage and decisiveness,
white signifying purity and virtue, and the dark blue signifying peace
and integrity.
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- Region
- South East Asia
- Population
- 48,137,741
- Land
- Geography: Central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands
- Climate: Tropical monsoon
- People
- Religion: Theravada Buddhist 89%, Muslim 4%, Christian 4%, animist 1% and
other 2%
- Language: Official: Burmese; plus 100 indigenous languages
- Economy
- GDP per person (PPP): $1,200 (2008 est.)
GDP by sector: Agriculture: 40.9%, Industry: 19.7%, Services: 39.3%
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- Government
- Military regime (State Peace and Development Council)
Land
Physical geography
Burma is a diamond shaped country covering an area of 676,577 square kilometres (slightly less than New South Wales at 800,642 square kilometres). It can be divided into five main regions: the northern mountains, with the highest peak, Hkakabo Razi (5967 metres), the western mountains, the Shan Plateau in the east, the central lowlands and the coastal area.
The north-south running mountains define the courses of the two major rivers. The Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady), drains about three-fifths of the country's surface and the Salween (Thanlwin), drains the Shan Plateau region.
Climate
Burma's tropical climate is influenced greatly by the monsoons of southern Asia. There are three seasons, a cool dry period from late October to mid-February, a hot dry period from mid-February to mid-May, and the monsoon season from late May to late October.
The annual rainfall decreases inland from 5,000millimetres in the coastal plains to 900millimetres in the central basin around Mandalay. Most rain falls during the monsoons.
Average daily maximum temperatures range between 23º and 32ºC in the highlands of the Shan Plateau and 29º and 36ºC in Rangoon (Yangon) in the south.
Environment
About one third of Burma is covered by forests which support a wide variety of birds, mammals and snakes. Extensive logging is leading to widespread deforestation causing new problems of erosion, floods, and landslides. It is also threatening some of the last habitats on earth for endangered animals such as the clouded leopard, gaur, silvered leaf monkey, tapir, tiger, Asian elephant, and Asian rhinoceros.
People
The population of Burma is over 48 million. Three quarters of the people live in the central lowlands and coastal areas. While over a third of the people live in urban areas there are only three cities with roughly one million or more people - the capital Nay Pyi Taw 0.930 million and former capitals Rangoon (Yangon) with 3.9 million people and Mandalay 0.915 million people.
People
Culture and identity
Most people (68%) are of ethnic Burmans (Tibeto-Chinese extraction). The Shan (9%), from the eastern plateau, the Karen (7%), in the delta region, the Pegu Yama range and the lower basin of the Salween River, and the Rakhine (4%), in the west, are the major ethnic groups. Chinese (3%) and Indian (2%) are the major migrant groups.
Buddhism and the Burmese royalty have strongly influenced all forms of art - painting, wood carving and sculpture. The most popular dramatic form is the pwe, which is performed outdoors. Pwe may be dramatisations of Buddhist legends or comedy. It may include dance or giant puppets accompanied by group singing or percussion instruments - drums, boat-shaped harps, gongs and bamboo flutes. The cinema and rock music are becoming more popular with young people.
Health
There is limited government spending on health, water and sanitation services which means life expectancy at birth is 63 years and infant mortality rate is 48/1000 live births. Tuberculosis and malaria occur widely and HIV/AIDS, spread both by intravenous drug use and sexual intercourse, is most intense in the northeast. There are about 240,000 people or 0.7% of the population living with HIV/AIDS.
Religion and beliefs
The majority of the population are Theravada Buddhist (89%), with small groups of Muslim (4%) and Christian (4%). Ethnic groups may be animist or have their own forms of religion.
Food and shelter
Burmese food is hot and spicy. Fish and vegetables are cooked with onions, ginger, garlic and chillies. Burman tea is strong, sweet and milky. Sugar-cane juice is a very popular street-side drink. Alcoholic drinks include orange brandy and lychee wine.
Economy
Wealth and poverty
Over one third of the population live below the poverty line (2007 estimate) while the richest 10% share 32% of the total income.
Education and work
The official literacy rate is 90% but limited government spending on education and low rates of school attendance past primary school mean that the functional literacy rate is likely to be much lower. Student unrest has led to the closing of some universities and strong restrictions placed on course work.
Industries and products
Burma's main agricultural products are rice, pulses, beans, sesame, peanuts and sugarcane. Agricultural processing, wood and wood products, copper, tin, tungsten, iron, cement, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, fertilizer, oil and natural gas, clothing, jade and gems are the main industries.
Trade
Burma's official exports consist of gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish and rice. The main countries of export are Thailand 44%, India 14.5%, China 7%, and Japan 6% (2007). Burma imports fabric, petroleum products, fertilizer, plastics, machinery, transport equipment; cement, construction materials, crude oil; food products and edible oil from China (33.7%), Singapore (15.5%), South Korea (5.8%), Indonesia (5.2%) and Malaysia (4.2%).
Achievements and challenges
Burma is prone to earthquakes and cyclones. In May 2008 Cyclone Nargis caused extensive destruction to homes, businesses and services. An estimated 140,000 people were killed and up to 2.4 million severely affected. Flooding and landslides are also common during rainy season but there is also occasional drought. Deforestation is a major issue as the country struggles for export income.
Burma is a resource-rich country but poor economic management and social development have led to widespread poverty. Strong government control limits freedom of speech and has brought economic sanctions from the international community. There is estimated to be more than 2000 political prisoners and many people have sought asylum or work in neighbouring countries. There is a large informal economy which includes people and drug trafficking.
Links with Australia
Independence from Britain (1948) and the military takeover (1962) led to roughly 7,000 Anglo-Burmese (people of mixed British and Burmese descent) migrating to Australia between 1948 and 1972. Unrest during the 1990s led to the intake of Burmese under the Migration Refugee Special Humanitarian Program. Burma-born people live mainly in Western Australia (45%), NSW (30%) and Victoria (14.5%).
Australia 's diplomatic relations with Burma have been affected by the policies of the country’s military regime. In 1989, the Burmese government changed the country’s official name to Myanmar. However, the Australian government continues to use the original name. The trade and investment relationship between the two countries is very limited. In 2008, Australian imports from Burma totalled $21 million and Australian exports to Burma amounted to $32 million. This trade was mostly in wheat and seafood products.
Australian Humanitarian Assistance to Burma focuses on addressing the country's dire humanitarian situation and significant trans-boundary issues of concern, such as HIV/AIDS, people trafficking and illicit drugs. Assistance is also provided to Burmese refugees living in and outside of Burma.
Main sources:
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
http://hdr.undp.org/
http://www.dfat.gov.au/
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