Part 118

Environment: current issues: deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease natural hazards: destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea, Tropical Timber 94

Geographic note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes

People ------

Population: 45,975,625 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 37% (male 8,637,102; female 8,308,282) 15-64 years: 59% (male 13,577,232; female 13,571,312) 65 years and over: 4% (male 853,403; female 1,028,294) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.84% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 30.01 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 11.66 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female all ages: 1.01 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 80.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 56.14 years male: 54.46 years female: 57.92 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.83 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality: noun: Burmese (singular and plural) adjective: Burmese

Ethnic divisions: Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%

Religions: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist beliefs 1%, other 2%

Languages: Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.) total population: 83.1% male: 88.7% female: 77.7%

Government ----------

Name of country: 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

Data code: BM

Type of government: military regime

Capital: Rangoon (regime refers to the capital as Yangon)

Administrative divisions: 7 divisions* (yin-mya, singular - yin) and 7 states (pyine-mya, singular - pyine); Chin State, Ayeyarwady*, Bago*, Kachin State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Magway*, Mandalay*, Mon State, Rakhine State, Sagaing*, Shan State, Tanintharyi*, Yangon*

Independence: 4 January 1948 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 4 January (1948)

Constitution: 3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988); national convention started on 9 January 1993 to draft a new constitution; chapter headings and three of 15 sections have been approved

Legal system: does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction