Myanmar (Burma) - Country Profile - Nations Online Project (original) (raw)

Official Name:
Pyidaungzu Thammada Myanma Naingngandaw
ပြည်ထောင်စု သမ္မတ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော

short form: Myanma
int'l long form: Republic of the Union of Myanmar
int'l short form: Myanmar
formerly, but still in use: Burma

Other Cities:
Yangôn (Rangoon, the former capital, pop. 7 million), Mandalay (the country's second city, pop. 1.2 million)

Government:
Type: Since 2020, Myanmar has once again been under military rule. This followed a period of a nominal civilian government, which began on 29 March 2011, when the military officially transferred power to a civilian administration. This shift was part of a political transition initiated after the general elections held in November 2010, which marked the end of decades of direct military control. A military coup on 1 February 2021, reversed much of the progress toward democracy made in the previous decade.

Constitution: 1947, 1974. The country's third and current constitution was published in September 2008. Burma has been under military authority since 1962.

Geography:
Location: Southeast Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
Area: 676,578 km² (261,228 square miles).
Terrain: A land of hills and valleys framed on the north, east and west by mountain ranges that form a vast horseshoe. Within the mountain barriers lie the flat landscapes of the Ayeyarwaddy, Chindwin and Sittaung river valleys, where most of the country's agricultural land and population are concentrated.

Climate: Tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April).

People:
Nationality: Burmese.
Population: 55 million (2024)
Real GDP per capita: $5,300 (2023 est.)

Ethnic groups: according to Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are 8 Major National Ethnic Races in Myanmar, which all comprises different ethnic groups: the Kachin, the Kayah, the Kayin, the Chin, the Mon, the Bamar, the Rakhine, and the Shan.
Burman (Bamar) 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Arakanese 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%.

Religions: Buddhism (89.2%), Christianity (5.0%), Islam (3.8%), Hinduism (0.5%), Spiritualism (1.2%) and others (0.2%).

Languages: Burmese; Myanmar is a union of 135 ethnic groups, all with their own languages and dialects.
Literacy: 90% (2003 official Government of Burma statistics); estimates of functional literacy are closer to 30%

Natural resources: Timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, limestone, precious stones like jade, ruby and sapphires, natural gas, hydropower, and some petroleum.

Agriculture Products: Rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane, hardwood, fish and fish products.

Industries: Agricultural processing; knit and woven apparel; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer; cement.

Exports - commodities: natural gas; precious stones including jade and burmite (Burmese amber); wood products; pulses and beans; fish; rice; clothing; minerals.

Exports - partners: China 36%, Thailand 13%, Germany 6%, Japan 6%, United States 4% (2022)

Imports - commodities: fabric; petroleum products; fertilizer; plastics; machinery; transport equipment; cement, construction materials; food products'; edible oil

Imports - partners: China 45%, Thailand 16%, Singapore 14%, Malaysia 4%, Indonesia 4% (2022)

Myanmar in numbers
Myanmar key statistical data.