Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Myanmar

Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar, is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia, or Indochina. The country is bordered by the People's Republic of China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, and the Bay of Bengal to the southwest with the Andaman Sea defining its southern periphery. One-third of Burma's total perimeter, 1,930 kilometres (1,199 mi), forms an uninterrupted coastline.

The country's culture, heavily influenced by neighbours, is based on Theravada Buddhism intertwined with local elements. Burma's diverse population has played a major role in defining its politics, history and demographics in modern times, and the country continues to struggle to mend its ethnic tensions. The military has dominated government since General Ne Win led a coup in 1962 that toppled the civilian government of U Nu. Burma remains under the tight control of the military-led State Peace and Development Council.

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Union of Myanmar
ဴပည္ေထာင္စုဴမန္မာနုိင္ငံေတာ္
Pyi-daung-zu Myan-ma Naing-ngan-daw
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Kaba Ma Kyei
Capital Naypyidaw
19°45′N 96°6′E / 19.75°N 96.1°E / 19.75; 96.1
Largest city Yangon (Rangoon)
Official languages Burmese
Recognised regional languages Jingpho, Kayah, Karen, Chin, Mon, Rakhine, Shan
Demonym Burmese
Government Military junta
- Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Sr. Gen. Than Shwe
- Vice Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Vice-Sr. Gen. Maung Aye
- Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein
- Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo
Formation
- Bagan 1044
- Independence 4 January 1948 (from United Kingdom)
- Current constitution May 2008
Area
- Total 676,578 km2 (40th)
261,227 sq mi
- Water (%) 3.06
Population
- 2005–2006 estimate 55,390,000 (24th)
- 1983 census 33,234,000
- Density 75/km2 (119th)
193/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2008 estimate
- Total $68.203 billion[1]
- Per capita $1,160[1]
GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate
- Total $27.182 billion[1]
- Per capita $463[1]
HDI (2007) 0.583 (medium) (132nd)
Currency kyat (K) (mmK)
Time zone MMT (UTC+6:30)
Drives on the right[2]
Internet TLD .mm
Calling code 95

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