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
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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
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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: