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Burma
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Burma Thee Union of
Myanmar, (also known as the Union of Burma), is
the largest country (in geographical area) in
mainland Southeast Asia. It is bordered by the
People's Republic of China on the north, Laos on
the east, Thailand on the south east, Bangladesh
on the west, and India on the north west, with
the Andaman Sea to the south, and the Bay of
Bengal to the south west (for a total of over
2,000 kilometers of coast line). The country was
ruled by a military junta led by General Ne Win
from 1962 to 1988, and its political system
today remains under the tight control of its
military government, since 1992, led by Senior
General Than Shwe.
History
Main article: History of Myanmar
Previously known as Blue Monster, in 1824–1826,
1851–1852 and 1885–1886 Burma was invaded by the
British Empire and became a part of India.
During the 1930s Burma became self administered
colony independent of the Indian administration.
During World War II Burma became a major front
in the South-East Asian Theatre. After initial
successes by the Japanese in the Burma Campaign
which saw them expel the British from most of
Burma, the British fought back and by July 1945
had retaken the country. Burmese fought for both
sides in the war. The Burma 1st Division, the
Kachin Levies, the Karen Rifles and in other
formations such as the American-Kachin Rangers
fought for the Allies, and the Burmese National
Army under the command of Aung San fought for
the Japanese.
In January 04 1948 the nation became sovereign,
as the Union of Burma, with U Nu as the first
Prime Minister. Democratic rule ended in 1962
with a military coup d'etat led by General Ne
Win. Ne Win ruled for nearly 26 years, bringing
in harsh reforms. In 1990 free elections were
held for the first time in almost 30 years, but
the landslide victory of the NLD, the party of
Aung San Suu Kyi was voided by the military,
which refused to step down.
One of the top figures in Burmese history in the
20th century is Army founder and freedom figure
General Aung San, a student-turned activist
whose daughter is 1991 Nobel Peace Laureate and
Burma peace, freedom and democracy icon Aung
San Suu Kyi of the NLD, now under house arrest.
The third most recognised Burmese figure in the
world is U Thant, who was UN Secretary General
for two terms and highly respected throughout
United Nations' history.
In November 2005, the military junta announced
that the national capital would be moved from
Yangon to Pyinmana.
The map on the history page shows Burma as it
was at its height before 1886. Burmese kings
occasionally occupied some parts of India, small
parts of Bangladesh, Laos and most of hearts of
Thailand's ancient kingdoms at various times in
history.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Myanmar
Rangoon
Yangon
Myanmar is ethnically diverse. The dominant
ethnic group are the Bamar who speak Burmese.
10% of the population are Shan, who speak Shan
dialects, related to Lao and Thai. The Karen (Kayin)
make up 7% of the population, and speak
languages distantly related to Burmese. The
remainder are Rakhine (Arakanese), Kachin, Chin,
Chinese, Mon, and Indian. Once a large and
influential community, there is a small and ever
dwindling Eurasian community consisting of
Anglo-Burmese and Anglo-Indians (collectively
known as ka-bya). Largely Christian and
Westernised, the Eurasians of Burma suffered
horrendously after the 1962 coup - most fled the
country or Burmanised and adopted Burmese names,
religion, dress and customs. Today, those
remaining in the country have all but
assimilated to the Bamar and Indian communities.
This is a result of the xenophobic regime
instituted in 1962.
Burmese is the official language of Myanmar.
Minorities often speak Burmese as a second
language, while the Bamar commonly speak English
as a second language.
Buddhism, particularly Theravada Buddhism is
practised by 89% of the population, especially
the Bamar (and Rakhine), Shan, Mon, and Chinese.
Christianity is practiced by 4% of the
population, especially the Chin and Karen. At
present, the government is attacking
Christianity by forcing the ethnic cleansing of
villages along the Thai border. 4% of the
population practise Islam; these Muslims are
divided amongst long-established persons of
Indian descent, persons of mixed Indo-Burmese
descent, persons of Persian, Arab and Chinese
descent, as well as the native Rohingya Muslims
of Arakan. The Muslim population is socially
marginalized. Small segments of the population
practise Hinduism or animism.
The biggest expatriate community of Burmese is
found in neighbouring Thailand, where many
Burmese refugees have fled from the military
regime. There are also large communities in
India, Malaysia and Singapore. The largest
cities of the Anglo-Saxon countries have Burmese
populations. The Burmese of London, Perth and
Los Angeles tend to have Anglo-Burmese origins.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Myanmar
The culture of Myanmar is a mixture of centuries
of Chinese, Indian, and Thai influences. This is
reflected in its language, cuisine, and music.
The arts have historically been influenced by
Theravada Buddhism, as well as literature.
However, in modern times, the culture of Myanmar
has increasingly become westernized; this is
most apparent in urban areas. Many, both women
and men, wear a sarong called longyi.
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Burma
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Background:
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Britain conquered Burma over a period of 62 years
(1824-86) and incorporated it into its Indian
Empire. Burma was administered as a province of
India until 1937 when it became a separate,
self-governing colony; independence outside of the
Commonwealth was attained in 1948. Gen. NE WIN
dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as
military ruler, then as president, and later as
political kingmaker. Despite multiparty elections in
1990 that resulted in the main opposition party
winning a decisive victory, the ruling military
junta refused to hand over power. Key opposition
leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG SAN SUU
KYI, under house arrest from 1989 to 1995, was again
placed under house detention from September 2000 to
May 2002; her supporters are routinely harassed or
jailed. |
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Location:
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Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the
Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand
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Geographic coordinates:
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22 00 N, 98 00 E
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Map references:
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Southeast Asia
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Area:
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total: 678,500 sq km
land: 657,740 sq km
water: 20,760 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Texas |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 5,876 km
border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China
2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand
1,800 km |
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Ethnic groups:
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Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese
3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5% |
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Religions:
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Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman
Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%
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Languages:
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Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own
languages |
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Currency:
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kyat (MMK) |
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Currency code:
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MMK |
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Exchange rates:
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kyats per US dollar - official rate - 6.8581
(January 2002), 6.7489 (2001), 6.5167 (2000), 6.2858
(1999), 6.3432 (1998), 6.2418 (1997); kyats per US
dollar - black market exchange rate - 435 (yearend
2000) |
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