Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0062/00626.txt

Text File | 1991-06-24 | 47KB | 779 lines

$Unique_ID{COW00626}
$Pretitle{261}
$Title{Myanmar (Burma)
Front Material}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Frederica M. Bunge}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{burmese
burma
government
percent
country
political
foreign
national
forces
state}
$Date{1983}
$Log{Global Map*0062601.scf
Figure 1.*0062602.scf
}
Country:     Myanmar (Burma)
Book:        Burma, A Country Study
Author:      Frederica M. Bunge
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1983

Front Material

Foreword

     This volume is one of a continuing series of books prepared by Foreign
Area Studies, The American University, under the Country Studies/Area Handbook
Program. The last page of this book provides a listing of other published
studies. Each book in the series deals with a particular foreign country,
describing and analyzing its economic, national security, political, and
social systems and institutions and examining the interrelationships of those
systems and institutions and the ways that they are shaped by cultural
factors. Each study is written by a multidisciplinary team of social
scientists. The authors seek to provide a basic insight and understanding of
the society under observation, striving for a dynamic rather than a static
portrayal of it. The study focuses on historical antecedents and on the
cultural, political, and socioeconomic characteristics that contribute to
cohesion and cleavage within the society. Particular attention is given to
the origins and traditions of the people who make up the society, their
dominant beliefs and values, their community of interests and the issues on
which they are divided, the nature and extent of their involvement with the
national institutions, and their attitudes toward each other and toward the
social system and political order within which they live.

     The contents of the book represent the views, opinions, and findings
of Foreign Area Studies and should not be construed as an official Department
of the Army position, policy, or decision, unless so designated by other
official documentation. The authors have sought to adhere to accepted
standards of scholarly objectivity. Such corrections, additions, and
suggestions for factual or other changes that readers may have will be
welcomed for use in future new editions.

William Evans-Smith
Director, Foreign Area Studies
The American University
Washington, D.C. 20016

Acknowledgments

     The authors are grateful to a number of Burma specialists in the academic
world, in the international community, and in various agencies of the United
States government who gave of their special knowledge to provide data and
perspective for this study. In particular they are grateful to David I.
Steinberg, who shared generously not only valuable personal insights but also
the resources of his specialized library. The contributions of Jon A. Wiant
and Charles B. Smith, Jr., to this book are also gratefully acknowledged.

     The authors also thank members of the Foreign Area Studies staff who
contributed directly to the preparation of the manuscript. These include
Dorothy M. Lohmann, Kathryn R. Stafford, and Andrea T. Merrill, who edited the
manuscript and the accompanying figures and tables; Harriett R. Blood and
Farah Ahannavard, who prepared the graphics; and Gilda V. Nimer, librarian.
The team appreciates as well the assistance provided by Ernest A. Will,
publications manager, and Eloise W. Brandt, administrative assistant.
Margaret Quinn typed the manuscript and gave valuable help in various phases
of production. Special thanks are owed to Gustavo Arce, who designed the
illustrations for the cover of this volume and for the title pages of the
chapters, and to those persons who provided photographs, some never previously
published.

Preface

     This study replaces the Area Handbook for Burma, originally published
in 1968 and updated in 1971, and reprinted in 1982 as Burma: A Country Study.
Sufficient reason in itself for the preparation of a new edition is the
passage of more than 15 years since completion of the research for the 1968
volume. Beyond this, however, there has been a significant liberalization of
the constraints previously imposed on foreign journalists, research scholars,
and others working in the country. This has made source materials more readily
available, although given the long period in which little research was done on
Burma, and some continuing constraints, significant gaps in the data still
remain, especially relating to developments since the military takeover in
1962.

     The purpose of this study is to provide in a compact, convenient,
balanced, and objective form an integrated exposition and analysis of the
dominant social, political, and economic aspects of Burmese society. The
authors have tried to give readers an understanding of the interrelationships
of institutional structures as well as some insight into the attitudes and
problems of the country and of its role in the world around it.

     Spelling of most place-names has followed official United States
government maps and Burma Official Standard Names Gazetteer, No. 96 of the
United States Board on Geographic Names, published in March 1966.

     Burmese practice in the use of personal names has been followed in the
Bibliography and Index of this volume. Those who are unfamiliar with Burmese
practice should note that there are no Burmese surnames, family names, or
married names. Burmese have names of one, two, or three syllables, and these
do not necessarily bear any relation to the name of the father, husband,
sibling, or any other relative. The names are preceded by titles that indicate
sex and that also take account of age and social position relative to the
speaker. The most common adult title used to address or refer to men of
superior age or social status is "U." More modest titles are "Ko" (elder
brother) and "Maung" (younger brother). The female equivalent to "U" is "Daw,"
and that to "Maung" is "Ma." "Thakin," once a title of respect used for
Europeans, was adopted by Burmese nationalist leaders in the pre-World War II
period.

Country Profile

Country

[See Global Map: Map of Burma on the Globe"]

Formal Name: Union of Myanmar (1989).

Term for Citizens: Burmese.

Capital: Rangoon.

Geography

     Size: 678,000 square kilometers; shares boundaries with Bangladesh,
India, China, Laos, and Thailand.

     Topography and Drainage: Tropical environment composed basically of rich
alluvial valleys and drier surrounding hills and high mountains, which
separate country into strips of north-south ridges. Monsoon rainfall heaviest
in lower part of country where wet-rice agriculture common. In upper part
and in mountains, dry rice and other appropriate crops reflect lighter
rainfall. Water also supplied by Irrawaddy, Sittang, and Salween rivers,
flowing south from high heartlands of Asia to rich delta areas. Borders mainly
mountainous, access difficult. Population concentrated near rivers or in
coastline communities.

Society

     Population: Unofficially estimated at 36 million in 1983. Average annual
growth rate 1976-82 estimated at 2.4 percent. Ethnic Burmans about two-thirds
of population. Significant minorities include Shans, Karens, Kachins, Chins,
and Kayahs. Chinese and Indians also numerous.

     Languages: Burmese official language, spoken by nearly all segments of
population. Non-Burmans usually speak own tongue as first language. English
used frequently by older persons and those with higher education.

     Religion: Theravada Buddhism preeminent faith. Nine officially recognized
orders within the First Congregation of the Sangha of All Orders for the
Purification, Perpetuation, and Propagation of the Sasana, with some 113,000
monks. Hinduism and Islam also have substantial numbers of adherents, latter
particularly in Rakhine State. Many Chins, Kachins, Karens, and others
Christian. Animist beliefs persist in some areas.

     Health: Health care delivery systems improving but still limited