Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0065/00652.txt

Text File | 1991-06-24 | 9KB | 172 lines

$Unique_ID{COW00652}
$Pretitle{261}
$Title{Myanmar (Burma)
Glossary}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Stephan B. Wickman}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{burma
year
group
countries
ibrd
international
period
british
buddhism
burmese}
$Date{1983}
$Log{}
Country:     Myanmar (Burma)
Book:        Burma, A Country Study
Author:      Stephan B. Wickman
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1983

Glossary

     AFPFL-Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League. The political organization,
consisting of a coalition of parties and individuals, that led the
independence movement and dominated politics until 1958.

     BSPP-Burma Socialist Programme Party, the ruling party led by Chairman U
Ne Win; known by the Burmese word lanzin (q.v.), meaning program on policy.

     Burman(s)-Member(s) of, or descriptive of, the dominant ethnic group. A
narrower term than Burmese, which is used to refer to all the peoples in Burma
and to the national language.

     Burma Proper-Term used during the British colonial period to describe the
central region of the country, roughly approximating the seven divisions of
the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma, which was ruled directly by the
central government, while the Frontier Areas, including the Shan Plateau,
retained a measure of autonomy ostensibly to protect the interests of the
minority peoples. The 1947 Panglong Agreement retained the distinction, for
minorities were promised limited autonomy, but the 1974 Constitution does not
recognize the concept of Burma Proper because all areas are under the direct
control of the central government.

     fiscal year (FY)-From October 1 of previous calendar year to September 30
of specified year for FY 1946 to FY 1974; from April 1 of specified year to
March 31 of following year for all other years. Because of the change in
fiscal dating, FY 1974 can refer to either the year from October 1, 1973, to
September 30, 1974, or the year from April 1, 1974 to March 31, 1975. Unless
specifically stated in the text, FY 1974 refers to the latter period. In most
statistical series, therefore, a gap occurs for the period from October 1,
1973, to March 31, 1974.

     gross domestic product (GDP)-The total value of all final goods and
services produced by an economy in a given period, usually a year. Burmese
statistics on production in specific economic sectors are based on a unique
notion of "net output" and therefore do not sum exactly to the GDP. Likewise,
the Burmese government values imports by their cost, insurance, and freight
(c.i.f.) charges, and imports should be adjusted to fit the standard
definition of GDP. In the text, GDP refers to this adjusted value.

     gross national product (GNP)-The value at market prices of all final
goods and services produced during a given year.

     Hinayana-See Theravada.

     International Monetary Fund (IMF)-Established along with the World Bank
(q.v.) in 1945, the IMF is a specialized agency affiliated with the United
Nations and is responsible for stabilizing international exchange rates and
 payments. The main business of the IMF is the provision of loans to its
members (including industrialized and developing countries) when they
experience balance of payments difficulties. These loans frequently carry
conditions that require substantial internal economic adjustments by the
recipients, most of which are developing countries. In late 1982 the IMF had
146 members.

     Karenni(s), or Red Karen(s)-Alternate name for Kayahs (q.v.), the ethnic
group that predominates in Kayah State (once the Karenni states).

     Kayah(s)-A Karen ethnic group, also known as the Red Karen, or Karenni
(q.v.) Found mainly in Kayah State.

     KNDO-Karen National Defense Organization. An armed insurgent group.

     kyat-Burmese currency, divided into 100 pya. The government controls the
foreign exchange value, fixing the exchange rate to the special drawing right
(SDR), reserve currency of the IMF (q.v.). From the previous devaluation in
May 1977 through February 1983, one SDR was equivalent to K8.51. The average
exchange rate per United States dollar was K6.77 in 1976, K7.14 in 1977, K6.87
in 1978, K6.65 in 1979, K6.61 in 1980, K7.31 in 1981, K7.81 in 1982, and K7.87
in February 1983. The exchange rate on the black market was often four or five
times the official rate.

     Lanzin-Burmese term for Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP-q.v.).
Lanzin is Burmese word meaning program or policy.

     longyi-Traditional item of clothing for men, women, and children. A
wraparound garment folded and tucked in at the waist.

     Lower Burma-Term in use since British colonial period. Refers to the
area annexed by British in 1853. The area, which includes the deltas of the
Irrawaddy and Sittang rivers, is in the southern portion of the country.

     Mahayana-Literal meaning, Great Vehicle. One of the two schools of
Buddhism that established itself in China, Japan, Korea, Nepal, Tibet, and
Vietnam but also was practiced in Burma around the time of the establishment
of the Pagan Dynasty (1044-1287). Its eclipse is linked to the Pagan kings'
patronage of the Theravada (q.v.) school.

     mandala-(Sanskrit: circle). In some forms of Buddhism, the mandala is a
focus for meditation; a "mandala of power" is a model of the distribution of
political power in which power is concentrated in the center and radiates out
from there.

     Pali-Language of the sacred scriptures of Theravada (q.v.) Buddhism.

     PL-480 grants-United States foreign assistance granted under the Food
for Peace Program, legislated in 1954 as Public Law (PL)-480.

     sangha-Pali (q.v.) term meaning assembly or order of Buddhist monks.
Includes ordained monks and novices. Members of the sangha reside separately
from the laity, usually in a kyaung (monastery).

     shifting cultivation-Farming characterized by the rotation of fields
rather than crops, the use of short cropping periods and long fallow periods,
and the maintenance of fertility by the regeneration of natural vegetation on
fallow land. Clearing of newly or previously cropped land is often
accomplished by burning. Also called slash-and-burn, swidden, or land rotation
agriculture.

     Tai-Member of ethnic group or descriptive of speakers of the Tai
language. Includes the indigenous Tai of Burma, usually called Shans, and the
Tai of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and southern China.

     Thakin-Literal meaning, master. Term used as a prefix to a man's name. In
colonial period, usually reserved for Europeans, equivalent to Indian word
sahib. Adopted as a gesture of defiance by members of nationalist group in
1930s.

     Theravada-One of the two major schools of Buddhism; the principal
religion of Burma and several other Southeast Asian countries. Sometimes known
as the Hinayana (q.v.), or Small Vehicle, school in contradistinction of
Mahayana (q.v.) Buddhism.

     Upper Burma-Term in use since British colonial period designating the
area annexed by British in 1886; corresponds approximately to northern half of
the country. Includes all of the country except Lower Burma (q.v.), Arakan
(present-day Rakhine State) and Tenasserim (both annexed in 1826), the Shan
Plateau, and the territory now included in Kayah State.

     World Bank-Informal name used to designate a group of three affiliated
international institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), and the
International Finance Corporation (IFC). The IBRD, established in 1945, has
the primary purpose of providing loans to developing countries for productive
projects. The IDA, a legally separate loan fund but administered by the staff
of the IBRD, was set up in 1960 to furnish credits to the poorest developing
countries on much easier terms than those of conventional IBRD loans. The IFC,
founded in 1956, supplements the activities of the IBRD through loans and
assistance designed specifically to encourage the growth of pro