Myanmar and Manol Manolov: Difference between pages

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Difference between pages)
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
 
No edit summary
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Football manager infobox
{{long}}
| playername = Manol Manolov
{{Infobox Country
| image =
|native_name =[[Image:Myanmar long form.svg|ဴပည္ေထာင္စုဴမန္မာနုိင္ငံေတာ္|235px]]</span><br/><small>''Pyi-daung-zu Myan-ma Naing-ngan-daw''</small>
| fullname =
|conventional_long_name =Union of Myanmar
| dateofbirth = {{birth date and age|1925|8|4}}
|common_name = Burma
| cityofbirth = [[Sofia]]
|image_flag = Flag of Myanmar.svg
| countryofbirth = [[Bulgaria]]
|image_coat = Myanmar coa.png
| height =
|image_map = LocationMyanmar.svg
| currentclub =
|national_motto =
| position = [[Defender]] (retired)
|national_anthem = ''[[Kaba Ma Kyei]]''
| youthyears =
|official_languages = [[Burmese language|Burmese]]
| youthclubs =
|regional_languages = [[Jingpho language|Jingpho]], [[Kayah language|Kayah]], [[Karen language|Karen]], [[Chin languages|Chin]], [[Mon language|Mon]], [[Rakhine]], [[Shan language|Shan]]
| years = 1942–1944<br />1944–1948<br />1948–1962
|demonym = Burmese
| clubs = Ustrem Sofia<br/>Septemvri Sofia<br/>[[CSKA Sofia]]<br />'''Total'''
|capital = [[Naypyidaw]]
| caps(goals) = <br /><br />239 (8)<br />'''239 (8)'''
|largest_city = [[Yangon]] (Rangoon)
| nationalyears =
|latd=19 |latm=45 |latNS=N |longd=96 |longm=6 |longEW=E
| nationalteam = [[Bulgaria national football team|Bulgaria]]
|government_type = [[Military Junta]]
| nationalcaps(goals) = 57 (1)
|leader_title1 = [[State Peace and Development Council|Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council]]
| manageryears = 1965-1966<br/>1969-1974<br/>1980<br/>1984-1985
|leader_name1 = [[Than Shwe|Sr. Gen. Than Shwe]]
| managerclubs = [[Beroe Stara Zagora|Beroe]]<br/>[[CSKA Sofia]]<br/>[[Slavia Sofia|Slavia]]<br/>[[CSKA Sofia]]
|leader_title2 = Vice Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council
|leader_name2 = [[Maung Aye|Vice-Sr. Gen. Maung Aye]]
|leader_title3 = [[Prime Minister of Myanmar|Prime Minister]]
|leader_name3 = [[Thein Sein|Gen. Thein Sein]]
|leader_title4 = Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council
|leader_name4 = [[Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo]]
|sovereignty_type = [[History of Myanmar|Establishment]]
|established_event1 = [[Bagan]]
|established_date1 = 1044–1287
|established_event2 = Small Kingdoms
|established_date2 = 1287–1531
|established_event3 = [[Taungoo Dynasty|Taungoo]]
|established_date3 = 1531–1752
|established_event4 = [[Konbaung Dynasty|Konbaung]]
|established_date4 = 1752–1885
|established_event5 = Colonial rule
|established_date5 = 1886–1948
|established_event6 = Independence from the United Kingdom
|established_date6 = 4 January 1948
|area_rank = 40th
|area_magnitude = 1 E11
|area_km2 = 676,578
|area_sq_mi = 261,227 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|percent_water = 3.06
|population_estimate = 55,390,000 <!--UN WPP-->
|population_estimate_year = 2005–2006
|population_estimate_rank = 24th
|population_census = 33,234,000
|population_census_year = 1983
|population_density_km2 = 75
|population_density_sq_mi = 193 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|population_density_rank = 119th
|GDP_PPP_year = 2007
|GDP_PPP = $59.904 [[1,000,000,000 (number)|billion]] <!--IMF-->
|GDP_PPP_rank = 79th
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $1,039
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 162nd
|HDI_year = 2007
|HDI = {{increase}} 0.583
|HDI_rank = 132nd
|HDI_category =<font color="#ffcc00">medium</font>
|FSI = 97.0 {{increase}} 0.5
|FSI_year = 2007
|FSI_rank = 14th
|FSI_category = <font color="#FF0000">Alert</font>
|currency = [[Myanmar kyat|kyat]] (K)
|currency_code = mmK
|Official exchange rate = 6 Kyat
|Exchange rate = 1350 Kyat
|time_zone = MMT
|utc_offset = +6:30
|cctld = [[.mm]]
|calling_code = 95
|footnote1 = Some governments recognize [[Rangoon]] as the national capital.
|footnote2 = Estimates for this country takes into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected.
}}
}}
{{MedalTop}}
'''Burma''', officially the '''Union of Myanmar''' ({{lang-my|[[Image:Myanmar long form.svg|ဴပည္ေထာင္စုဴမန္မာနုိင္ငံေတာ္|150px]]}}, {{pronounced|pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀}}), is the largest country by geographical area in mainland [[Southeast Asia]].
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Football at the Summer Olympics|Football]]}}
{{MedalBronze| [[1956 Summer Olympics|1956 Melbourne]] |[[Football at the 1956 Summer Olympics|Team Competition]]}}
{{MedalBottom}}
'''Manol Manolov''' ({{lang-bg|Манол Манолов}}) (born [[August 4]], [[1925]], in [[Sofia]], [[Bulgaria]]) is a [[football (soccer)|football]] former [[defender]] and former manager.
For the [[Bulgaria national football team]] Manolov featured in 57 games and won a bronze medal at the [[1956 Summer Olympics]]. Between 1948 and 1962 he played in 239 matches and scored 8 goals for [[CSKA Sofia]]. He was honoured as [[Bulgarian Footballer of the Year]] in 1958.
Manolov won the top Bulgarian league, the A PFG, twelve times (all with CSKA), as well as the Bulgarian Cup, four times (all with CSKA).
== Honours ==
===Player===
* {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} '''[[CSKA Sofia]]'''
** [[A Grupa|Bulgarian League]]: 12 times - 1948, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962
** [[Bulgarian Cup]]: 4 times - 1951, 1954, 1955, 1961


===Coach===
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, the [[Bay of Bengal]] to the southwest with the [[Gulf of Martaban]] and [[Andaman Sea]] defining its southern periphery. One-third of Burma's total perimeter, 1,930 kilometers (1,199 [[Mile|mi]]), forms an uninterrupted [[coast]]line.
* {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} '''[[CSKA Sofia]]'''
** [[A Grupa|Bulgarian League]]: 3 times - 1971, 1972, 1973
** [[Bulgarian Cup]]: 3 times - 1972, 1973, 1985


{{start box}}
Burma'shhhghghghghghghghghghghghgh 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. Its [[Politics of Burma|political system]] remains under the tight control of the [[State Peace and Development Council|SPDC]], the military-led government, led since 1992 by Senior General [[Than Shwe]]. The military has dominated government since General [[Ne Win]] led a coup in 1962 that toppled the civilian government of [[U Nu]]. The country's culture, heavily influenced by neighbours, is based on [[Theravada|Theravada Buddhism]] intertwined with [[Buddhism in Burma|local elements]].
{{s-ach}}
{{succession box|
title=[[Bulgarian Footballer of the Year]]|
years= 1958|}}
{{end box}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manolov, Manol}}
[[Category:1925 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Bulgarian footballers]]
[[Category:Bulgarian football managers]]
[[Category:People from Sofia]]
[[Category:PFC CSKA Sofia players]]
[[Category:Bulgaria international footballers]]


[[bg:Манол Манолов]]
==The name of the country==
[[pl:Manoł Manołow]]
{{seemain|Names of Burma}}

On 18 June 1989, the [[State Law and Order Restoration Council|Burmese military junta]] passed the "Adaptation of Expressions Law" that [[Geographical renaming|officially changed]] the English version of the country's name from ''Burma'' to ''Myanmar,'' and changed the English versions of many place names in the country along with it, such as its former [[capital city]] from ''Rangoon'' to ''[[Yangon]]'' (which represents its pronunciation more accurately in [[Burmese language|Burmese]] though not in [[Rakhine people|Arakanese]]). This prompted one scholar to coin the term "Myanmarification" to refer to the top-down programme of political and cultural reform in the context of which the renaming was done.<ref>[http://homepages.tesco.net/~ghoutman Mental culture in Burmese crisis politics: Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy] (ILCAA Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa Monograph Series) (1999) by Gustaaf Houtman, pp 43–47, ISBN 978-4872977486.</ref> The action was strictly an executive act, not based on any statutory authority, and the government did not hold a national referendum to have the Burmese electorate ratify the name change.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} Within the Burmese language, ''Myanma'' is the written, [[literary]] name of the country, while ''Bama'' or ''Bamar'' (from which "Burma" derives) is the oral, [[colloquial]] name.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} In spoken Burmese, the distinction is less clear than the English transliteration suggests.

The renaming proved to be politically controversial on several grounds. Opposition groups continue to use the name "Burma", since they do not recognize the legitimacy of the ruling military government nor its authority to rename the country in English.<ref name="steinberg">{{cite book |last=Steinberg |first=David L. |year=2002 |month=February |title=Burma: The State of Myanmar |publisher=[[Georgetown University|Georgetown University Press]] |id=ISBN}}</ref> Various non-Bamar ethnic groups choose to not recognize the name because the term '''Myanmah''' has historically been used as a label for the majority ethnic group rather than for the country.<ref name="thantmyintu2001"/><ref name="msmith"/><ref><''The Burma Road from the Union of Burma to Myanmar'', Mya Maung, Asian Survey, Vol. 30, No. 6, June 1990, p 602></ref>

Various world entities have chosen to accept or reject the name change. The [[United Nations]] accepts the name Myanmar, since the UN allows its members states to be known by any name they choose. However it has not been recognized by many [[Western world|Western]] governments such as the [[United States]], [[Australia]], [[Canada]] or the [[United Kingdom]], which continue to use "Burma", while the [[European Union]] uses "Burma/Myanmar" as an alternative. China has not agreed to change its translations and continues to use 缅甸(''miǎn diàn'' - "distant domain"). Japan uses the name Myanmar (ミャンマー) but calls the people Burmese (ビルマ人). France continues to use Birmanie, and most other countries continue to use their traditional translations.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7013943.stm Should it be Burma or Myanmar?], BBC News </ref><ref name=dominion>{{cite web |url=http://www.dominionpaper.ca/accounts/2005/02/16/burma_and_.html |title=Burma and Divestiture |accessdate = 2007-10-01 |year=2005 |month=November |work=External relations |publisher=The Dominion}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/myanmar/intro/index.htm |title=The EU's relations with Burma / Myanmar |accessdate = 2007-01-11 |year=2006 |month=November |work=External relations |publisher=European Union}}</ref>

Use of "Burma" and its adjective, "Burmese", remains common in the United States and Britain. Many news organizations, such as the ''[[BBC]]'', ''[[The Financial Times]]'', ''[[The Times]]'', ''[[Voice of America]]'', ''[[The Washington Post]]'', ''[[USA Today]]'', ''[[ITN]]'', ''[[Sky News]]'', ''[[Bangkok Post]]'' and others still use these forms.<ref name="statedept">{{cite web |url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35910.htm |title=Background Note: Burma |accessdate = 2006-07-07 |year=2005 |month=August |work=[[Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs]] |publisher=[[U.S. Department of State]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394365&a=KCountryProfile&aid=1018965307901#Bur |title=Country Profile: Burma |accessdate = 2006-07-07 |publisher=[[Foreign and Commonwealth Office]]}}</ref> [[MSNBC]], [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[NBC]], [[CBS]], ''[[The Economist]],'' ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', ''[[The New York Times]]'' and others use "Myanmar" as the country name and "Burmese" as the adjective.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} The [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] also refers to both names in their news articles.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}

The name ''"Myanmar"'' is derived from the local short-form name ''Myanma Naingngandaw'',<ref name="CIA">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bm.html |title=Burma |accessdate = 2007-01-13 |work=The World Factbook | publisher=Central Intelligence Agency }},</ref> the name used by the regime currently in power in the country. While the etymology of the name is unclear, it has been used since the 13th Century<ref>Encyclopædia Britannica, CD 2000 Deluxe Edition.</ref> primarily as a reference to the Myanma ethnic group. Until the mid-19th century, rulers in the region identified themselves with the areas that they ruled. For example, the 18th Century king, [[Alaungpaya]] alternately referred to himself as the ruler of ''Tampradipa and Thunaparanta'', ''Ramanadesa'', and ''Kamboza'' (all alternate names of places in the Irrawaddy Valley) in correspondence with the [[English East India Company|East India Company]].<ref name="thantmyintu2001"/> The Court of Ava was the first to use this name to refer to its kingdom in the mid-19th Century, when its power was declining, when the kingdom was confined to the Irrawaddy Valley which was predominantly Myanma in character, and at a time when the Myanma ethnic identity first began to develop a political identity.<ref name="thantmyintu2001">{{cite book | first=Thant | last=Myint-U | year=2001 | title=The Making of Modern Burma | id=ISBN 0-521-79914-7}}</ref> In older English documents the usage was ''Bermah'', and later ''Burmah'', possibly from the Portuguese ''Birmania'' which is thought to be a corruption of the Indian word for Burma, ''Bama''.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} Burma is known as ''Birmanie'' in French, ''Birmania'' in both Italian and Spanish, and ''Birmânia'' in Portuguese.

Confusion among English speakers on how to pronounce 'Myanmar' gives rise to pronunciations such as {{IPAEng|ˌmjɑnˈmɑr}}, {{IPAEng|ˈmjɑːnmɑr}}, {{IPAEng|ˌmaɪənˈmɑr}}, {{IPAEng|ˈmiːənmɑr}} and {{IPAEng|miˈɑːnmɑr}}.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/magazinemonitor/2007/09/how_to_say_myanmar.shtml
|title=How to Say: Myanmar
|date=26 September 2007
|publisher=BBC News Magazine Monitor
|accessdate = 2007-10-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.onelook.com/?loc=bm3&w=myanmar
|title=Dictionary Search
|publisher=onelook.com
|accessdate = 2007-10-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.speech.cs.cmu.edu/cgi-bin/cmudict?in=myanmar&stress=-s#lookup
|title=The CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
|publisher=Carnegie Mellon University
|accessdate = 2007-10-01}}</ref>

== Geography ==
{{main|Geography of Burma}}
Burma, which has a total area of 678,500 square kilometers (261,970 sq mi), is the largest country in mainland [[Southeast Asia]], and the 40th-largest in the world ([[Zambia]] being the 39th).

It is located between [[Chittagong Division]] of [[Bangladesh]] and [[Assam]], [[Nagaland]] and [[Manipur]] of [[India]] to the northwest. It shares its longest borders with [[Tibet]] and [[Yunnan]] of [[People's Republic of China|China]] to the northeast for a total of 2,185 km (1,358 mi). It is bounded by [[Laos]] and [[Thailand]] to the southeast. Burma has 1,930 km (1,199 mi) of contiguous coastline along the [[Bay of Bengal]] and [[Andaman Sea]] to the southwest and the south, which forms one-third of its total perimeter.<ref name="CIA"/>

[[Image:Satellite image of the Ayeyarwady delta.jpg|thumb|220px|The [[Irrawaddy Delta]], which is approximately {{convert|50400|km2|sqmi|-2|abbr=on}} in area, is largely used for rice cultivation.<ref name="myatthein">{{cite book | first=Myat | last=Thein | year=2005 | title=Economic Development of Myanmar | id=ISBN 9-8123-0211-5}}</ref>]]

In the north, the [[Hengduan Shan]] mountains form the border with China. [[Hkakabo Razi]], located in [[Kachin State]], at an elevation of 5,881 m (19,295 ft), is the highest point in Burma.<ref>{{cite book | editor = Dr. Patrick Hesp et al. | year=2000 | title=Geographica's World Reference | publisher =Random House Australia | pages =738, 741}}</ref> Three mountain ranges, namely the Rakhine Yoma, the Bago Yoma, and the Shan Plateau exist within Burma, all of which run north-to-south from the [[Himalayas]].<ref name="myathan">{{cite book | first=Mya | last=Than | year=2005 | title=Myanmar in ASEAN: Regional Co-operation Experience | id=ISBN 9-8123-0210-7}}</ref> The mountain chains divide Burma's three river systems, which are the [[Ayeyarwady River|Ayeyarwady]], [[Salween River|Salween (Thanlwin)]], and the [[Sittang River|Sittang]] rivers.<ref name="myatthein"/> The Ayeyarwady River, Burma's longest river, nearly 2,170 kilometres (1,348 mi) long, flows into the [[Gulf of Martaban]]. Fertile plains exist in the valleys between the mountain chains.<ref name="myathan"/> The majority of Burma's population lives in the Ayeyarwady valley, which is situated between the Rakhine Yoma and the Shan Plateau.

Much of the country lies between the [[Tropic of Cancer]] and the [[Equator]]. It lies in the [[monsoon]] region of Asia, with its coastal regions receiving over {{convert|5000|mm|in|-1|abbr=on}} of rain annually. Annual [[Precipitation (meteorology)|rainfall]] in the [[river delta|delta]] region is approximately {{convert|2500|mm|in|-1|abbr=on}} , while average annual rainfall in the Dry Zone, which is located in central Burma, is less than {{convert|1000|mm|in|-1|abbr=on}}. Northern regions of the country are the coolest, with average temperatures of 21 °C (70 °F). Coastal and delta regions have mean temperatures of 32 °C (90 °F).<ref name="myatthein"/>

The country's slow economic growth has contributed to the preservation of much of its environment and [[ecosystem]]s. Forests, including dense tropical growth and valuable [[teak]] in lower Burma, cover over 49% of the country. Other trees indigenous to the region include [[acacia]], [[bamboo]], [[ironwood]], [[mangrove]], [[michelia champaca]] [[coconut]] and [[Areca catechu|betel palm]], and [[rubber]] has been introduced. In the highlands of the north, [[oak]], [[pine]] and various [[rhododendron]]s cover much of the land.<ref name="BRMLIB">{{cite web |url=http://www.burmalibrary.org/reg.burma/archives/199909/msg00690.html |title=Myanmar's Forest Law and Rules |publisher=BurmaLibrary.org |accessdate=2006-07-15}}</ref> The lands along the coast support all varieties of [[tropical fruit]]s. In the Dry Zone, vegetation is sparse and stunted.

Typical [[jungle]] animals, particularly [[tiger]]s and [[leopard]]s, are common in Burma. In upper Burma, there are [[rhinoceros]], wild [[Bubalus|buffalo]], [[wild boar]]s, [[deer]], [[antelope]] and [[elephant]]s, which are also tamed or bred in captivity for use as work animals, particularly in the [[timber|lumber industry]]. Smaller [[mammal]]s are also numerous, ranging from [[gibbon]]s and [[monkey]]s to [[flying fox]]es and [[tapir]]s. The abundance of birds is notable with over 800 species, including [[parrot]]s, [[peafowl]], [[pheasant]]s, [[crow]]s, [[heron]]s and [[paddy]]birds. Among [[reptile]] species there are [[crocodile]]s, [[gecko]]s, [[cobra]]s, [[Burmese python]]s and [[turtle]]s. Hundreds of species of [[freshwater]] [[fish]] are wide-ranging, plentiful and are very important food sources.<ref name="MNET">[http://www.myanmars.net/myanmar-culture/myanmar-flora-fauna.htm "Flora and Fauna" at Myanmars.net]</ref>

== History ==
{{main|History of Burma}}

===Summary===
After the [[First Burmese War]], the [[Ava]] kingdom ceded the provinces of [[Manipur]], Tenassarim, and Arakan to the [[United Kingdom|British]].<ref name="thantmyintu"/> [[Yangon|Rangoon]] and southern Burma were incorporated into British India in 1853. All of Burma came directly or indirectly under [[British Raj|British India]] in 1886 after the [[Third Burmese War]] and the fall of Mandalay.<ref name="thantmyintu"/> Burma was administered as a province of [[British Raj|British India]] until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony. The country became independent from the United Kingdom on 4 January 1948, as the "Union of Burma". It became the "Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma" on 4 January 1974, before reverting to the "Union of Burma" on 23 September 1988. On 18 June 1989, the [[State Law and Order Restoration Council]] (SLORC) adopted the name "Union of Myanmar" for English transliteration. This controversial name change in English, while accepted in the [[United Nations|UN]] and in many countries, is not recognised by opposition groups and by nations such as the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[United States]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35910.htm|work=US Department of State|title= Profile: Union of Burma}}</ref>

===Early history===
{{seemain|Early history of Burma}}
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Ygnroads.jpg|thumb|left|260px|[[Yangon]]]] -->
The [[Mon people]] are thought to be the earliest group to migrate into the lower [[Ayeyarwady]] valley, and by the mid-900s BC were dominant in southern Burma.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.albany.edu/~gb661/monhist1.html |author=George Aaron Broadwell |publisher=Dept. of Anthropology; University at Albany, Albany, NY |title=Mon history |accessdate=2006-07-11}}</ref> The Mons became one of the first in South East Asia to embrace [[Theravada Buddhism]].{{Fact|date=May 2008}}

The [[Tibeto-Burman]] speaking [[Pyu]] arrived later in the 1st century BC, and established several city states &ndash; of which [[Pyay|Sri Ksetra]] was the most powerful &ndash; in central Ayeyarwady valley. The Mon and Pyu kingdoms were an active overland trade route between [[India]] and [[China]]. The Pyu kingdoms entered a period of rapid decline in early 9th century AD when the powerful kingdom of [[Nanzhao]] (in present-day [[Yunnan]]) invaded Ayeyarwady valley several times. In 835, Nanzhao decimated the Pyu by carrying off many captives to be used as conscripts.{{Fact|date=May 2008}}

===Bagan (1044-1287)===
Tibeto-Burman speaking [[Bamar|Burmans]], or the [[Bamar]], began migrating to the Ayeyarwady valley from present-day [[Yunnan]]'s Nanzhao kingdom starting in 7th century AD. Filling the power gap left by the Pyu, the Burmans established a small kingdom centered in [[Bagan]] in 849. But it was not until the reign of King [[Anawrahta]] (1044-1077) that Bagan's influence expanded throughout much of present-day Burma.

After Anawrahta's capture of the Mon capital of [[Thaton]] in 1057, the Burmans adopted Theravada Buddhism from the Mons. The [[Burmese script]] was created, based on the [[Mon language|Mon script]], during the reign of King [[Kyanzittha]] (1084-1112). Prosperous from trade, Bagan kings built many magnificent temples and pagodas throughout the country &ndash; many of which can still be seen today.

Bagan's power slowly waned in 13th century. [[Kublai Khan]]'s [[Mongol]] forces invaded northern Burma starting in 1277, and sacked Bagan city itself in 1287. Bagan's over two century reign of Ayeyarwady valley and its periphery was over.

[[Image:Baganmyo.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Pagodas and temples continue to exist in present-day Bagan, the capital of the [[Bagan Kingdom]].]]

===Small kingdoms (1287-1531)===
The Mongols could not stay for long in the searing Ayeyarwady valley. But the [[Shan people|Tai-Shan people]] from Yunnan who came down with the Mongols fanned out to the [[Ayeyarwady]] valley, Shan states, [[Laos]], [[Thailand|Siam]] and [[Assam]], and became powerful players in [[Southeast Asia]].

The Bagan empire was irreparably broken up into several small kingdoms:
* The Burman kingdom of [[Ava|Ava or Innwa]] (1364-1555), the successor state to three smaller kingdoms founded by Burmanized [[Shan people|Shan]] kings, controlling [[Upper Burma]] (without the [[Shan state]]s)
* The Mon kingdom of Hanthawady [[Bago|Pegu or Bago]] (1287-1540), founded by a Mon-ized Shan King Wareru (1287-1306), controlling [[Lower Burma]] (without [[Taninthayi]]).
* The Rakhine kingdom of [[Mrauk U]] (1434-1784), in the west.
* Several [[Shan state]]s in the Shan hills in the east and the Kachin hills in the north while the northwestern frontier of present Chin hills still disconnected yet.

This period was characterized by constant warfare between Ava and Bago, and to a lesser extent, Ava and the Shans. Ava briefly controlled Rakhine (1379-1430) and came close to defeating Bago a few times, but could never quite reassemble the lost empire. Nevertheless, Burmese culture entered a golden age. Hanthawady Bago prospered. Bago's Queen Shin Saw Bu (1453-1472) raised the gilded [[Shwedagon|Shwedagon Pagoda]] to its present height.

By the late 15th century, constant warfare had left Ava greatly weakened. Its peripheral areas became either independent or autonomous. In 1486, King [[Minkyinyo]] (1486-1531) of [[Taungoo]] broke away from Ava and established a small independent kingdom. In 1527, ''Mohnyin'' (Shan: Mong Yang) [[Shan people|Shans]] finally captured Ava, upsetting the delicate power balance that had existed for nearly two centuries. The Shans would rule Upper Burma until 1555.

===Taungoo (1531-1752)===
Reinforced by fleeing Burmans from Ava, the minor Burman kingdom of [[Taungoo]] under its young, ambitious king [[Tabinshwehti]] (1531-1551) defeated the more powerful Mon kingdom at [[Bago]], reunifying all of [[Lower Burma]] by 1540. Tabinshwehti's successor King [[Bayinnaung]] (1551-1581) would go on to conquer [[Upper Burma]] (1555), [[Manipur]] (1556), [[Shan State|Shan states]] (1557), [[Chiang Mai]] (1557), [[Ayutthaya kingdom|Ayutthaya]] (1564, 1569) and [[Lan Xang]] (1574), bringing most of western South East Asia under his rule. Bayinnaung died in 1581, preparing to invade [[Rakhine]], a maritime power controlling the entire coastline west of Rakhine Yoma, up to [[Chittagong]] province in Bengal.

Bayinnaung's massive empire unraveled soon after his death in 1581. Ayutthaya [[Thai people|Siamese]] had driven out the Burmese by 1593 and went on to take [[Tanintharyi]]. In 1599, [[Rakhine]] forces aided by the Portuguese mercenaries sacked the kingdom's capital [[Bago]]. Chief Portuguese mercenary ''Filipe de Brito e Nicote'' (Burmese: ''Nga Zinga'') promptly rebelled against his Rakhine masters and established Portuguese rule in [[Thanlyin]] (Syriam), then the most important seaport in Burma. The country was in chaos.

The Burmese under King [[Anaukpetlun]] (1605-1628) regrouped and defeated the Portuguese in 1611. Anaukpetlun reestablished a smaller reconstituted kingdom based in Ava covering Upper Burma, Lower Burma and Shan states (but without Rakhine or Taninthayi). After the reign of King Thalun (1629-1648), who rebuilt the war-torn country, the kingdom experienced a slow and steady decline for the next 100 years. The Mons successfully rebelled starting in 1740 with French help and Siamese encouragement, broke away Lower Burma by 1747, and finally put an end to the House of Taungoo in 1752 when they took [[Ava]].

===Konbaung (1752-1885)===
[[Image:Shwedagon pagoda.jpg|thumb|220px|right|A British 1825 lithograph of [[Shwedagon Pagoda]] reveals early British occupation in Burma during the [[First Anglo-Burmese War]].]]

King [[Alaungpaya]] (1752-1760), established the [[Konbaung Dynasty]] in [[Shwebo]] in 1752.<ref>{{cite book| url=http://dlxs.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=sea;cc=sea;view=toc;subview=short;idno=sea328| title=An Account of An Embassy to the Kingdom of Ava by Michael Symes,1795}}</ref> He founded [[Yangon]] in 1755. By his death in 1760, Alaungpaya had reunified the country. In 1767, King [[Hsinbyushin]] (1763-1777) sacked [[Ayutthaya kingdom|Ayutthya]]. The [[Qing Dynasty]] of [[China]] invaded four times from 1765 to 1769 without success. The Chinese invasions allowed the new Siamese kingdom based in Bangkok to repel the Burmese out of [[Thailand|Siam]] by the late 1770s.

King [[Bodawpaya]] (1782-1819) failed repeatedly to reconquer Siam in 1780s and 1790s. Bodawpaya did manage to capture the western kingdom of [[Rakhine]], which had been largely independent since the fall of Bagan, in 1784. Bodawpaya also formally annexed [[Manipur]], a rebellion-prone protectorate, in 1813.

King [[Bagyidaw]]'s (1819-1837) general [[Mahabandoola|Maha Bandula]] put down a rebellion in [[Manipur]] in 1819 and captured then independent kingdom of [[Assam]] in 1819 (again in 1821). The new conquests brought the Burmese adjacent to the British India. The British defeated the Burmese in the [[First Anglo-Burmese War]] (1824-1826). Burma had to cede [[Assam]], [[Manipur]], [[Rakhine]] (Arakan) and [[Tanintharyi]] (Tenessarim).

In 1852, the British attacked a much weakened Burma during a Burmese palace power struggle. After the [[Second Anglo-Burmese War]], which lasted 3 months, the British had captured the remaining coastal provinces: [[Ayeyarwady]], [[Yangon]] and [[Bago]], naming the territories as [[Lower Burma]].

King [[Mindon Min|Mindon]] (1853-1878) founded [[Mandalay]] in 1859 and made it his capital. He skillfully navigated the growing threats posed by the competing interests of Britain and France. In the process, Mindon had to renounce [[Kayah]] (Karenni) states in 1875. His successor, King [[Thibaw Min|Thibaw]] (1878-1885), was largely ineffectual. In 1885, the British, alarmed by the French conquest of neighboring [[Laos]], occupied [[Upper Burma]]. The [[Third Anglo-Burmese War]] (1885) lasted a mere one month insofar as capturing the capital [[Mandalay]] was concerned. The [[Burmese royal family]] was exiled to [[Ratnagiri]], India. British forces spent at least another four years pacifying the country &ndash; not only in the Burman heartland but also in the Shan, [[Chin people|Chin]] and [[Kachin]] hill areas. By some accounts, minor insurrections did not end until 1896.

===Colonial era (1886-1948)===
The United Kingdom began conquering Burma in 1824 and by 1886 had incorporated it into the [[British Raj]]. Burma was administered as a province of [[British India]] until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony. To stimulate trade and facilitate changes, the British brought in [[Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin|Indians]] and [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese]], who quickly displaced the Burmese in urban areas. To this day [[Yangon]] and [[Mandalay]] have large [[ethnic groups of India|ethnic Indian]] populations. Railroads and schools were built, as well as a large number of prisons, including the infamous [[Insein Prison]], then as now used for [[political prisoners]]. Burmese resentment was strong and was vented in violent riots that paralyzed Yangon on occasion all the way until the 1930s.<ref>{{cite book | first=Maurice | last=Collis | year=1945 | title=Trials in Burma}}</ref> Much of the discontent was caused by a perceived disrespect for [[Burmese culture]] and traditions, for example, what the British termed the Shoe Question: the colonizers' refusal to remove their shoes upon entering Buddhist temples or other holy places. In October 1919, [[Eindawya Pagoda]] in Mandalay was the scene of violence when tempers flared after scandalized Buddhist monks attempted to physically expel a group of shoe-wearing British visitors. The leader of the monks was later sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted murder. Such incidents inspired the Burmese resistance to use [[Buddhism]] as a rallying point for their cause. Buddhist monks became the vanguards of the independence movement, and many died while protesting. One monk-turned-martyr was [[U Wisara]], who died in prison after a 166-day hunger strike to protest a rule that forbade him from wearing his Buddhist robes while imprisoned.<ref>{{cite book | first=Heinz | last=Bechert | year=1984 | title=The World of Buddhism-Buddhist Monks and Nuns in Society and Culture | id=ISBN 978-0871969828}}</ref>

Eric Blair, better known as the writer [[George Orwell]], served in the [[Indian Police Service|Indian Imperial Police]] in Burma for five years and wrote about [[George Orwell#Burma and the early novels|his experiences]]. An earlier writer with the same convoluted career path was [[Saki]]. During the colonial period, intermarriage between European settlers and Burmese women, as well as between Anglo-Indians (who arrived with the British) and Burmese caused the birth of the [[Anglo-Burmese]] community. This influential community was to dominate the country during colonial rule and through the mid 1960's.

[[Image:Burmaoflag.png|thumb|The Colonial Flag (1937-1948)]]
On 1 April 1937, Burma became a separately administered territory, independent of the Indian administration. The vote for keeping Burma in [[India]], or as a separate colony "khwe-yay-twe-yay" divided the populace, and laid the ground work for the insurgencies to come after independence. In the 1940s, the [[Thirty Comrades]], commanded by [[Aung San]], founded the [[Burma Independence Army]]. The Thirty Comrades received training in [[Japan]].<ref name="aungsan">{{cite book | first=Gustaaf | last=Houtman | year=1999 | title=Mental Culture in Burmese Crisis Politics: Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy | id=ISBN 4-87297-748-3}}</ref>

During [[World War II]], Burma became a major frontline in the [[South-East Asian Theatre of World War II|Southeast Asian Theatre]]. The British administration collapsed ahead of the advancing Japanese troops, jails and asylums were opened and Rangoon was deserted except for the many [[Anglo-Burmese people|Anglo-Burmese]] and Indians who remained at their posts. A stream of some 300,000 refugees fled across the jungles into India; known as 'The Trek', all but 30,000 of those 300,000 arrived in India. Initially the Japanese-led [[Burma Campaign]] succeeded and the British were expelled from most of Burma, but the British counter-attacked using primarily troops of the British Indian Army. By July 1945, the British had retaken the country. Although many Burmese fought initially for the Japanese, some Burmese, mostly from the ethnic minorities, also served in the British Burma Army. In 1943, the Chin Levies and Kachin Levies were formed in the border districts of Burma still under British administration. The Burma Rifles fought as part of the [[Chindit]]s under General [[Orde Wingate]] from 1943-1945. Later in the war, the Americans created [[OSS Detachment 101|American-Kachin Rangers]] who also fought against the Japanese. Many others fought with the British [[Special Operations Executive]]. The [[Burma Independence Army]] under the command of [[Aung San]] and the Arakan National Army fought with the Japanese from 1942-1944, but switched allegiance to the Allied side in 1945.

In 1947, Aung San became Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council of Burma, a transitional government. But in July 1947, political rivals assassinated [[Aung San]] and several cabinet members.<ref name="aungsan"/>

===Democratic republic (1948-1962)===
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Sao.jpg|thumb|left|180px|[[Sao Shwe Thaik]] ]] -->
On 4 January 1948, the nation became an independent [[republic]], named the ''Union of Burma'', with [[Sao Shwe Thaik]] as its first President and [[U Nu]] as its first Prime Minister. Unlike most other former British colonies and overseas territories, it did not become a member of the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]]. A [[bicameral]] [[parliament]] was formed, consisting of a [[Chamber of Deputies]] and a [[Chamber of Nationalities]].<ref name="1947con">{{cite web|url=http://english.dvb.no/e_docs/511947_con.htm |title=The Constitution of the Union of Burma |accessdate=2006-07-07 |year=1947 |publisher=DVB}}</ref>

The geographical area Burma encompasses today can be traced to the Panglong Agreement, which combined Burma Proper, which consisted of [[Lower Burma]] and [[Upper Burma]], and the [[Frontier Areas]], which had been administered separately by the [[United Kingdom|British]].<ref name="msmith">{{cite book|first=Martin| last=Smith|year=1991| title=Burma -Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity|publisher=Zed Books|location=London and New Jersey|pages=42-43}}</ref>

In 1961, [[U Thant]], then the Union of Burma's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and former Secretary to the Prime Minister, was elected [[Secretary-General of the United Nations]]; he was the first non-Westerner to head any international organization and would serve as UN Secretary-General for ten years.<ref name="az">{{cite web|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=7610|author=Aung Zaw|title=Can Another Asian Fill U Thant's Shoes?|publisher=''[[The Irrawaddy]]'' September 2006|accessdate=2006-09-12}}</ref> Among the Burmese to work at the UN when he was Secretary-General was a young [[Aung San Suu Kyi]].

===Rule by military junta (1962-present)===
[[Democracy|Democratic]] rule ended in 1962 when General [[Ne Win]] led a military [[coup d'état]]. He ruled for nearly 26 years and pursued policies under the rubric of the [[Burmese Way to Socialism]]. Between 1962 and 1974, Burma was ruled by a revolutionary council headed by the general, and almost all aspects of society (business, media, production) were nationalized or brought under government control (including the Boy Scouts).<ref name="thantmyintu">{{cite book | first=Thant | last=Myint-U | year=2006 | title=The River of Lost Footsteps | id=ISBN 0-374-16342-1}}</ref> In an effort to consolidate power, General [[Ne Win]] and many top generals resigned from the military and took civilian posts and, from 1974, instituted elections in a one party system. Between 1974 and 1988, Burma was effectively ruled by General [[Ne Win]] through the [[Burma Socialist Programme Party]] (BSPP).<ref name="christinafink">{{cite book | first=Christina | last=Fink | year=2001 | title=Living Silence:Burma under Military Rule | id=ISBN 1-8564-9926-X}}</ref>

Almost from the beginning there were sporadic protests against the military rule, many of which were organized by students, and these were almost always violently suppressed by the government. On July 7, 1962 the government broke up demonstrations at Rangoon University killing 15 students.<ref name="thantmyintu"/> In 1974, the military violently suppressed anti-government protests at the funeral of [[U Thant]]. Student protests in 1975, 1976 and 1977 were quickly suppressed by overwhelming force.<ref name="christinafink"/>

In 1988, unrest over economic mismanagement and political oppression by the government led to widespread pro-democracy demonstrations throughout the country known as the [[8888 Uprising]]. Security forces killed thousands of demonstrators, and [[Saw Maung|General Saw Maung]] staged a coup d'état and formed the [[State Law and Order Restoration Council]] (SLORC). In 1989, SLORC declared [[martial law]] after widespread protests. The military government finalized plans for People's Assembly elections on 31 May 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs/pyithu_hluttaw_election_law.htm |title=PYITHU HLUTTAW ELECTION LAW |accessdate=2006-07-11 |date=1989-05-31 |work=State Law and Order Restoration Council |publisher=iBiblio.org}}</ref>

SLORC changed the country's official [[English language|English]] name from the "Union of Burma" to the "Union of Myanmar" in 1989. This continues to be a topic of confusion{{Fact|date=August 2008}} for many people since some of the mainstream media, such as Reuters and the New York Times refer to the nation as Myanmar while agencies such as the BBC refer to it as Burma. In most cases the nation is called Burma to make a political statement.{{Fact|date=August 2008}} By not acknowledging the name Myanmar, one refuses to acknowledge the legitimacy of the military junta as well.{{Fact|date=August 2008}} This is not just among human rights groups but many governments such as Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and France, legally refer to the nation as Burma. Some{{Who|date=August 2008}} suggest the point made by advocates of democracy is irrelevant anyway, since the name Burma was given to the country by the colonial British.{{Fact|date=August 2008}} Also, since the founding of the first democratic government, the name Myanmar appeared on the nation's currency.{{Fact|date=August 2008}}

In May 1990, the government held free elections for the first time in almost 30 years. The [[National League for Democracy]] (NLD), the party of [[Aung San Suu Kyi]], [[Burmese general election, 1990|won 392 out of a total 489 seats]], but the election results were annulled by SLORC, which refused to step down.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs/Elections-02.htm |title=1990 MULTI-PARTY DEMOCRACY GENERAL ELECTIONS |author=Khin Kyaw Han |accessdate=2006-07-11 |date=2003-02-01 |work=National League for Democracy |publisher=iBiblio.org}}</ref> Led by [[Than Shwe]] since 1992, the military regime has made cease-fire agreements with most ethnic guerrilla groups. In 1992, SLORC unveiled plans to create a [[New Burmese Constitution| new constitution]] through the National Convention, which began 9 January 1993. In 1997, the State Law and Order Restoration Council was renamed the [[State Peace and Development Council]] (SPDC).

On 23 June 1997, Burma was admitted into the [[Association of Southeast Asian Nations]] (ASEAN). The National Convention continues to convene and adjourn. Many major political parties, particularly the NLD, have been absent or excluded, and little progress has been made.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} On 27 March 2006, the military junta, which had moved the national capital from [[Yangon]] to a site near [[Pyinmana]] in November 2005, officially named it [[Naypyidaw]], meaning "city of the kings".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4848408.stm |title=Burma's new capital stages parade |publisher=BBC News|date=[[2006-03-27]] |accessdate=2006-06-24 }}</ref>

In November 2006, the [[International Labour Organization]] (ILO) announced it will be seeking - at the [[International Court of Justice]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-11-16T163442Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-276537-1.xml&archived=False |title=ILO seeks to charge Myanmar junta with atrocities |publisher=Reuters|date=[[2006-11-16]] |accessdate=2006-11-17 }}</ref> - "to prosecute members of the ruling Myanmar junta for crimes against humanity" over the continuous [[forced labour]] of its citizens by the military. According to the ILO, an estimated 800,000 people are subject to forced labour in Myanmar.<ref>[http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/GC29Ae02.html ILO cracks the whip at Yangon]</ref>

==== 2007 protests and consequences ====
{{main|2007 Burmese anti-government protests}}
The August 2007 demonstrations were led by well-known dissidents, such as Min Ko Naing (with the [[nom de guerre]] Conqueror of Kings), Su Su Nway (now in hiding) and others. The military quickly cracked down and still has not allowed the [[International Red Cross]] to visit Min Ko Naing and others who are reportedly in [[Insein Prison]] after being severely tortured. Reports have surfaced of at least one death, of activist Win Shwe, under interrogation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7038921.stm|title=Burma activist 'dies in custody'|publisher=BBC News|date=[[2007-10-11]] | accessdate=2007-10-11}}</ref>

On 19 September 2007, several hundred (possibly 2000 or more) monks staged a [[2007 Burmese anti-government protests|protest march]] in the city of Sittwe.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://itn.co.uk/news/d1c1d8458feb7eef71cac06478865597.html|title=Monks march for democracy in Myanmar |publisher=ITN|date=[[2007-09-19]] |accessdate=2007-09-19}}</ref> Larger protests in Rangoon and elsewhere ensued over the following days. Security became increasingly heavy handed, resulting in a number of deaths and injuries.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7011884.stm|title=Accounts from inside Burma |publisher=BBC News|date=[[2007-09-24]] |accessdate=2007-09-28}}</ref> By 28 September, internet access had been cut<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/burma/story/0,,2179427,00.html|title=Internet access cut off in Burma |publisher=Guardian Unlimited|date=[[2007-09-28]] |accessdate=2007-09-28}}</ref> and journalists were reputedly warned not to report on protests.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://indiainteracts.com/members/2007/09/28/Dont-cover-protests-Military-told-Media/|title=Don't cover protests, Military told Media|publisher=Indiainteracts|date=[[2007-09-28]] |accessdate=2007-09-28}}</ref> Internet access was restored by at least midnight of 5 October, Burmese time.{{Fact|date=October 2007}} Sources in Myanmar {{Who|date=October 2007}} said on 6 October that the internet seems to be working from 22:00 to 05:00 local time.

On October 13, 2007, the military junta of Burma made people march in a government rally, reportedly paying some participants 1000 kyat (approximately $0.80) each. Junta officials also approached local factories and demanded they provide 50 workers each; if they didn't, they were to be fined.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/10/13/myanmar/index.html Military junta forces villagers to march &ndash; CNN.com]</ref>

On 7 February 2008, SPDC announced that a referendum for the Constitution would be held, and Elections by 2010. The [[Burmese constitutional referendum, 2008]] was held on May 10 and promised a ''"discipline-flourishing democracy"'' for the country in the future.

Various global corporations have been criticized for profiting from the dictatorship by financing Burma's military junta.<ref name='BBCUK'>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Burma List 'shames' UK companies | date= | publisher=[[BBC]] | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3593484.stm | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2007-09-26 | language = }}</ref>

World governments remain divided on how to deal with the military junta. Calls for further sanctions by [[Canada]], [[United Kingdom]], [[United States]], and [[France]] are opposed by neighboring countries; in particular, [[China]] has stated its belief that "sanctions or pressure will not help to solve the issue".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7035946.stm |title=Burma party rejects junta's terms |publisher=BBC News|date=[[2007-10-09]]|accessdate=2007-10-09 }}</ref>

====Cyclone Nargis====
{{Main|Cyclone Nargis}}
On May 3, 2008, [[Cyclone Nargis]] devastated the country when winds of up to 215 km/h (135 mph)<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/05/07/myanmar.aidcyclone/#cnnSTCText U.S. envoy: Myanmar deaths may top 100,000 - CNN.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> touched land in the densely populated, rice-farming delta of the [[Irrawaddy Division]].<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/06/asia/AS-GEN-Myanmar-Cyclone.php Aid arrives in Myanmar as death toll passes 22,000, but worst-hit area still cut off - International Herald Tribune<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Recent reports estimate that more than 130,000 people are dead or missing from Cyclone Nargis that hit the country's Irrawaddy delta. Damage totaled to 10 billion dollars ([[United States Dollar|USD]]); it was the worst natural disaster in Burmese history. Shari Villarosa, who leads the U.S. Embassy in [[Yangon]], said the number of dead could eventually exceed 140,800 because of illnesses and injury.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354665,00.html FOXNews.com - Aid Shipments to Burma to Resume; More Rain on the Way - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/05/07/myanmar.aidcyclone/ U.S. envoy: Myanmar deaths may top 100,000 - CNN.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Adds the [[World Food Programme]], "Some villages have been almost totally eradicated and vast rice-growing areas are wiped out."<ref>[http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g8-DEMtAE9q4i4ySQ0eV_qZefmRQD90GBUQ81 The Associated Press: AP Top News at 4:25 p.m. EDT<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

The [[United Nations]] projects that as many as 1 million were left homeless; and the [[World Health Organization]] "has received reports of malaria outbreaks in the worst-affected area."<ref name="autogenerated2">[http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5greyFH3qkj9mc9oagSoulgjN4KHgD90HICSO3 The Associated Press: Official: UN plane lands in Myanmar with aid after cyclone<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Yet in the critical days following this disaster, Burma's isolationist regime complicated recovery efforts by delaying the entry of [[United Nations]] planes delivering medicine, food, and other supplies into the Southeast Asian nation. Similarly, the junta continues to reject the [[United States]] offer to provide much-needed assistance,<ref name="autogenerated2" /> although on May 13, the first U.S. military transport plane was allowed to land, bringing 14 tons of medical supplies, mosquito nets and blankets.<ref>{{cite news|coauthors=Aung Hla Tun, Seth Mydans |title=Finally, US Aid Touches Down in Burma |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/finally-us-aid-touches-down-in-burma/2008/05/12/1210444335495.html |work=The Age |date=2008-05-12 |accessdate=2008-05-12 }}</ref> The government's failure to permit entry for large-scale international relief efforts was described by the United Nations as "unprecedented."<ref>{{cite news|coauthors=Rachel Stevenson, Julian Borger, Ian MacKinnon |title=Burma snubs foreign aid workers |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/09/cyclonenargis.burma4 |work=The Guardian |date=2008-05-09 |accessdate=2008-05-09 }}</ref> The Burmese Foreign Ministry stressed its capability in handling the aftermath of the cyclone and insisted that it was not ready to accept large-scale foreign assistance.<ref>{{cite news |first=Newman |last=Andy |title=U.N. Pressures Myanmar to Allow Aid |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/world/asia/09myanmar.html |work=New York Times |date=2008-05-09 |accessdate=2008-05-09 }}</ref>

[[AP]] news stories state that foreign aid provided to disaster victims was modified to make it look like it came from the military regime, and state-run television continuously ran images of Gen. Than Shwe ceremonially handing out disaster relief.<ref>{{cite news|title=Myanmar junta hands out aid boxes with generals' names|author=[[Associated Press]]|date=2008-05-10|publisher=[[International Herald Tribune]]|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/10/news/Myanmar-Cyclone.php|accessdate=2008-07-11}}</ref>

More than a week after the disaster, only one out of 10 people who were homeless, injured or threatened by disease and hunger had received some kind of aid. The governmental regime only began to allow UN/international aid into the country for relief efforts after a meeting of heads of States in Singapore, headed by Singapore, who is the current chair of the ASEAN group.<ref>http://www.nola.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/international-27/1210422249176120.xml&storylist=mcyclone&thispage=3</ref>

According to British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, "A natural disaster is turning into a humanitarian catastrophe of genuinely epic proportions in significant part because of the malign neglect of the regime."<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080511/ap_on_re_as/myanmar</ref>

Donor nations, meeting in Burma, pressed the government to hold to its promise and allow foreign aid workers access to several communities in which foreigners are not allowed, thus increasing the rate of receipt of aid to millions who where most affected by the cyclone. The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki Moon, said that the government was "moving fast in the right direction." By opening greater access to foreign aid, this will help the nation avoid a "second disaster" of disease.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/05/25/asia/cyclone.php Donors press Myanmar on promise to allow aid workers - International Herald Tribune<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

On May 27, 2008, to complicate world opinion and in contrast to numerous and varied accounts from international relief organizations, the Burma junta praised U.N. aid.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2008/05/27/asia/OUKWD-UK-MYANMAR-CYCLONE.php Myanmar junta unmoved and extends Suu Kyi arrest - International Herald Tribune<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

===List of historical capitals===
[[Image:Bagan2.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Bagan]]]]
:*[[Amarapura]]
:*[[Ava]]
:*[[Bagan]]
:*[[Bago]]
:*[[Mandalay]]
:*[[Mrauk U]]
:*[[Naypyidaw]]
:*[[Yangon|Rangoon (Yangon)]]
:*[[Sagaing]]
:*[[Shwebo]]
:*[[Thaton]]

==Government and politics==
{{main|Politics of Burma}}
Burma is governed by a strict [[military dictatorship]]. The current head of state is [[General|Senior General]] [[Than Shwe]], who holds the posts of "Chairman of the [[State Peace and Development Council]]" and "Commander in Chief of the Defense Services" as well as the Minister of Defence. General [[Khin Nyunt]] was [[prime minister]] until 19 October 2004, when he was replaced by [[General]] [[Soe Win]], after the purge of [[Military Intelligence]] sections within the [[Tatmadaw|Burma armed forces]]. The current Prime Minister is General Thein Sein, who took over upon the death of General Soe Win on October 2nd, 2007. The majority of ministry and cabinet posts are held by military officers, with the exceptions being the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour, and the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development, posts which are held by civilians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/chiefs/chiefs29.html |title=Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments: Burma |accessdate=2006-07-11 |date=2006-06-02 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency}}</ref><!--[[Image:RECO0009.jpg|thumb|right|The First and the last meeting]]-->

Elected delegates in the 1990 People's Assembly election formed the [[National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma]] (NCGUB), a [[government-in-exile]] since December 1990, with the mission of restoring democracy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ncgub.net/NCGUB/index%20of%20NCGUB.htm |title= The Birth Of The NCGUB |accessdate=2006-07-19 |publisher=National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma}}</ref> Dr. [[Sein Win]], a first cousin of [[Aung San Suu Kyi]], has held the position of prime minister of the NCGUB since its inception. The NCGUB has been outlawed by the military government.

Major political parties in the country are the [[National League for Democracy]] and the [[Shan Nationalities League for Democracy]], although their activities are heavily regulated and suppressed by the military government. Many other parties, often representing ethnic minorities, exist. The military government allows little room for political organizations and has outlawed many political parties and underground student organizations. The military supported the [[National Unity Party (Burma)|National Unity Party]] in the 1990 elections and, more recently, an organization named the [[Union Solidarity and Development Association]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-mccain061103.asp |title= Crisis in Rangoon |accessdate=2006-07-14 |last=McCain |first=John | authorlink=John McCain |date=2003-05-11 |publisher=National Review Online}}</ref>
[[Image:Myanmar-message.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Government propaganda poster states: "[[Tatmadaw]] and the people, cooperate and crush all those harming the union."]]
Several human rights organizations, including [[Human Rights Watch]] and [[Amnesty International]], and the [[American Association for the Advancement of Science]] have reported on human rights abuses by the military government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/09/01/burma9290.htm |title=Statement to the EU Development Committee |accessdate=2006-07-11 |author=Brad Adams |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sciencemode.com/2007/09/28/satellite-images-verify-myanmar-forced-relocations-mounting-military-presence/ |title=Satellite Images Verify Myanmar Forced Relocations, Mounting Military Presence |accessdate=2007-10-01 |publisher=[[ScienceMode]]}}</ref> They have claimed that there is no independent [[judiciary]] in Burma. The military government restricts Internet access through software-based censorship that limits the material citizens can access on-line.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.opennetinitiative.net/studies/burma/ |title=Internet Filtering in Burma in 2005: A Country Study |publisher=OpenNet Initiative}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.burmanet.org/news/2006/06/27/mizzima-news-burma-bans-google-and-gmail-mungpi/#more-4642|title=Burma bans Google and gmail | publisher=BurmaNet News|date=2006-06-27| accessdate=2006-06-28}}</ref> [[Forced labour]], [[human trafficking]], and [[child labour]] are common.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA160201998 |title=Myanmar: 10th anniversary of military repression |accessdate=2006-07-14 |date=1998-08-07 |publisher=[[Amnesty International]]}}</ref> The military is also notorious for rampant use of sexual violence as an instrument of control, including systematic rapes and taking of sex slaves as porters for the military. A strong women's pro-democracy movement has formed in exile, largely along the Thai border and in Chiang Mai. There is a growing international movement to defend women's human rights issues.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.womenofburma.org/Statement&Release/state_of_terror_report.pdf |format=PDF |title=State of Terror report |accessdate=2007-05-21 |date=2007-02-01 |publisher=[[Women's League of Burma]]}}</ref>

In 1988, the army violently repressed protests against economic mismanagement and political oppression. On 8 August 1988, the military opened fire on demonstrators in what is known as [[8888 Uprising]] and imposed martial law. However, the 1988 protests paved way for the 1990 People's Assembly elections. The election results were subsequently annulled by [[Saw Maung|Senior General Saw Maung]]'s government. The [[National League for Democracy]], led by [[Aung San Suu Kyi]], won over 60% of the vote and over 80% of parliamentary seats in the 1990 election, the first held in 30 years. The military-backed [[National Unity Party (Burma)|National Unity Party]] won less than 2% of the seats. Aung San Suu Kyi has earned international recognition as an activist for the return of democratic rule, winning the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] in 1991. The ruling regime has repeatedly placed her under [[house arrest]]. Despite a direct appeal by former UN Secretary General [[Kofi Annan]] to [[Than Shwe|Senior General Than Shwe]] and pressure by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ([[ASEAN]]), the military junta extended Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest another year on 27 May 2006 under the 1975 State Protection Act, which grants the government the right to detain any persons on the grounds of protecting peace and stability in the country.<ref>{{cite news|author=''[[The Irrawaddy]]'' |url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=5797&z=154 |title=Suu Kyi's Detention Extended, Supporters likely to Protest |publisher=''[[The Irrawaddy]]''|date= [[2006-05-27]] |accessdate=2006-05-27 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=''[[The Irrawaddy]]'' |url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=5798&z=154 |title=Opposition Condemns Extension of Suu Kyi's Detention |publisher=''[[The Irrawaddy]]''|date= [[2006-05-27]] |accessdate=2006-05-27 }}</ref> The junta faces increasing pressure from the [[United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]]. Burma's situation was referred to the [[UN Security Council]] for the first time in December 2005 for an informal consultation. In September 2006, ten of the United Nations Security Council's 15 members voted to place Myanmar on the council's formal agenda.<ref>{{cite news|author=''[[The Irrawaddy]]'' |url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=6176 |title=UN Security Council Puts Burma on Agenda |first=Kim|last=Gamel|publisher=''[[The Irrawaddy]]'', 2006-09-16|accessdate=2006-10-11}}</ref> On [[Independence Day]], 4 January 2007, the government released 40 [[political prisoner]]s, under a general amnesty, in which 2,831 prisoners were released.<ref name="CNN2007">{{cite news |title= Myanmar frees political prisoners |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/01/11/myanmar.release.ap/ |work=CNN |date=2007-01-11 |accessdate=2007-01-13 }}</ref> On 8 January 2007, UN Secretary-General [[Ban Ki-moon]] urged the national government to free all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ban Ki-moon calls on Myanmar to release all political prisoners |url=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21182&Cr=myanmar&Cr1= |work=UN News Centre |publisher=United Nations |date=2007-01-08 |accessdate=2007-01-13 }}</ref> Three days later, on 11 January, five additional prisoners were released from prison.<ref name="CNN2007"/>

[[ASEAN]] has also stated its frustration with the Union of Myanmar's government. It has formed the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus to address the lack of democratisation in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aseanmp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=10 |title=About Us |accessdate=2006-07-09 | publisher=ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus}}</ref> Dramatic change in the country's political situation remains unlikely, due to support from major regional powers such as [[India]], [[Russia]], and, in particular, [[People's Republic of China|China]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs2/Chinese_MM_Eco.pdf |title=The Political Economy of China-Myanmar Relations: Strategic and Economic Dimensions |accessdate=2006-07-14 |last=Poon |first=Khim Shee |date= |year=2002 | format=PDF |publisher=[[Ritsumeikan University]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/review/2002/spring/art3-sp2.htm|title=Burma and Superpower Rivalries in the Asia-Pacific|accessdate=2006-07-16|last=Selth|first=Andrew|year=Spring 2002|publisher=Naval War College Review}}</ref>

In the annual [[ASEAN Summit]] in January 2007, held in [[Cebu]], [[Philippines]], member countries failed to find common ground on the issue of Burma's lack of political reform.<ref>{{cite news |first=Carlos H. |last=Conde |title=Southeast Asians Agree to Trade Zone |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/14/world/asia/14asean.html |work=New York Times |date=2007-01-14 |accessdate=2007-01-13 }}</ref> During the summit, ASEAN foreign ministers asked Burma to make greater progress on its roadmap toward democracy and national reconciliation.<ref name="reutersASEAN">{{cite news |first=Bill |last=Tarrant |title=ASEAN leaders weigh charter, wrangle over Myanmar |url=http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2007-01-13T143522Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-283431-2.xml |work= |publisher=Reuters |date=2007-01-13 |accessdate=2007-01-13 }}</ref> Some member countries contend that Burma's human rights issues are the country's own domestic affairs, while others contend that its poor human rights record is an international issue.<ref name="reutersASEAN"/>

According to [[Human Rights Defenders and Promoters]] (HRDP), on April 18, 2007, several of its members (Myint Aye, Maung Maung Lay, Tin Maung Oo and Yin Kyi) were met by approximately a hundred people led by a local official, U Nyunt Oo, and beaten up. Due to the attack, Myint Hlaing and Maung Maung Lay were badly injured and subsequently hospitalized. The HRDP believes that this attack was condoned by the authorities and vows to take legal action. [[Human Rights Defenders and Promoters]] was formed in 2002 to raise awareness among the people of Burma about their [[human rights]].

Burma's army-drafted constitution was overwhelmingly approved (by 92.4% of the 22 million voters with alleged voter turnout of 99%) on May 10 in the first phase of a two-stage [[referendum]] amid [[Cyclone Nargis]]. It was the first national vote since the 1990 election. Multi-party elections in 2010 would end 5 decades of military rule, as the new charter gives the military an automatic 25% of seats in parliament. NLD spokesman [[Nyan Win]], inter alia, criticized the referendum: "This referendum was full of cheating and fraud across the country; In some villages, authorities and polling station officials ticked the ballots themselves and did not let the voters do anything."<ref>[http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-33587120080515 Reuters, Cyclone-hit Myanmar says 92 percent back charter]</ref> The constitution would bar [[Aung San Suu Kyi]], from public office. 5 million citizens will vote May 24 in [[Yangon]] and the [[Irrawaddy]] delta, worst hit by [[Cyclone Nargis]].<ref>[http://www.gmanews.tv/story/95378/Myanmar-OKs-charter-amid-cyclone-disaster www.gmanews.tv, Myanmar OKs charter amid cyclone disaster]</ref>

==Divisions and states==
{{main|Administrative divisions of Burma}}
[[Image:Burma en.png|thumb|220px|The 14 states and divisions of Burma.]]

The country is divided into seven states (''pyine'') and seven divisions (''yin'').<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2051.html |title= Administrative divisions |accessdate=2006-07-09 |date=2006-06-29 |work=[[The World Factbook]] |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]}}</ref> Divisions ({{lang-my-Mymr|တိုင္း}}) are predominantly [[Bamar]]. States ([[Image:Pyinè.svg|60px]]), in essence, are divisions which are home to particular ethnic minorities. The administrative divisions are further subdivided into [[Districts of Burma|districts]], which are further subdivided into [[township]]s, [[Ward (subnational entity)|ward]]s, and [[village]]s.

===Divisions===
*[[Ayeyarwady Division]]
*[[Bago Division]]
*[[Magway Division]]
*[[Mandalay Division]]
*[[Sagaing Division]]
*[[Tanintharyi Division]]
*[[Yangon Division]]

===States===
*[[Chin State]]
*[[Kachin State]]
*[[Kayin State|Kayin (Karen) State]]
*[[Kayah State|Kayah (Karenni) State]]
*[[Mon State]]
*[[Rakhine State|Rakhine (Arakan) State]]
*[[Shan State]]

===Administrative divisions===
Number of Districts, Townships, Cities/Towns, Wards, Village Groups and Villages in Burma as of December 31, 2001:<ref>''List of Districts, Townships, Cities/Towns, Wards, Village Groups and Villages in Union of Myanmar'' published by Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of Union of Myanmar on December 31, 2001</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! No.
! [[State]]/[[Division]]
! [[District]]
! [[Township]]
! [[City]]/[[Town]]
! [[Ward (country subdivision)|Wards]]
! [[Village groups]]
! [[Villages]]
|-
| 1
| [[Kachin State]]
| 3
| 18
| 20
| 116
| 606
| 2630
|-
| 2
| [[Kayah State]]
| 2
| 7
| 7
| 29
| 79
| 624
|-
| 3
| [[Kayin State]]
| 3
| 7
| 10
| 46
| 376
| 2092
|-
| 4
| [[Chin State]]
| 2
| 9
| 9
| 29
| 475
| 1355
|-
| 5
| [[Sagaing Division]]
| 8
| 37
| 37
| 171
| 1769
| 6095
|-
| 6
| [[Taninthayi Division]]
| 3
| 10
| 10
| 63
| 265
| 1255
|-
| 7
| [[Bago Division]]
| 4
| 28
| 33
| 246
| 1424
| 6498
|-
| 8
| [[Magway Division]]
| 5
| 25
| 26
| 160
| 1543
| 4774
|-
| 9
| [[Mandalay Division]]
| 7
| 31
| 29
| 259
| 1611
| 5472
|-
| 10
| [[Mon State]]
| 2
| 10
| 11
| 69
| 381
| 1199
|-
| 11
| [[Rakhine State]]
| 4
| 17
| 17
| 120
| 1041
| 3871
|-
| 12
| [[Yangon Division]]
| 4
| 45
| 20
| 685
| 634
| 2119
|-
| 13
| [[Shan State]]
| 11
| 54
| 54
| 336
| 1626
| 15513
|-
| 14
| [[Ayeyawady Division]]
| 5
| 26
| 29
| 219
| 1912
| 11651
|-
|
| '''Total'''
| '''63'''
| '''324'''
| '''312'''
| '''2548'''
| '''13742'''
| '''65148'''
|}

==Foreign relations and military==
{{main|Foreign relations of Burma|Military of Burma}}
The country's [[foreign relations]], particularly with Western nations, have been strained. The United States has placed a ban on new investments by U.S. firms, an import ban, and an arms embargo on the Union of Myanmar, as well as frozen military assets in the United States because of the military regime's ongoing human rights abuses, the ongoing detention of Nobel Peace Prize recipient [[Aung San Suu Kyi]], and refusal to honor the election results of the 1990 People's Assembly election.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:SN01182:@@@L&summ2=m& | title=Burma Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 | publisher=United States Library of Congress |accessdate=2007-02-04 |date=2003-06-04}}</ref> Similarly, the [[European Union]] has placed sanctions on Burma, including an arms embargo, cessation of trade preferences, and suspension of all aid with the exception of [[humanitarian aid]].<ref name="EU">{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/myanmar/intro/index.htm |title= The EU's relations with Burma / Myanmar |accessdate=2006-07-13 |publisher=[[European Union]]}}</ref> U.S. and European government sanctions against the military government, coupled with boycotts and other direct pressure on corporations by western supporters of the democracy movement, have resulted in the withdrawal from the country of most U.S. and many European companies. However, several Western companies remain due to loopholes in the sanctions.

Despite Western isolation, Asian corporations have generally remained willing to continue investing in the country and to initiate new investments, particularly in [[natural resource]] extraction. The country has close relations with neighboring [[India]] and [[People's Republic of China|China]] with several Indian and Chinese companies operating in the country. There remains active debate as to the extent to which the American-led sanctions have had adverse effects on the civilian population or on the military rulers.<ref>{{cite news|lastname=Hiatt |firstname=Fred |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A21505-2003Jun22 |title=How Best to Rid the World of Monsters |publisher=Washington Post|date=[[2003-06-23]] |accessdate=2006-05-24 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/reg.burma/archives/199905/msg00184.html |title=Reuters Belgian group seeks Total boycott over Myanmar |work=Ibiblio |publisher=Reuters |date=[[1999-05-10]] |accessdate=2006-06-24 }}</ref> Burma has also received extensive military aid from India and China in the past.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/27/AR2007092702382_pf.html Caution by Junta's Asian Neighbors Reflects Their Self-Interest - washingtonpost.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> According to some estimates, Burma has received more than US$200 million in military aid from India.<ref>[http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2007/gb20071019_332887_page_2.htm India's Role in Burma's Crisis<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Under India's [[Look East policy]], fields of cooperation between India and Burma include [[remote sensing]],<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=BBAB&d_place=BBAB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=11045BA04AFDFED0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM NewsLibrary.com - newspaper archive, clipping service - newspapers and other news sources<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> oil and gas exploration,<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0426/p04s01-wosc.html India looks to Burma to slake growing thirst for gas | csmonitor.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[information technology]],<ref>[http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/04/content_8953269.htm Myanmar, India to build IT centers in Myanmar_English_Xinhua<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[hydro power]]<ref>[http://steelguru.com/news/index/2008/08/01/NTY5MDg%3D/India_to_develop_two_hydel_power_projects_in_Myanmar.html SteelGuru - News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and construction of ports and buildings.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/mobile/bbc_news/world/asia_pacific/716/71684/story7168492.shtml BBC News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In 2008, India suspended military aid to Burma over the issue of human rights abuses by the ruling junta.<ref>[http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/01/14/india17739_txt.htm India and Burma: time to choose (Human Rights Watch, 14-1-2008)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

The country's armed forces are known as the [[Tatmadaw]], which numbers 488,000. The Tatmadaw comprises the [[Burma Army|Army]], the [[Burma Navy|Navy]], and the [[Burma Air Force|Air Force]]. The country [[List of countries by number of active troops|ranked twelfth]] in the world for its number of active troops in service.<ref name="CIA"/> The military is very influential in the country, with top cabinet and ministry posts held by [[military officer]]s. Official figures for military spending are not available. Estimates vary widely because of uncertain exchange rates, but military spending is very high.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0607-03.htm |title= World Military Spending Topped [[US Dollar|US$]]1 [[trillion]] in 2004 |accessdate=2006-07-19 |last=Starck |first=Peter |date=2005-06-07 |work=Reuters |publisher=Common Dreams NewsCenter }}</ref> The country imports most of its weapons from [[Russia]], [[Ukraine]], [[China]] and [[India]].

The country is building a research [[nuclear reactor]] near May Myo (Pyin Oo Lwin) with help from Russia. It is one of the signatories of the nuclear [[non-proliferation]] pact since 1992 and a member of the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]] (IAEA) since 1957. The military junta had informed the IAEA in September 2000 of its intention to construct the reactor. The research reactor outbuilding frame was built by ELE steel industries limited of Yangon and water from Anisakhan/BE water fall will be used for the reactor cavity cooling system.

[[ASEAN]] will not defend the country in any international forum following the military regime's refusal to restore democracy. In April 2007, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry parliamentary secretary [[Ahmad Shabery Cheek]] said [[Malaysia]] and other ASEAN members had decided not to defend Burma if the country's issue was raised for discussion at any international conference. "Now Myanmar has to defend itself if it is bombarded in any international forum," he said when winding up a debate at committee stage for the Foreign Ministry. He was replying to queries from opposition leader [[Lim Kit Siang]] on the next course of action to be taken by Malaysia and ASEAN with the military junta. Lim had said Malaysia must play a proactive role in pursuing regional initiatives to bring about a change in Burma and support efforts to bring the situation in Burma to the [[UN Security Council]]'s attention.<ref>{{cite news|title=Asean Will Not Defend Myanmar at International Fora &ndash; Ahmad Shabery |publisher=Bernama|date=[[2007-04-19]] |accessdate=2007-04-23 }}</ref>

=== Drug trade ===
The country is a corner of the [[Golden Triangle (Southeast Asia)|Golden Triangle]] of [[opium]] production. Neither Burma, Vietnam, Laos or Thailand had any history of opium production until colonial times,{{Fact|date=July 2008}} yet from then until very recently, most of the world's [[heroin]] came from the Golden Triangle, including Burma.

In 1996 the [[United States Embassy]] in Rangoon released a "Country Commercial Guide", which states "Exports of opiates alone appear to be worth about as much as all legal exports." It goes on to say that investments in infrastructure and hotels are coming from major opiate-growing and opiate-exporting organizations and from those with close ties to these organizations.<ref name='BurmaNation'>{{cite news | first=Dennis | last=Bernstein | coauthors= Leslie Kean | title=People of the Opiate - Burma's dictatorship of drugs | date=[[1996-01-16]] | publisher= | url =http://nick.assumption.edu/WebVAX/Nation/Bernstein16Dec96.html | work =[[The Nation]] | pages = | accessdate = 2008-07-06 | language = }}</ref>

A four-year investigation concluded that Burma's national company [[Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise]] (MOGE) was "the main channel for laundering the revenues of [[heroin]] produced and exported under the control of the [[Burmese army]]." In a business deal signed with the French oil giant [[Total]] in 1992, and later joined by [[Unocal]], MOGE received a payment of $15 million. "Despite the fact that MOGE has no assets besides the limited installments of its foreign partners and makes no profit, and that the Burmese state never had the capacity to allocate any currency credit to MOGE, the [[Singapore]] bank accounts of this company have seen the transfer of hundreds of millions of US dollars," reports [[Casanier]]. According to a confidential MOGE file reviewed by the investigators, funds exceeding $60 million and originating from Burma's most renowned drug lord, [[Khun Sa]], were channeled through the company. "Drug money is irrigating every economic activity in Burma, and big foreign partners are also seen by the SLORC as big shields for money laundering."<ref name='BurmaNation'/> Banks in Rangoon offered money laundering for a 40% commission.<ref name='Whiteout'>{{cite book | last = [[Alexander Cockburn]] | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = [[Jeffrey St. Clair]] | title = Whiteout: The CIA, Drugs and the Press | publisher = Verso | year = 1998 | location = | pages = 230 | url = http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=s5qIj_h_PtkC&pg=PA230&vq=rangoon&dq=whiteout++cockburn&source=gbs_search_s&sig=ACfU3U1jJgYhUNuN2f6lSWRMk3iXMcOzog | doi = | id = | isbn = 1859841392 }}</ref>

The main player in the country's drug market is the [[United Wa State Army]], ethnic fighters who control areas along the country's eastern border with Thailand, part of the infamous Golden Triangle. The [[United Wa State Army|Wa army]], an ally of Burma's ruling military junta, was once the militant arm of the Beijing-backed [[Burmese Communist Party]]. Burma has been a significant cog in the transnational drug trade since World War II.<ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=26063 WorldNetDaily: Afghan war lifts Burma's opium trade<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.gluckman.com/BurmaBorder.html Opium in the Golden Triangle<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

[[Poppy]] cultivation in the country decreased more than 80 percent from 1998 to 2006 following an eradication campaign in the Golden Triangle. Officials with the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime say opium poppy farming is now expanding. The number of hectares used to grow the crops in has bounced back 29 percent this year. A [[United Nations]] report cites corruption, poverty and a lack of government control as causes for the jump.<ref>[http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-10/2007-10-12-voa10.cfm?CFID=156804067&CFTOKEN=33443232 Opium Cultivation Blossoms in Burma<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

==United Nations==
In 1961, [[U Thant]], then Burma's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and former Secretary to the Prime Minister, was elected [[Secretary-General of the United Nations]]; he was the first non-Westerner to head any international organization and would serve as UN Secretary-General for ten years.<ref name="az"/> Among the Burmese to work at the UN when he was Secretary-General was the young [[Aung San Suu Kyi]].

Until 2005, the [[United Nations General Assembly]] annually adopted a detailed resolution about the situation in Burma by consensus.<ref name = "UN-5483030">
{{ UN document |docid=A-54-PV.83 |body=General Assembly |type=Verbotim Report |session=54 |meeting=83 |page=30 |anchor=pg030-bk03 |date=17 December 1999 |meetingtime=10:00 |speakername=The President |accessdate=2007-09-25 }}
</ref><ref name = "UN-5483030"/><ref>
{{ UN document |docid=A-55-PV.81 |body=General Assembly |type=Verbotim Report |session=55 |meeting=81 |page=22 |anchor=pg022-bk01 |date=4 December 2000 |meetingtime=15:00 |speakername=The President |accessdate=2007-09-25 }}
</ref><ref>
{{ UN document |docid=A-56-PV.92 |body=General Assembly |type=Verbotim Report |session=56 |meeting=92 |page=7 |anchor=pg007-bk04 |date=24 December 2001 |meetingtime=11:00 |accessdate=2007-09-25 }}
</ref><ref>
{{ UN document |docid=A-60-PV.69 |body=General Assembly |type=Verbotim Report |session=60 |meeting=69 |page=19 |anchor=pg019-bk05 |date=23 December 2005 |meetingtime=10:00 |speakername=The President |accessdate=2007-09-25 }}</ref> But in 2006 a divided [[United Nations General Assembly]] voted through a resolution that strongly called upon the government of Burma to end its systematic violations of human rights.<ref>{{ UN document |docid=A-61-PV.84 |body=General Assembly |type=Verbotim Report |session=61 |meeting=84 |page=14 |anchor=pg014-bk07 |date=22 December 2006 |meetingtime=10:00 |accessdate=2007-09-25 }}</ref>

In January 2007, [[Russia]] and [[People's Republic of China|China]] vetoed a draft resolution before the [[United Nations Security Council]]<ref name="UN_S200714">{{UN document |docid=S-2007-14 |type=Document |body=Security Council |year=2007 |document_number=14 |accessdate=2007-09-25| date=12 January 2007}}</ref> calling on the government of Myanmar to respect human rights and begin a democratic transition. [[South Africa]] also voted against the resolution, arguing that since there were no peace and security concerns raised by its neighbours, the question did not belong in the Security Council when there were other more appropriate bodies to represent it, adding, "Ironically, should the Security Council adopt [this resolution] ... the [[Human Rights Council]] would not be able to address the situation in Myanmar while the Council remains seized with the matter."<ref>{{ UN document |docid=S-PV-5619 |body=Security Council |type=Verbotim Report |meeting=5619 |page=3 |anchor=pg003-bk01 |date=12 January 2007 |meetingtime=16:00 |speakername=Mr. Kumalo | speakernation=South Africa |accessdate=2007-09-25 }}</ref> The issue had been forced onto the agenda against the votes of [[Russia]] and the [[People's Republic of China|China]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/burmese/highlights/story/2006/09/060918_unsc_agenda_burma.shtml |title=UN Security Council to include Burma in its agenda |publisher=BBC News|date=18 September 2006 |accessdate=2006-11-17 }}</ref> by the [[United States]] ([[United Nations Security Council veto power|veto power]] applies only to resolutions) claiming that the outflow from Burma of refugees, drugs, HIV-AIDS, and other diseases threatened international peace and security.<ref>{{ UN document |docid=S-PV-5526 |body=Security Council |type=Verbotim Report |meeting=5526 |page=3 |anchor=pg003-bk02 |date=15 September 2006 |meetingtime=13:35 |speakername=Mr. Bolton | speakernation=United States |accessdate=2007-09-25 }}</ref>

The following September after the uprisings began and the human rights situation deteriorated, the Secretary-General dispatched his special envoy for the region, [[Ibrahim Gambari]], to meet with the government.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=23992|title=Ban Ki-moon dispatches Myanmar envoy to region as situation worsens|date=26 September 2007|publisher=United Nations}}</ref> After seeing most parties involved, he returned to New York and briefed the [[Security Council]] about his visit.<ref>{{ UN document |docid=S-PV-5753 |body=Security Council |type=Verbotim Report |meeting=5753 |page=3 |anchor=pg003-bk02 |date=5 October 2007 |meetingtime=10:00 |speakername=Mr. Gambari | speakernation=Special Envoy of the Secretary-General |accessdate=2007-10-09 }}</ref> During this meeting, the ambassador said that the country "indeed [has experienced] a daunting challenge. However, we have been able to restore stability. The situation has now returned to normalcy. Currently, people all over the country are holding peaceful rallies within the bounds of the law to welcome the successful conclusion of the national convention, which has laid down the fundamental principles for a [[New Burmese Constitution| new constitution]], and to demonstrate their aversion to recent provocative demonstrations.<ref>{{ UN document |docid=S-PV-5753 |body=Security Council |type=Verbotim Report |meeting=5753 |page=17 |anchor=pg017-bk02-pa04 |date=5 October 2007 |meetingtime=10:00 |speakername=Mr. Swe | speakernation=Myanmar |accessdate=2007-10-09 }}</ref>

On 11 October the Security Council met and issued a statement and reaffirmed its "strong and unwavering support for the Secretary-General's good offices mission", especially the work by [[Ibrahim Gambari]]<ref name="UN_SPV5757">{{UN document |docid=S-PV-5757 |type=Verbatim Report |body=Security Council |meeting=5757 |accessdate=2007-10-15|date=11 October 2007}}</ref> (During a briefing to the Security Council in November, Gambari admitted that no timeframe had been set by the Government for any of the moves that he had been negotiating for.)<ref>{{ UN document |docid=S-PV-5777 |body=Security Council |type=Verbotim Report |meeting=5777 |page=2 |anchor=pg002-bk08-pa10 |date=13 November 2007 |speakername=Mr. Gambari |accessdate=2007-11-15 }}</ref>

Throughout this period the [[United Nations World Food Programme in Myanmar|World Food Program]] has continued to organize shipments from the [[Mandalay Division]] to the famine-struck areas to the north.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=24086|title=Myanmar: UN to resume delivering food in Mandalay District|date=30 September 2007|publisher=United Nations}}</ref>

==Human rights==
===Human rights violations===
In a press release of December 16, 2005 the US State Department says UN involvement in Burma is essential.<ref name="autogenerated1">[http://usinfo.state.gov/eap/Archive/2005/Dec/19-674976.html U.N. Involvement in Burma "Essential," State Department Says &ndash; US Department of State]</ref> The US listed illicit narcotics, human rights abuses and political repression as serious problems that the UN needs to address.<ref name="autogenerated1" />

In a landmark legal case, some human rights groups have sued the [[Unocal]] corporation, previously known as Union Oil of California and now part of the [[Chevron Corporation]]. They charge that since the early 1990s, Unocal has joined hands with dictators in Burma to turn thousands of citizens there into virtual slaves under brutality. Unocal, before being purchased, stated that they had no knowledge or connection to these alleged actions although it continued working in Burma. This was a landmark case as this might be the first time that anybody has sued an American corporation in a U.S. court on the grounds that the company violated human rights in another country.<ref>[http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/burma/ American Radio Works &ndash; Blood and Oil in Burma<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.burmalibrary.org/reg.burma/archives/199606/msg00327.html Burma oil campaign<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

===Karen minority===
{{main|Internal conflict in Burma}}
Evidence has been gathered suggesting that the Burmese regime has marked certain ethnic minorities such as the [[Karen people|Karen]] for extermination or 'Burmisation'.<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/burmamyanmar/1492726/Burma%27s-%27slow-genocide%27-is-revealed-through-the-eyes-of-its-child-victims.html Burma's 'slow genocide' is revealed through the eyes of its child victims] &ndash; Anton La Guardia, Telegraph, 24 June 2005</ref> This has received little attention from the international community, however, since it has been more subtle and indirect than the mass killings in places like [[Rwanda]].<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/burmamyanmar/1512149/New-evidence-backs-claims-of-genocide-in-Burma.html New evidence backs claims of genocide in Burma] &ndash; Mike Thomson, Telegraph, 4 March 2006</ref>

===State-sanctioned sex crimes===
Through minority regions, women and children of perceived enemy groups have been subject to mass rape campaigns by the military. This has been going on for decades but only in the last few years have more and more women been speaking out and thousands of first hand accounts have been documented by various exiled women's groups.<ref>[http://www.thewip.net/contributors/2008/06/rape_in_burma_a_weapon_of_war.html Rape in Burma: A Weapon of War] – Cheery Zahau, The Women's International Perspective, 2 June 2008 </ref> A 2002 report "Licence to Rape" authored by the Shan Women's Action Network and the Shan Human Rights Foundation assessed such incidents in Shan State. They reported that "83 percent of the rapes were committed by officers and that women who dared speak up were fined, detained, tortured or even killed."<ref> [http://www.womenenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2465 Burmese Women Expose Rapes by Military Regime] – Noelle Straub, Women's E News September 26, 2005 </ref> The 2007 report "Unsafe State" documents cases of rape by the military in Chin State, western Burma. These findings, when displayed on a map, clearly show that incidences of rape occur in dense clusters closest to army camps or anywhere there is heavy troop presence.<ref> http://www.freesuukyi.org/pp/UnsafeState.pdf Unsafe State 2007 </ref>

== Economy ==
{{main|Economy of Burma}}
[[Image:Sakura Tower, Yangon, Myanmar.jpg|thumb|220px|The Sakura Tower in Yangon is virtually vacant due to a lack of major foreign investment.]]

The country is one of the poorest nations in southeastern Asia, suffering from decades of stagnation, mismanagement and isolation. Burma's GDP grows at an average rate of 2.9% annually &ndash; the lowest rate of economic growth in the Greater [[Mekong]] Subregion.<ref name="CIA"/>

Under British administration and until the early 1960s, Burma was the wealthiest country in Southeast Asia. It was once the world's largest exporter of [[rice]]. During British administration, Burma supplied [[oil]] through the [[Burmah Oil Company Ltd.|Burmah Oil Company]]. Burma also had a wealth of natural and labor resources. It produced 75% of the world's [[teak]] and had a highly literate population.<ref name="steinberg"/> The country was believed to be on the fast track to development.<ref name="steinberg"/>

After a parliamentary government was formed in 1948, Prime Minister [[U Nu]] attempted to make Burma a [[welfare state]]. His administration adopted the Two-Year Economic Development Plan, which was a failure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/burma.htm |title=Political and Economic History of Myanmar (Burma) Economics |accessdate=2006-07-08|last=Watkins |first=Thayer |publisher=San José State University}}</ref> The 1962 coup d'état was followed by an economic scheme called the [[Burmese Way to Socialism]], a plan to nationalize all industries, with the exception of agriculture. In 1989, the government began decentralizing economic control. It has since liberalised certain sectors of the economy.<ref>{{cite book | author=Stephen Codrington | year=2005 | title=Planet geography | publisher =Solid Star Press | pages =559 | ID=ISBN 0-9579-8193-7}}</ref> Lucrative industries of gems, oil and forestry remain heavily regulated. They have recently been exploited by foreign [[corporations]] and governments which have partnered with the local government to gain access to Burma's [[natural resource]]s.
[[Image:Amarapuralocals.jpg|thumb|left|340px|Locals in [[Amarapura]], [[Mandalay Division]]]]
Burma was designated a [[least developed country]] in 1987.<ref>{{cite web|year=2005 |url=http://www.un.org/special-rep/ohrlls/ldc/list.htm |title=List of Least Developed Countries |publisher=UN-OHRLLS }}</ref> Private enterprises are often co-owned or indirectly owned by the [[Myanmar Armed Forces|Tatmadaw]]. In recent years, both [[People's Republic of China|China]] and [[India]] have attempted to strengthen ties with the government for economic benefit. Many nations, including the [[United States]] and [[Canada]], and the [[European Union]], have imposed investment and trade sanctions on Burma. Foreign investment comes primarily from [[People's Republic of China|China]], [[Singapore]], [[South Korea]], [[India]], and [[Thailand]].<ref>{{cite news | first =David | last =Fullbrook | url =http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/FK04Ae03.html | title =So long US, hello China, India | publisher =Asia Times |date=2004-11-04 | accessdate =2006-07-14}}</ref>

===Modern economy===
Today, the country lacks adequate infrastructure. Goods travel primarily across the [[Thailand|Thai]] border, where most illegal drugs are exported and along the [[Ayeyarwady River]]. Railroads are old and rudimentary, with few repairs since their construction in the late nineteenth century.<ref name="idea">{{cite web|url=http://www.idea.int/asia_pacific/burma/upload/chap3.pdf |title=Challenges to Democratization in Burma |accessdate=2006-07-12 |year=2001 |month=November |format=PDF |publisher=International IDEA}}</ref> Highways are normally unpaved, except in the major cities.<ref name="idea"/> Energy shortages are common throughout the country including in [[Yangon]]. Burma is also the world's second largest producer of [[opium]], accounting for 8% of entire world production and is a major source of [[illegal drug]]s, including [[amphetamines]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unodc.org/pdf/myanmar/myanmar_country_profile_2005.pdf |title=Myanmar Country Profile |accessdate=2006-07-09 |year=2005 |month=December |format=PDF |work=Office on Drugs and Crime | pages=5-6 | publisher=United Nations}}</ref> Other industries include agricultural goods, textiles, wood products, construction materials, gems, metals, oil and natural gas.

The major agricultural product is rice which covers about 60% of the country's total cultivated land area. Rice accounts for 97% of total food grain production by weight. Through collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute [[IRRI|(IRRI)]], 52 modern [[rice]] varieties were released in the country between 1966 and 1997, helping increase national rice production to 14 million tons in 1987 and to 19 million tons in 1996. By 1988, modern varieties were planted on half of the country's ricelands, including 98 percent of the irrigated areas.<ref> {{PDFlink|[http://www.irri.org/media/facts/pdfs/myanmar.pdf Myanmar and IRRI]|21.2 [[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 21800 bytes -->}}, Facts About Cooperation, International Rice Research Institute. Retrieved on [[2007-09-25]].</ref>

The lack of an educated workforce skilled in modern technology contributes to the growing problems of the economy.<ref>{{cite book | first=Ian | last=Brown | year=2005 | title=A Colonial Economy In Crisis | publisher =Routledge | id=ISBN 0-4153-0580-2}}</ref>

[[Inflation]] is a serious problem for the economy. In April 2007, the [[National League for Democracy]] organized a two-day workshop on the economy. The workshop concluded that skyrocketing inflation was impeding economic growth. "Basic commodity prices have increased from 30 to 60 percent since the military regime promoted a salary increase for government workers in April 2006," said Soe Win, the moderator of the workshop. "Inflation is also correlated with corruption." Myint Thein, an NLD spokesperson, added: "Inflation is the critical source of the current economic crisis."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=7064|title=High Inflation Impeding Burma's Economy, Says NLD |publisher=''[[The Irrawaddy]]''|date=[[2007-04-30]]|accessdate=2007-04-30}}</ref>
The corruption watchdog organization [[Transparency International]] in its 2007 [[Corruption Perceptions Index]] released on September 26, 2007 ranked Burma the most corrupt country in the world, tied with [[Somalia]].<ref>2007 CPI http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2007</ref>

===Valley of Rubies===
The Union of Myanmar's rulers depend on sales of precious stones such as [[sapphires]], [[pearls]] and [[jade]] to fund their regime. [[Rubies]] are the biggest earner; 90% of the world's [[rubies]] come from the country, whose red stones are prized for their [[purity]] and [[hue]]. [[Thailand]] buys the majority of the country's [[gems]]. Burma's "''Valley of Rubies''", the mountainous [[Mogok Township|Mogok]] area, 200 km (125 miles) north of [[Mandalay]], is noted for its rare pigeon's blood rubies and blue [[sapphires]].<ref>[http://www.uvm.edu/envnr/gemecology/index.html Gems of Burma and their Environmental Impact]</ref>

===Tourism===
Since 1992, the government has encouraged tourism in the country. However, fewer than 750,000 tourists enter the country annually.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.channelviewpublications.net/cit/006/0097/cit0060097.pdf |format=PDF |title=The Politics of Tourism in Myanmar |accessdate=2006-07-08|last=Henderson |first=Joan C. |publisher=[[Nanyang Technological University]]}}</ref>

[[Aung San Suu Kyi]] has requested that international tourists not visit Burma. The junta's forced labour programmes were focused around tourist destinations which have been heavily criticised for their human rights records.

Tourism has been promoted by a minority of advocacy groups as a method of providing economic benefit to Burmese civilians, and to avoid isolating the country from the rest of the world. "We believe that small-scale, responsible tourism can create more benefits than harm. So long as tourists are fully aware of the situation and take steps to maximise their positive impact and minimise the negatives, we feel their visit can be beneficial overall. Responsible tourists can help Burma primarily by bringing money to local communities and small businesses, and by raising awareness of the situation worldwide," states Voices for Burma, a pro-democracy advocate group.<ref>Voices For Burma's tourism policy http://www.voicesforburma.org/</ref>

===Humanitarian aid===
In April 2007, the U.S. [[Government Accountability Office]] (GAO) identified financial and other restrictions that the military government places on international humanitarian assistance. The GAO report, entitled "Assistance Programs Constrained in Burma", outlined the specific efforts of the government to hinder the humanitarian work of international organizations, including restrictions on the free movement of international staff within the country. The report notes that the regime has tightened its control over assistance work since former Prime Minister [[Khin Nyunt]] was purged in October 2004. The military junta passed guidelines in February 2006, which formalized these restrictive policies. According to the report, the guidelines require that programs run by humanitarian groups "enhance and safeguard the national interest" and that international organizations coordinate with state agents and select their Burmese staff from government-prepared lists of individuals. [[United Nations]] officials have declared these restrictions unacceptable.

===2007 economic protests===
The military junta detained eight people on Sunday, April 22, 2007 who took part in a rare demonstration in a Yangon suburb amid a growing military crackdown on protesters. A group of about ten protesters carrying placards and chanting slogans staged the protest Sunday morning in Yangon's Thingangyun township, calling for lower prices and improved health, education and better utility services. The protest ended peacefully after about 70 minutes, but plainclothes police took away eight demonstrators as some 100 onlookers watched. The protesters carried placards with slogans such as "Down with consumer prices." Some of those detained were the same protesters who took part in a downtown Yangon protest on February 22, 2007. That protest was one of the first such demonstrations in recent years to challenge the junta's economic mismanagement rather than its legal right to rule. The protesters detained in the February rally had said they were released after signing an acknowledgment of police orders that they should not hold any future public demonstrations without first obtaining official permission.<ref>{{cite news|title=Eight demonstrators detained for rare protest in military-ruled Myanmar |publisher=International Herald Tribune|date=[[2007-04-22]] |accessdate=2007-04-23 }}</ref>

The military government stated its intention to crack down on these human rights activists, according to an April 23, 2007, report in the country's official press. The announcement, which comprised a full page of the official newspaper, followed calls by human rights advocacy groups, including London-based [[Amnesty International]], for authorities to investigate recent violent attacks on rights activists in the country.

Many people {{Who|date=October 2008}} still believe that Buddhist monks still dominate the land in Burma. However the humanitarian issues that arose in the 1950s have eased off and its now understood that there are more female monks than male.{{Fact|date=October 2008}}

With the growth of other religions in the country, tourism has picked up too. Tourism has been promoted by a minority of advocacy groups as a method of providing economic benefit to Burmese civilians, and to avoid isolating the country from the rest of the world. "We believe that small-scale, responsible tourism can create more benefits than harm. So long as tourists are fully aware of the situation and take steps to maximise their positive impact and minimise the negatives, we feel their visit can be beneficial overall. Responsible tourists can help Burma primarily by bringing money to local communities and small businesses, and by raising awareness of the situation worldwide," states Voices for Burma, a pro-democracy advocate group.{{Fact|date=October 2008}}

The reported trouble between most religions has set to slide after several hundred (possibly 2000 or more) monks staged a [[2007 Burmese anti-government protest march]] in the city of Sittwe.{{Fact|date=October 2008}}

Two members of [[Human Rights Defenders and Promoters]], Maung Maung Lay, 37, and Myint Naing, 40, were hospitalized with head injuries following attacks by more than 50 people while the two were working in Hinthada township, Irrawaddy Division in mid-April. On Sunday, April 22, 2007, eight people were arrested by plainclothes police, members of the pro-junta Union Solidarity and Development Association, and the Pyithu Swan Arr Shin (a paramilitary group) while demonstrating peacefully in a Rangoon suburb. The eight protesters were calling for lower commodity prices, better health-care and improved utility services. Htin Kyaw, 44, one of the eight who also took part in an earlier demonstration in late February in downtown Yangon, was beaten by a mob, according to sources at the scene of the protest.{{Fact|date=October 2008}}

Reports from opposition activists have emerged in recent weeks saying that authorities have directed the police and other government proxy groups to deal harshly with any sign of unrest in Yangon. "This proves that there is no rule of law [in Burma]," the 88 Generation Students group said in a statement issued today.[Mon 23 April 2007] "We seriously urge the authorities to prevent violence in the future and to guarantee the safety of every citizen."<ref>[http://www.burmanet.org/news/2007/04/23/irrawaddy-burma%e2%80%99s-junta-vows-to-crack-down-on-human-rights-activists-yeni/#more-7395 Irrawaddy: Burma's junta vows to crack down on human rights activists-Yeni] BurmaNet News, [[2007-04-23]], accessed 2007-04-23</ref>

As of 22 September 2007, the Buddhist monks have withdrawn spiritual services from all military personnel in a symbolic move that is seen as very powerful in such a deeply religious country as Burma. The military rulers seem at a loss as to how to deal with the demonstrations by the monks as using violence against monks would incense and enrage the people of Burma even further, almost certainly prompting massive civil unrest and perhaps violence. However, the longer the junta allows the protests to continue, the weaker the regime looks. The danger is that eventually the military government will be forced to act rashly and doing so will provoke the citizenry even more. Some international news agencies are referring to the uprising as a [[Saffron Revolution]].

=== 2007 anti-government protests ===
{{main|2007 Burmese anti-government protests}}
Anti-government protests started on August 15, 2007, and have been ongoing. Thousands of [[Buddhist monks]] started leading protests on September 18, and were joined by Buddhist nuns on September 23. On September 24, 20,000 monks and nuns led 30,000 people in a protest march from the golden [[Shwedagon Pagoda]] in [[Yangon]], past the offices of the opposition [[National League for Democracy]] (NLD) party. Comedian [[Zaganar]] and star Kyaw Thu brought food and water to the monks. On September 22, monks marched to greet [[Aung San Suu Kyi]], a peace activist who has been under [[house arrest]] since 1990.<ref>[http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ivO0AtyBkmFxEVb3xG3xpzLlpGIQ Afp.google.com, 30,000 rally as Myanmar monks' protest gathers steam]</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Myanmar.html?_r=1&oref=slogin |title=Tens of Thousands Said to March in Myanmar's Main City |publisher=THE ASSOCIATED PRESS|date=[[2007-09-24]] |accessdate=2007-09-24 }}</ref>
[[Image:2007 Myanmar protests 7.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Protesters in [[Yangon]] with a banner that reads ''non-violence: national movement'' in [[Burmese language|Burmese]], in the background is [[Shwedagon Pagoda]]]]

On September 25, 2,000 people defied threats from the Union of Myanmar's junta and marched to Shwedagon Pagoda amid army trucks and warning of Brigadier-General Thura Myint Maung not to violate Buddhist "rules and regulations."<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/burma/story/0,,2176691,00.html Troops sent in as Burmese protesters defy junta's threats | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The following morning, various prominent protesters were arrested and troops barricaded Shwedagon Pagoda and attacked the 700 people within. Despite this, 5,000 monks continued to protest in Yangon. At least four deaths were reported after security forces fired on the crowds in Yangon. The junta announced that ten people had died in the crackdown on 27 September 2007 but foreign diplomatic sources in Yangon said more than ten Buddhist monks and demonstrators were dead. Later a badly-beaten Buddhist monk's body was found in Yangon River. A photo was released on an [http://www.dvb.no/ Internet site] run by a Norway-based group of exiled journalists. On September 27, security forces began raiding monasteries and arresting monks throughout the country. The security forces also fired on the nearly 50,000 people protesting in Yangon, killing nine people.<ref>{{cite news|title=Soldater dræber ni i Myanmar|publisher=[[Politiken]]|date=2007-09-27|url=http://politiken.dk/udland/article386278.ece|accessdate=2007-09-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Japansk fotograf dræbt i Myanmar|publisher=[[TV2 (Denmark)]]|date=2007-09-27|url=http://nyhederne.tv2.dk/article.php/id-8769851.html?forside|accessdate=2007-09-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=ミャンマーで邦人カメラマン死亡...デモ取材中の長井健司さん|publisher=Sankei Sports|date=2007-09-28|url=http://www.sanspo.com/shakai/top/sha200709/sha2007092801.html|accessdate=2007-09-28}}</ref>

Internet access within the nation has been suspended, reportedly in an attempt to dampen international awareness of the situation.<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/burma-cuts-web-access/2007/09/28/1190486554032.html SMH.com.au &ndash; Burma cuts web access]</ref> It has also been reported that troops have been specifically targeting people with cameras.<ref>[http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=8787 Two Shot in Clash with Troops; People with Cameras Singled Out The Irrawaddy [[September 28]], 2007]</ref> The junta's violent response to peaceful protests has prompted international condemnation and calls for an immediate halt to the violence. In particular, [[Prime Minister of Japan|Japanese Prime Minister]] [[Yasuo Fukuda]] has demanded an explanation for the killing of [[Kenji Nagai]]. [[Ibrahim Gambari]], the [[United Nations]] special envoy to Burma, has arrived in Naypyidaw and has met with junta leaders and Aung San Suu Kyi.<ref>[http://www.mizzima.com/MizzimaNews/News/2007/Sep/today-demonstration.html Breaking News &ndash; Gambari meets Daw Aung San Suu Kyi] ''Mizzima News'' September 30, 2007.</ref> Despite increasingly strong calls for peace, the junta continued to attack monks and raid monasteries through October 1.<ref>[http://in.reuters.com/article/southAsiaNews/idINIndia-29796020071001 Army barricades lifted around key Myanmar temple] ''Reuters, India'' October 1, 2007.</ref>

By October 2, 2007, thousands of monks were unaccounted for and their whereabouts unknown. Many monasteries are being patrolled by government troops.<ref>http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article3018349.ece] Independent (London) 2 October 2007.</ref> There are eyewitness accounts of injured protesters being burned alive by the military regime in a crematorium on the outskirts of Rangoon.<ref>[http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/index2.html Audio file describing atrocities committed by the military regime, in Burmese with English translation] [[U.S. Campaign for Burma]] website, September 29, 2007.</ref>

On October 31, 2007 the monks started to protest again. 200 monks marched in Pakokku.<ref>http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20071031/tpl-uk-myanmar-monks-43a8d4f_4.html</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7070551.stm BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Monks return to streets of Burma<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

On November 29, 2007 the Junta has shut down a Yangon monastery which served as a hospice for HIV/AIDS patients.

The Burmese state media says that all but 91 of the nearly 3,000 arrested in the crackdown were released. The [[United Nations]] special envoy Ibrahim Gambari criticised the closing of the monastery, yet was assured that the crackdown would stop. He expects to return to Burma in December.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-myanmar-monastery.html</ref>

== Demographics ==
{{main|Demographics of Burma|Ethnic groups in Burma}}
[[Image:Downtownflatsyangon.jpg|thumb|220px|left|A block of flats in downtown Yangon, facing [[Bogyoke Market]]. Much of Yangon's urban population resides in densely-populated flats.]]

Burma has a population of about 55 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unescap.org/esid/psis/population/popin/profiles/myn.asp |title= POPULATION AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION SECTION (PSIS) |publisher=UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific }}</ref> Current population figures are rough estimates because the last partial census, conducted by the Ministry of Home and Religious Affairs under the control of the military junta, was taken in 1983.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs/Considered_responses-2.pdf | title=Conflict and Displacement in Karenni: The Need for Considered Responses |accessdate=2006-07-13 |year=2000 | month=May | format=PDF |publisher=Burma Ethnic Research Group}}</ref> No trustworthy nationwide census has been taken in Burma since 1931. There are over 600,000 registered [[migrant worker]]s from Burma in [[Thailand]], and millions more work illegally. Burmese migrant workers account for 80% of Thailand's migrant workers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA390012005 |title=Thailand: The Plight of Burmese Migrant Workers |accessdate=2006-07-13 |date=2006-06-08 |publisher=Amnesty International}}</ref> Burma has a [[population density]] of {{PD km2 to sq mi|75|precision=0|spell=UK}}, one of the lowest in [[Southeast Asia]]. Refugee camps exist along Indian, Bangladeshi and Thai borders while several thousand are in [[Malaysia]]. Conservative estimates state that there are over 295,800 refugees from Burma, with the majority being [[Rohingya]], [[Karen people|Kayin]], and [[Kayah State|Karenni]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/publ/opendoc.pdf?tbl=PUBL&id=449676844 | title=Myanmar Refugees in South East Asia |accessdate=2006-07-13 |year=2006 | month=April | format=PDF |publisher=UNHCR}}</ref>

[[Image:Karen Padaung Girl Portrait.jpg|thumb|220px|A girl from the [[Kayan (Burma)|Padaung]] minority, one of the many ethnic groups that make up Burma's population.]]

Burma is home to four major linguistic families: [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan]], [[Tai-Kadai languages|Tai-Kadai]], [[Austro-Asiatic languages|Austro-Asiatic]], and [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=MM |title=Languages of Myanmar |accessdate=2006-07-14 |last=Gordon |first=Raymond G., Jr. |year=2005 |publisher=SIL International}}</ref> Sino-Tibetan languages are most widely spoken. They include [[Burmese language|Burmese]], [[Karen people|Karen]], [[Jingpo|Kachin]], [[Chin people|Chin]], and [[Chinese language|Chinese]]. The primary Tai-Kadai language is [[Shan language|Shan]]. [[Mon language|Mon]], [[Palaung]], and [[Va people|Wa]] are the major [[Austroasiatic]] languages spoken in Burma. The two major Indo-European languages are [[Pāli|Pali]], the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism, and [[English language|English]].<ref name="ethno">{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=90150 |title=Language Family Trees: Sino-Tibetan |accessdate=2006-07-09 |last=Gordon |first=Raymond G., Jr. |year=2005 |work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition |publisher=SIL International}}</ref>

According to the [[UNESCO]] Institute of Statistics, Burma's official [[literacy rate]] as of 2000 was 89.9%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uis.unesco.org/TEMPLATE/html/Exceltables/education/Literacy_Regional_April2006.xls |title=Adult (15+) Literacy Rates and Illiterate Population by Region and Gender for |accessdate=2006-07-13 |year=2006 |month=April |format=XLS |publisher=UNESCO Institute of Statistics}}</ref> Historically, Burma has had high literacy rates. To qualify for [[least developed country]] status by the UN in order to receive debt relief, Burma lowered its official literacy rate from 78.6% to 18.7% in 1987.<ref>{{cite book | editor=Robert I Rotberg | year=1998 | title=Burma: Prospects for a Democratic Future }}</ref>

Burma is ethnically diverse. The government recognizes [[List of ethnic groups in Myanmar|135 distinct ethnic groups]]. While it is extremely difficult to verify this statement, there are at least 108 different ethnolinguistic groups in Burma, consisting mainly of distinct Tibeto-Burman peoples, but with sizable populations of Daic, Hmong-Mien, and Austroasiatic (Mon-Khmer) peoples.<ref name="ethnologue_myanmar">{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=MM |title=Languages of Myanmar |accessdate=2007-01-13 |last=Gordon |first=Raymond G., Jr. |year=2005 |work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition |publisher=SIL International}}</ref> The [[Bamar]] form an estimated 68% of the population.<ref name="statedept"/> 10% of the population are [[Shan]].<ref name="statedept"/> The [[Karen people|Kayin]] make up 7% of the population.<ref name="statedept"/> The [[Rakhine people]] constitute 4% of the population. [[Burmese Chinese|Overseas Chinese]] form approximately 3% of the population.<ref>{{cite book | author=Mya Than | editor=Leo Suryadinata | year=1997 | title=Ethnic Chinese As Southeast Asians | id=ISBN}}</ref><ref name="statedept"/> [[Mon people|Mon]], who form 2% of the population, are ethno-linguistically related to the [[Khmer people|Khmer]].<ref name="statedept"/> [[Burmese Indians|Overseas Indians]] comprise 2%.<ref name="statedept"/> The remainder are [[Jingpo|Kachin]], [[Chin people|Chin]], [[Anglo-Indian]]s and other ethnic minorities. Included in this group are the [[Anglo-Burmese]]. Once forming a large and influential community, the Anglo-Burmese left the country in steady streams from 1958 onwards, principally to [[Australia]] and the [[United Kingdom|U.K.]]. Today, it is estimated that only 52,000 Anglo-Burmese remain in the country.

89% of the country's population are Buddhist, according to a report on abc World News Tonight in May 2008.

== Culture ==
{{main|Culture of Burma}}
[[Image:Earpiercingceremony.jpg|thumb|220px|An ear-piercing ceremony at the Mahamuni Pagoda in [[Mandalay]] is one of the many coming-of-age ceremonies in Burmese culture.]]

A diverse range of indigenous cultures exist in Burma, the majority culture is primarily [[Buddhism in Burma|Buddhist]] and [[Bamar]]. Bamar culture has been influenced by the cultures of neighbouring countries. This is manifested in its language, cuisine, music, dance and theatre. The arts, particularly literature, have historically been influenced by the local form of [[Theravada]] [[Buddhism]]. Considered the national epic of Burma, the ''[[Yama Zatdaw]],'' an adaptation of ''[[Ramayana]],'' has been influenced greatly by [[Thailand|Thai]], [[Mon people|Mon]], and [[Republic of India|Indian]] versions of the play.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goldenlandpages.com/hotspots/rama/rama.htm |title=Ramayana in Myanmar's heart |accessdate=2006-07-13 |date=2003-09-13 |publisher=Goldenland Pages}}</ref> Buddhism is practiced along with [[nat (spirit)|nat worship]] which involves elaborate rituals to propitiate one from a pantheon of 37 nats.<ref>{{cite book | first=R.C. | last=Temple| year=1906 | title=The Thirty-seven Nats-A Phase of Spirit-Worship prevailing in Burma}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://myanmartravelinformation.com/mti-myanmar-religion/nats.htm|title=The Worshipping of Nats &ndash; The Special Festival of Mount Popa}}</ref>

In a traditional village, the monastery is the centre of cultural life. Monks are venerated and supported by the lay people. A novitiation ceremony called [[shinbyu]] is the most important [[coming of age]] events for a boy when he enters the monastery for a short period of time.<ref name="kmc">{{cite book | author=Khin Myo Chit | authorlink=Khin Myo Chit | year=1980 | title=Flowers and Festivals Round the Burmese Year }}</ref> All boys of Buddhist family need to be a novice (beginner for Buddhism) before the age of twenty and to be a monk after the age of twenty. It is compulsory for all boys of Buddhism. The duration can be as little as one week. Girls have ear-piercing ceremonies ([[Image:Nathwin.gif]]) at the same time.<ref name="kmc" /> Burmese culture is most evident in villages where local festivals are held throughout the year, the most important being the pagoda festival.<ref name="Myam-ma">{{cite book | author=Tsaya | year=1886 | title=Myam-ma, the home of the Burman | publisher =Thacker, Spink and Co. | location =Calcutta | pages = 36-37 }}</ref><ref name="sy">{{cite book|author=Shway Yoe|year=1882|title=The Burman &ndash; His Life and Notions|publisher=Norton Library 1963|location=New York|pages=211-216,317-319}}</ref> Many villages have a guardian nat, and superstition and taboos are commonplace.

British colonial rule also introduced Western elements of culture to Burma. Burma's educational system is modelled after that of the [[United Kingdom]]. Colonial architectural influences are most evident in major cities such as [[Yangon]].<ref>{{cite news | first =Steven | last =Martin | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3578993.stm | title =Burma maintains bygone buildings | publisher =BBC News |date= March 2004 | accessdate =2006-07-09 }}</ref> Many ethnic minorities, particularly the [[Karen people|Karen]] in the southeast, and the [[Kachin]] and [[Chin]] who populate the north and northwest, practice [[Christianity]].<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.archive.org/details/TheSilkenEast|title=The Silken East &ndash; A Record of Life and Travel in Burma|first=V. C.|last=Scott O'Connor|year=1904|publisher=Kiscadale|location= Scotland 1993|pages=32}}</ref>

[[Image:Young monk.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Members of the [[Sangha|Buddhist monkhood]] are venerated throughout Burma, which is one of the most predominantly [[Theravada|Theravada Buddhist]] countries in the world.]]

=== Language ===
{{main|Languages of Burma}}
[[Burmese language|Burmese]], the mother tongue of the Bamar and official language of Burma, is related to [[Tibetan language|Tibetan]] and to the [[Chinese language]]s.<ref name="ethno"/> It is written in a [[Burmese script|script]] consisting of circular and semi-circular letters, which were adapted from the [[Mon language|Mon script]], which in turn was developed from a southern Indian script in the 700s. The earliest known inscriptions in the Burmese script date from the 1000s. It is also used to write [[Pāli|Pali]], the sacred language of [[Theravada Buddhism]], as well as several ethnic minority languages, including Shan, several Karen dialects, and Kayah (Karenni), with the addition of specialised characters and [[diacritic]]s for each language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lwinmoe.friendsofburma.org/doc/myanmar_extension.pdf |title=Proposal for encoding characters for Myanmar minority languages in the UCS |accessdate=2006-07-09 |date=2006-04-02 |format=PDF |publisher=International Organization for Standardization}}</ref> The Burmese language incorporates widespread usage of [[honorific]]s and is age-oriented.<ref name="Myam-ma" /> Burmese society has traditionally stressed the importance of education. In villages, secular schooling often takes place in [[monastery|monasteries]]. [[Secondary education|Secondary]] and [[tertiary education]] take place at government schools.

===Religion===
{{main|Religion in Burma|Buddhism in Burma|Christianity in Burma|Islam in Burma|History of the Jews in Burma}}
Many religions are practiced in Burma and religious edifices and religious orders have been in existence for many years and religious festivals can be held on a grand scale. The Christian and Muslim populations do, however, face religious persecution and it is hard, if not impossible, for non-Buddhists to join the army or get government jobs, the main route to success in the country.<ref>"Ethnic and Religious Diversity: Myanmar's Unfolding Nemesis", Matthews, Bruce, Institute of South East Asian Studies, Visiting Researcher Series, Volume 2001, No. 3. 2001.</ref> Such persecution and targeting of civilians is particularly notable in Eastern Burma, where over 3000 villages have been destroyed in the past ten years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tbbc.org/resources.html#reports |title=Internal Displacement in Eastern Burma 2006 Survey | accessdate=2007-02-04 | author=Thailand Burma Border Consortium | year=2007}}</ref><ref name=priestly>{{cite news |first=Harry |last=Priestly |url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=5380 |title=The Outsiders |publisher=''[[The Irrawaddy]]'' |date=2006-01-17 |accessdate=2006-07-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://isrc.payap.ac.th/document/papers/paper23.pdf |title=The Encounter of Missionary Christianity and Resurgent Buddhism in Post-colonial Myanmar |accessdate=2006-07-14 |author=Samuel Ngun Ling |year=2003 |format=PDF |publisher=Payap University }}</ref>

Eighty-nine percent of the population embraces [[Buddhism]] (mostly [[Theravada]]), but other religions can be practiced freely. Four percent of the population practices [[Christianity]]; 4 percent, [[Islam]]; 1 percent, traditional [[animism|animistic]] beliefs; and 2 percent follow other religions, including [[Mahayana Buddhism]], [[Hinduism]], [[Chinese religions]] and the [[Bahá'í Faith|Bahá'í religion]].<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bm.html#People CIA Factbook &ndash; Burma]</ref><ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90131.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2007 &ndash; Burma]</ref><ref>[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35910.htm Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs &ndash; Background Note: Burma]</ref> However, according to a [[U.S. State Department]]’s 2006 international religious freedom report, official statistics underestimate the non-Buddhist population which could be as high as 30%. Muslim leaders estimated that approximately 20 percent of the population was Muslim. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71335.htm |title=Burma—International Religious Freedom Report 2006 |publisher=U.S. Department of State |date=[[2006-09-15]] |accessdate=2007-09-25}}</ref>

===Education===
{{main|Education in Burma}}
[[Image:MCbuilding.jpg|thumb|right|260px|[[Yangon University of Medicine 1]]]]
[[Image:YgnUcsy.jpg|thumb|right|260px|[[Yangon University of Computer Studies]]]]

The educational system of Burma is operated by the government Ministry of Education. Universities and professional institutes from upper Burma and lower Burma are run by two separate entities, the Department of Higher Education of Upper Burma and the Department of Higher Education of Lower Burma. Headquarters are based in Yangon and Mandalay respectively. The education system is based on the United Kingdom's system, due to nearly a century of British and Christian presences in Burma. Nearly all schools are government-operated, but there has been a recent increase in privately funded English language schools. Schooling is compulsory until the end of elementary school, probably about 9 years old, while the compulsory schooling age is 15 or 16 at international level.

There are 101 universities, 12 institutes, 9 degree colleges and 24 colleges in Burma, a total of 146 higher education institutions.<ref>Chronicle of National Development Comparison Between Period Preceding 1988 and after (up to 31.12.2006)</ref>

There are 10 Technical Training Schools, 23 nursing training schools, 1 sport academy and 20 midwifery schools.

There are 2047 Basic Education High Schools, 2605 Basic Education Middle Schools, 29944 Basic Education Primary Schools and 5952 Post Primary Schools. 1692 multimedia classrooms exist within this system.

There is one international school which is acknowledged by WASC and College Board - [[Yangon International Educare Center]]([[YIEC]]) in Yangon.
{{clear}}

==Media==
{{Main|Media of Burma}}

Due to Burma's political climate, there are not many media companies in relation to the country's population, although a certain number exists. Some are privately owned, but all have to go through the censorship board.

==Notes==
<!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags-->
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
*http://my.wikipedia.org/ Myanmar Wikipedia Official Site (Burmese language)
*[http://www.burmanet.org/news/ BurmaNet News]
*http://www.burmadisaster.com/ Burma news including eyewitness accounts and pictures of the Burma cyclone disaster.
*[http://www.myanmar.gov.mm/ myanmar.gov.mm]
{{sisterlinks|Burma}}
{{Wikinews}}
*[http://www.burmalibrary.org/ Online Burma/Myanmar Library: Classified and annotated links to more than 17,000 full-text documents on Burma/Myanmar]
*[http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=9875 Selection of documents pertinent to Burmese independence]
*{{dmoz|Regional/Asia/Myanmar/|Myanmar}}
*[http://www.mizzima.com Mizzima News in English, New Delhi based News Organization formed by Burmese journalists in exile]
*[http://www.commerce.gov.mm/ News, information, journals, magazines related to Myanmar business and commerce]
*[http://www.myanmartradenet.com/ Myanmar Commerce Online Licence Services, Information Services website]
*[http://www.elibrary.com.mm/ Online "Myanmar e-Library"]
*[http://www.khitlunge.org.mm/ News and information (in Burmese) on the country]
*{{CIA World Factbook link|bm|Burma}}
*{{wikitravel|Myanmar}}
*[http://www.mandalaygazette.com/ MandalayGazette, California-based English online newspaper for Burmese in North America]
*[http://www.dvb.no/ Democratic Voice of Burma, Norway-based website]
*[http://www.myanmar.org.uk/ UK-based news website dedicated to the country]
*[http://irrawaddy.org/ Thailand-based news website dedicated to Burma and Southeast Asia]
*[http://www.rohingya.org Arakan Rohingya National Organisation]
*[http://arcc-online.eu Arakan Rohingya co-operation council europe]
*[http://www.nybooks.com/articles/article-preview?article_id=21032 The Revolt of the Monks]
*[http://www.mrtv3.net.mm/ MRTV-3 Television website]
*[http://www.flysat.com/tv-mm.php Burma Television channels (flysat)]
*[http://www.freesuukyi.org/womensrights/ Women's Rights in Burma, A collection of documents and artcles on women's struggles]
*[http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/05/06/bpr.myanmar.conditions.villarosa.cnn?iref=videosearch/ News report explaining how the 2008 cylcone happened]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7393565.stm BBC, In pictures: Burmese aid crisis]

=== Social organizations and NGOs ===
*http://www.burmacharity.org.uk/ for[[Humanitarian Aid Charity for Burmese people]]
*http://www.abcdnetwork.org.au/ for[[Australia Burma Community Development Network]]
*http://www.aucampaignforburma.org for[[AU CAMPAIGN FOR BURMA]]
*http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/
*http://www.burmaitcantwait.org/burmaitcantwait/ for[[US CAMPAIGN FOR BURMA]]
*http://www.foundationburma.org for [[Foundation for the People of Burma]] &ndash; administered by volunteers for direct humanitarian aid
*http://www.actionagainsthunger.org [[Ending Hunger - creating sustainable livelihoods]]
*http://www.usda.org.mm for [[Union Solidarity and Development Association]]
*http://www.mwaf.org.mm for [[Burmese Women's Affairs Federation]]
*http://www.ccdac.gov.mm for [[The Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control]]
*http://www.mcf.org.mm [[Burmese Computer Federation]]
*http://www.mcpa.org.mm [[Burmese Computer Professionals Association]]
*http://www.mcia.org.mm [[Burmese Computer Industry Association]]
*http://www.mosamyanmar.org [[Burmese Overseas Seafarers Association]]
*http://www.umfcci.com.mm [[Burmese Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry]]
*http://www.mmcwa.org [[Burmese Maternal and Child Welfare Association]]
*http://www.gchope.org [[Giving Children Hope]] emergency disaster relief

{{Burma (Myanmar) topics}}
{{Template group
|title = Geographic locale
|list =
{{Countries and territories of Southeast Asia}}
{{Sino-Tibetan-speaking}}
{{Austronesian-speaking}}
}}
{{Template group
|title = International membership and history
|list =
{{Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)}}
{{East Asia Summit (EAS)}}
{{Countries of Asia}}
}}

<!--Metadata-->
{{coord|22|N|96|E|type:country_region:MM|display=title}}

<!--Categories-->
[[Category:Burma| ]]
[[Category:Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states]]
[[Category:Military dictatorship]]
[[Category:Least Developed Countries]]
[[Category:Former British colonies]]

{{Link FA|hr}}
{{Link FA|it}}
<!--Interwikis-->
[[af:Mianmar]]
[[als:Myanmar]]
[[ar:ميانمار]]
[[an:Myanmar]]
[[frp:Birmanie]]
[[ast:Myanmar]]
[[az:Myanma]]
[[bn:মায়ানমার]]
[[zh-min-nan:Biān-tián]]
[[map-bms:Myanmar]]
[[be:М'янма]]
[[be-x-old:М'янма]]
[[bo:འབར་མ]]
[[bs:Mijanmar]]
[[br:Myanmar]]
[[bg:Мианмар]]
[[ca:Myanmar]]
[[cv:Мьянма]]
[[ceb:Myanmar]]
[[cs:Myanmar]]
[[cy:Myanmar]]
[[da:Burma]]
[[de:Myanmar]]
[[dv:ބަރުމާ]]
[[dz:མེ་མར་]]
[[et:Birma]]
[[el:Μιανμάρ]]
[[es:Birmania]]
[[eo:Birmo]]
[[eu:Myanmar]]
[[fa:میانمار]]
[[fo:Burma]]
[[fr:Birmanie]]
[[fy:Birma]]
[[ga:Maenmar]]
[[gv:Myanmar]]
[[gd:Mianmar]]
[[gl:Myanmar - ဴမန္မာ]]
[[hak:Mién-thien]]
[[ko:미얀마]]
[[hy:Մյանմար]]
[[hi:म्यान्मार]]
[[hsb:Burma]]
[[hr:Mjanma]]
[[io:Myanmar]]
[[ilo:Myanmar]]
[[bpy:মায়ানমার]]
[[id:Myanmar]]
[[ia:Myanmar]]
[[ie:Myanmar]]
[[os:Мьянмæ]]
[[is:Mjanmar]]
[[it:Birmania]]
[[he:מיאנמר]]
[[jv:Myanmar]]
[[pam:Myanmar]]
[[ka:მიანმარი]]
[[ks:म्‍यन्मार]]
[[csb:Myanmar]]
[[kk:Мианма]]
[[kw:Byrmani]]
[[ky:Мьянма]]
[[sw:Myanmar]]
[[ht:Bimani]]
[[ku:Myanmar]]
[[la:Birmania]]
[[lv:Mjanma]]
[[lb:Myanmar]]
[[lt:Mianmaras]]
[[lij:Myanmar]]
[[li:Burma]]
[[hu:Mianmar]]
[[mk:Мјанмар]]
[[ml:മ്യാന്‍‌മാര്‍]]
[[mr:म्यानमार]]
[[ms:Myanmar]]
[[my:မြန်မာပြည်]]
[[nah:Mianma]]
[[nl:Myanmar]]
[[ne:म्यानमार]]
[[ja:ミャンマー]]
[[no:Burma]]
[[nn:Myanmar]]
[[nov:Myanmar]]
[[oc:Birmania]]
[[uz:Birma]]
[[ps:ماينامار(برما)]]
[[km:មីយ៉ាន់ម៉ា]]
[[pms:Myanmar]]
[[nds:Myanmar]]
[[pl:Birma]]
[[pt:Myanmar]]
[[crh:Myanmar]]
[[ksh:Müjanmaar]]
[[ro:Birmania]]
[[qu:Myanmar]]
[[ru:Мьянма]]
[[se:Burma]]
[[sa:म्यन्मार]]
[[sq:Birmania]]
[[scn:Myanmar]]
[[simple:Myanmar]]
[[sk:Mjanmarsko]]
[[sl:Mjanmar]]
[[szl:Birma]]
[[sr:Мјанмар]]
[[sh:Mianmar]]
[[su:Myanmar]]
[[fi:Myanmar]]
[[sv:Burma]]
[[tl:Myanmar]]
[[ta:மியான்மார்]]
[[te:మయన్మార్]]
[[tet:Birmánia]]
[[th:ประเทศพม่า]]
[[vi:Myanma]]
[[tg:Мянма]]
[[tr:Myanmar]]
[[tk:Mýanma]]
[[udm:Мьянма]]
[[uk:М'янма]]
[[ur:میانمار]]
[[vec:Birmania]]
[[vo:Mianmarän]]
[[wuu:缅甸]]
[[zh-yue:緬甸]]
[[diq:Myanmar]]
[[zea:Myanmar]]
[[bat-smg:Mianmars]]
[[zh:缅甸]]

Revision as of 21:15, 10 October 2008

Manol Manolov
Personal information
Position(s) Defender (retired)
Olympic medal record
Men's Football
Bronze medal – third place 1956 Melbourne Team Competition

Manol Manolov (Bulgarian: Манол Манолов) (born August 4, 1925, in Sofia, Bulgaria) is a football former defender and former manager. For the Bulgaria national football team Manolov featured in 57 games and won a bronze medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics. Between 1948 and 1962 he played in 239 matches and scored 8 goals for CSKA Sofia. He was honoured as Bulgarian Footballer of the Year in 1958. Manolov won the top Bulgarian league, the A PFG, twelve times (all with CSKA), as well as the Bulgarian Cup, four times (all with CSKA).

Honours

Player

Coach

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
{{{before}}}
 Bulgarian Footballer of the Year
1958 		Succeeded by
{{{after}}}
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Myanmar&oldid=244447700"