Full Name of Country:   Union of Myanmar
Capital City:   Yangon (Rangoon - Population 5 million)
Area:   671,000 sq Km (416,000 sq Mi)
Population:   55 million (growth rate 2.1%)
People:   65% Burmese
                10% Shan
                7% Karen
                4% Rakhine & Chin, Kachin, Mon, Chinese, Indian and Assamese minorities
Language:   Burmese, also Karen, Chin, Shan & Kachin dialects
Religion:   87% Theravada Buddhist, 5% Christian, 4% Muslim, 3% Animist
Government:   State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)
Head of State:   General Than Shwe (Secretary One)
Annual Growth:   1.1%
Major Industries:   Teak, Rice, Jute and illegal Opium Poppies
Major Trading Partners:   Singapore, Thailand, China, Japan and India

Other Interesting Facts

* The average lifespan: 55 years
* No tax or welfare system
* Poor medical systems
* Widespread disease and malnutrition
* No rubbish collection program
* Four Types of Currency - FEC, Kyat, US Dollar and Euro
* One of the largest armies in Asia, yet no external enemies
* More than 50,000 child soldiers. A number greater than any other nation in the world
* One in every fourteen children die before their first birthday
* 3 million women and children are forced to work without pay
* An estimated 23% live below the poverty line
* 1.5 million refugees live inside the borders of Myanmar
* World's second largest producer of illegal opium
* 80% of Myanmar's income is related to the drug trade
* Fewer than 20 non-governmental aid organisations operate in Myanmar, compared with hundreds based in Cambodia and Laos
* A 'black ban' on trading has been placed on Myanmar by the USA because of human rights violations