Myanmar The Union of Myanmar is a country in Southeast Asia, formerly known as Burma. The name of the country was changed in 1989, and this change of name has been officially recognized by the United Nations. Some national governments, such as the United States and United Kingdom, and much of the Burmese population, do not recognize this change of name, since they do not recognize the military government which instituted it. For the time being, however, Myanmar, which is a derivative of the Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw, is still used by many regardless of their opinion of the military government. Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8f/Myanmar_flag_large.png Coat of arms of Myanmar (In Detail) (Full size) National motto: none http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/LocationMyanmar.png Official language Burmese Capital Yangôn (FKA Rangoon) Capital's coordinates 16° 46' N, 96° 10' E Largest City Yangon Chairman, State Peace and Development Council Sr. Gen. Than Shwe Prime Minister Soe Win Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 39th 678,500 km² 3.06% Population  - Total (2003)  - Density Ranked 27th 42,510,537 62/km² GDP (PPP)  - Total (Year)  - GDP/head Ranked 60th xxx,xxx millions $ xx,xxx $ Currency Kyat Time zone UTC +6:30 (DST, yes or not) Independence  - Declared  - Recognised From the UK (Year) January 4, 1948 National anthem Gba Majay Bma (We Shall Love Burma) Internet TLD .mm (formerly .bu) Calling Code 95 History Main article: History of Myanmar Previously an independent kingdom, in 1886 Burma was annexed by the British Empire to the colony of India. The Japanese Empire invaded and occupied the country during World War II but it was returned to British control. In 1948 the nation became sovereign, as the Union of Burma, with U Nu as the first Prime Minister. Democratic rule ended in 1962 with a military coup led by General Ne Win. Win ruled for nearly 26 years, bringing in harsh reforms. In 1990 free elections were held, but were voided by the military, which refused to step down. Politics Main article: Politics of Myanmar Burma has been under military rule since 1988. The current head of state is General Than Shwe who holds the title of "Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council." His appointed prime minister was Khin Nyunt until 19 October 2004, when he was replaced by Lt.-Gen. Soe Win. Almost all cabinet offices are held by military officers. Sanctions against the military government have been largely ineffective, due to loopholes in the sanctions. For example, the French petroleum company Total is able to buy Burma's oil despite the country being under sanctions 1. The United States clothing and shoe industry could also be affected if all the sanctions loopholes were to be closed 2. The regime is accused of having a poor human rights record. There is no independent judiciary in Myanmar and political opposition to the military government is not tolerated. Aung San Suu Kyi, who was elected prime minister in 1990, but prevented by military from taking office, has earned international praise as an activist for democratic rule to return to Myanmar. She has been repeatedly placed under house arrest, although in recent years the regime has been willing to enter into negotiations with her and her party, the National League for Democracy. Visa requirements for tourists: At the border one needs to obtain a travel visa, which permits one to visit certain areas within the country for one or more days (usually ones point of entry, and optionally the capital Rangoon). A traveller's passport must be valid for the six months following his or her date of travel. Administrative divisions Main article: Administrative divisions of Myanmar Myanmar is divided into 7 divisions and 7 states. The divisions are Ayeyarwady, Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing, Tanintharyi and Yangon. The states are Chin State, Kachin State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Mon State, Rakhine State, and Shan State. Geography Main article: Geography of Myanmar Economy Main article: Economy of Myanmar Demographics Main article: Demographics of Myanmar Culture Main article: Culture of Myanmar Many of the people, both men and women, wear lonygis or a type of sarong. See also: Music of Myanmar Literature of Myanmar Miscellaneous topics Communications in Myanmar Myanmar Wide Web Foreign relations of Myanmar Military of Myanmar Myanmar Baptist Convention Transportation in Myanmar Footnotes See "Dilemma of dealing with Burma". Article retrieved from BBC.co.uk on 2nd November, 2004. See "How Best to Rid the World of Monsters". Article retrieved from Washingtonpost.com on 2nd November, 2004. See also CIA World Factbook. The source of much of the material in this article. Burma Campaign UK. A prominent organization dedicated to raising European awareness of the political situation in Myanmar and condemning companies aligned with the military government. Political prisoner Political protest External links Geopium: Geopolitics of Illicit Drugs in Asia Burma News, Myanmar News. News website opposed to the military government. The Irrawaddy. A magazine covering Burma and Southeast Asia. FreeBurma.org Burma: Army of the Child God "Burma scraps intelligence agency". Article from BBC.co.uk minnan:Myanmar nds:Myanmar FAVORITE ARTICLES: History of the World    History of the United States    History of Europe    Ancient History    History    Military History    World War I    Bombing of Dresden    California    US Constitution    Frank Sinatra    Boston    Marbury v. Madison This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmar