Capital: Rangoon (regime refers to the capital as Yangon)
Location:
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand ( slightlysmaller than Texas )
Registration Embassy and Consulate:
U.S. citizens living or in or visiting Burma are encouraged to register at the U.S. Embassy and obtain updated information on travel and security within the country from the Embassy. The U.S. Embassy is located at 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon, tel. (95-1) 282055 and (95-1) 282182; fax (95-1) 256018.
Consular Access:
U.S. consular officers do not always receive timely notification of the detention, arrest, or deportation of U.S. citizens. In addition, the Burmese Government has on occasion refused to give U.S. Embassy consular officers access to arrested/detained U.S. citizens. U.S. citizens who are arrested or detained should request immediate contact with the U.S. Embassy. U.S. citizens are encouraged to carry their U.S. passports with them at all times, so that, if questioned by local officials, proof of identity and U.S. citizenship is readily available.
Background:
Despite multiparty elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party winning a decisive victory, the military junta ruling the country refused to hand over power. Key opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG San Suu Kyi, under house arrest from 1989 to 1995, was again placed under house detention in September 2000; her supporters are routinely harassed or jailed.
Ethnic Groups:
Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%
Language:
Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages
Currency:
MMK
kyat (MMK)
kyats per US dollar - official rate - 6.5972 (January 2001), 6.5167 (2000), 6.2858 (1999), 6.3432 (1998), 6.2418 (1997), 5.9176 (1996); kyats per US dollar - black market exchange rate - 435 (yearend 2000)
Climate:
Tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April)
Population:
41,994,678
note: estimates for this country explicitly take 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 and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)
Religion:
Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%
Medical:
Medical facilities in Burma are inadequate for even routine medical care. There are few trained medical personnel because the universities were closed for several years and have recently reopened. Common drugs for sale, such as insulin, are often adulterated products and unsafe to use. HIV/AIDS is rampant in the country, as is malaria and hepatitis. Hospital and medical services are available in Rangoon; elsewhere, medical care is limited.
U.S. medical insurance is not always valid outside the United States. U.S. Medicare and Medicaid programs do not provide payment for medical services outside the United States. Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment for health services. Travelers are strongly encouraged to purchase international medical evacuation insurance before traveling to Burma. Serious medical problems requiring hospitalization and/or medical evacuation to the United States can cost thousands of dollars or more. Uninsured travelers who require medical care overseas may face extreme difficulties.
Safety:
Foreigners, including U.S. citizens, have been caught up in the Burmese Government’s suppression of the democratic opposition. U.S. citizens have been detained, arrested, tried and deported for, among other activities, distributing pro-democracy literature, photographing sites and activities, and visiting the homes and offices of Burmese pro-democracy leaders. Burmese authorities have warned U.S. Embassy officials that future offenders of these vague, unspecified restrictions will be jailed in lieu of deportation.
Traffic Safety:
While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States. The information below concerning Burma is provided for general reference only, and it may not be totally accurate in a particular location or circumstance.
Safety of Public Transportation:
Fair
Urban Road Conditions/Maintenance:
Good
Rural Road Conditions/Maintenance:
Poor
Availability of Roadside Assistance:
Poor
The Burmese Ministry of Transportation is responsible for roads outside the major cities. City authorities are responsible for roads in the major metropolitan areas.
Rangoon’s main roads are generally good. Traffic in the capital is increasing rapidly, but serious congestion is still rare. Slow-moving vehicles, bicycles, and heavy pedestrian traffic create numerous hazards for drivers on Rangoon’s streets. Most roads outside Rangoon are one lane and a half, pot-holed, and unlighted at night.
Driving at night is dangerous. Burmese drivers do not turn on their headlights until the sky is dark, thereby adding another danger to driving at twilight.
Vehicles are required to drive on the right side of the road, as in the United States. However, over 80 percent of the vehicles in use have the steering wheel on the right, as in Great Britain, adding a complication to the dangerous driving situation in Burma. The speed limit in the area of schools is posted at 48 kph, or about 30 mph. There are no other speed limits posted in Burma. The right of way is generally respected with the exception that military convoys and motorcades take precedence. Right turns on a red light are permitted.
Most vehicle accidents are generally settled between the parties with the party at fault paying the damages. Accidents that require an investigation are concluded quickly and rarely result in criminal prosecution.
There is no roadside assistance, and ambulances are not available in most parts of the country.
Truck drivers traversing from China to Rangoon are known to be frequently under the influence of methamphetamine-spiked beetlenuts. Drunken and/or drugged drivers are common on the roads during the four-day water festival of early spring.
There are no seat belt laws, and functioning seat belts generally are not found in vehicles. Child care seats are also not required and not available in Burma.
