MYANMAR



Union of Myanmar

Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw

CAPITAL : Yangon (formerly Rangoon)

FLAG : The national flag is red with a blue canton, within which 14 white stars encircle a rice stalk and an industrial wheel.

ANTHEM : Kaba Makye (Our Free Homeland).

MONETARY UNIT : The kyat ( K ) is a paper currency of 100 pyas. There are coins of 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 pyas and 1 kyat, and notes of 1, 5, 10, 25, and 100 kyats. K 1 = $0.00125 (or $1 = K 800) as of May 2003.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES : Both British and metric weights and measures are in general use, but local units also are employed.

HOLIDAYS : Independence Day, 4 January; Union Day, 12 February; Peasants' Day, 2 March; Defense Services Day, 27 March; Burmese New Year, 17 April; World Workers' Day, 1 May; Martyrs' Day, 19 July; Christmas, 25 December. Movable religious holidays include Full Moon of Tabaung, February or March; Thingyan (Water Festival), April; Full Moon of Kason, April or May; Waso (Beginning of Buddhist Lent), June or July; Thadingyut (End of Buddhist Lent), October; and Tazaungdaing, November.

TIME : 6:30 PM = noon GMT.


INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Myanmar was admitted to UN membership on 19 April 1948; it is a member of ESCAP and all the nonregional specialized agencies. Regional bodies to which Myanmar belongs include the Asian Development Bank, ASEAN, and the Colombo Plan; it also is a member of G-77, a member of the WTO, and a signatory to the Law of the Sea. Myanmar's foreign policy is neutralist, and the country belongs to no alliances.

INSURANCE

All 78 foreign insurance companies registered in Myanmar were nationalized on 1 March 1963. All forms of insurance, including life, fire, marine, automobile, workers' compensation, personal accident, and burglary, are handled by the Myanma Insurance Corp. Life insurance coverage is compulsory for government employees.

DEPENDENCIES

Myanmar has no territories or colonies.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Becka, Jan. Historical Dictionary of Myanmar. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1995.

Buddhism and Politics in Twentieth-Century Asia . New York: Pinter, 1999.

Burma Myanmar . 8th ed. Maspeth, NY: APA Publications, 2000.

Burma: Political Economy under Military Rule. New York: Palgrave, 2001.

Herbert, Patricia M. Burma. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Clio Press, 1991.

Maung, Mya. The Burma Road to Poverty. New York: Praeger, 1991.

Saito, Teruko and Lee Kin Kiong. Burmese Economy. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1999.

Silverstein, Josef. The Political Legacy of Aung San. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University, 1993.

Steinberg, David J. The Future of Burma: Crisis and Choice in Myanmar. New York: Asia Society, 1990.

Win Pe. Dos and Don'ts in Myanmar. 1st ed. Bangkok, Thailand: Book Promotion and Service Ltd., 1996.

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