BURMA CHRISTIAN DATING
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People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Burmese.
Population (official 2003 est.): 52.17 million (UNFPA estimate), but no official census has been taken since 1983.
Annual growth rate (2003 est.): 0.47%.
Ethnic groups: Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Arakanese 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%.
Christian singles note-Religions: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%.
Languages: Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages.
Education (1999 est.): Literacy--male 92.60%; female 91.02% (2003 official Government of Burma statistics); estimates of functional literacy are closer to 30%.
Health (2001 est.): Infant mortality rate—77 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy—54.22 yrs.: male; 57.9 yrs. female.

Government
Type: Military junta.
Constitution: January 3, 1974 (suspended since September 18, 1988 when latest junta took power). A national convention started on January 9, 1993 to draft a new constitution, but collapsed in 1996 without an agreement. The junta reconvened the convention in May 2004 without the participation of the National League for Democracy and other pro-democracy ethnic groups. The convention adjourned in July 2004 and is scheduled to reconvene sometime in early 2005.
Branches: Executive--Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Senior General Than Shwe is the head of state. Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Soe Win is the head of government. On October 19, 2004, former Prime Minister Khin Nyunt was ousted by the SPDC senior leadership and replaced by Soe Win. Legislative--unicameral People's Assembly (Pyithu Hluttaw) has 485 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve 4-year terms. The last elections were in 1990, but the Assembly was prevented from convening by the military. Judicial--Supreme Court. The legal system was based on the British-era system, but now the junta rules by Decree and there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not independent.
Political parties: National League for Democracy (NLD) is the primary opposition party; National Unity Party (NUP) is the primary pro-regime party; the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) is a pro-regime social organization; and other smaller parties.
Administrative subdivisions: Seven primarily Burman divisions (tain) and seven ethnic states (pyi nay); Chin State, Kachin State, Karen State, Karenni State, Mon State, Arakan State, Shan State, Rangoon Division, Mandalay Division, Tenessarim Division, Irrawaddy Division, Pegu Division, Magway Division, and Sagaing Division.
Suffrage: Universal suffrage at 18 years of age (but there have been no elections since 1990).

Economy
GDP (2004 est.): $11.7 billion (IMF figures).
Annual growth rate: actual rate is unknown, although the official 2003 rate was 13.4%.
GDP per capita (2004 est.): $225.
Natural resources: Timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower, and some petroleum. 
Agriculture: Products--rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane, hardwood, fish and fish products.
Industries: Types--agricultural processing, knit and woven apparel, wood and wood products, copper, tin, tungsten, iron, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, and fertilizer.
Recorded trade (2003 est.): Exports--$2.6 billion (natural gas – 25.3%, teak and forest products 14.8%, garments 14.4%, beans and pulses 11.7%, and marine products 6.8%). Major markets--Thailand 39%, India 17%, P.R.C. 10.6%, Singapore 6.4%, and Japan 5.7%. Imports--$2.4 billion (machinery and transport equipment 20.2%, refined mineral oil 12.3%, base metals and manufactures 9.4%, artificial and synthetic fabrics 8.8%, and plastic 4.6%). Major suppliers-- Singapore 28.8%, P.R.C. 21.4%, Japan 12%, Thailand 8.5%, and Malaysia 7%.

PEOPLE
A majority of Burma's estimated 52 million people are ethnic Burmans. Shans, Karens, Arakanese, Kachins, Chins, Mons, and many other smaller indigenous ethnic groups form about 30% of the population. Indians and Chinese are the largest immigrant groups.

Although Burmese is the most widely spoken language, other ethnic groups have retained their own languages. English is spoken in the capital Rangoon and in areas frequented by tourists. The Indian and Chinese residents speak various languages and dialects of their homelands: Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Bengali, Mandarin, Fujianese, and Cantonese.

Christian singles note-According to the 1974 Constitution, Buddhism is the official religion of Burma. An estimated 89% of the population practices it. Other religions, Christian 4%--Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%--Muslim 4%, and animist 1%, are less prevalent.

Much of the population lives without basic sanitation or running water. In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked Burma among the lowest countries worldwide in healthcare delivery to its citizens. High infant mortality rates and short life expectancies further highlight poor health and living conditions. The HIV/AIDS epidemic poses a serious threat to the Burmese population, as do tuberculosis and malaria. In 2004, the UNDP’s Human Development Index, which measures achievements in terms of life expectancy, educational attainment and adjusted real income, ranked Burma 132 out of 177 countries.

There are numerous documented human rights violations, and internal displacement of ethnic minorities also is prevalent. Several million Burmese, many of them ethnic minorities, have fled for economic and political reasons to the neighboring countries of Bangladesh, India, China, and Thailand to seek work and asylum. More than 160,000 Burmese live in the nine refugee camps in Thailand and the two in Bangladesh while hundreds of thousands of other Burmese work and reside illegally in the countries in the region.