Myanmar Passport

【 Country Name 】 The Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

【 Area 】 676578 square kilometers.

【 Population 】 54.17 million, with a total of 135 ethnic groups, mainly including Burmese, Karen, Shan, Kachin, Chin, Kayah, Mon, and Rakhine, with Burmese accounting for about 65% of the total population. Each ethnic minority has its own language, among which the Kachin, Karen, Shan, and Meng ethnic groups have written languages. There are approximately 2.5 million Chinese and overseas Chinese. More than 85% of the population in the country believes in Buddhism, and about 8% of the population believes in Islam.

Nay Pyi Taw, the capital, has a population of approximately 1.29 million.

[Important Festival] Independence Day: January 4th; Army Day: March 27th; Water Splashing Festival: April 13th.

Located in the western part of the Indochinese Peninsula. It borders China to the northeast, India and Bangladesh to the northwest, Laos and Thailand to the southeast, and the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea to the southwest. The coastline is 3200 kilometers long. It belongs to tropical monsoon climate with an average annual temperature of 27 ℃.

After the formation of a unified country in 1044, it went through three feudal dynasties: Pagan, Dongyu, and Gongbang. After launching three wars of aggression in the 19th century, Britain occupied Myanmar and in 1886, it became a province of British India. In 1937, Myanmar broke away from British India and was directly under the rule of the British Governor General. It was occupied by Japan in May 1942. In March 1945, the national uprising led to the liberation of Myanmar. Later, Britain regained control of Myanmar. On January 4, 1948, Myanmar declared independence from the Commonwealth. The government led by U Nu implements a multi-party democratic parliamentary system. In 1962, General Ne Win, Chief of the General Staff of the Myanmar Defense Forces, launched a coup and overthrew the government of U Nu, establishing the Revolutionary Committee. In January 1974, a new constitution was promulgated, the People's Assembly was established, and the "Socialist Programme Party" (referred to as the "Programme Party") was formed. Ne Win served as the chairman of the Programme Party and the country was named the "Socialist Republic of the Union of Myanmar". In September 1988, the military took over the government and established the "National Law and Order Restoration Committee" (later renamed as the "National Peace and Development Committee", abbreviated as "SPDC"), renaming the country to the "Union of Myanmar".

In November 2010, Myanmar held national elections for multi-party democracy, with the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) winning the election with an absolute advantage. On January 31, 2011, the Union Parliament of Myanmar held its first meeting and officially changed the country's name to "Republic of the Union of Myanmar", and adopted a new national flag and emblem. On February 4th, the Federal Parliament elected U Thein Sein as president. On March 30th, a government was formed. In April 2012, a by election was held in the Myanmar parliament, and the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi won 43 out of 45 vacant seats. In November 2015, Myanmar held a new round of national elections, and the Democratic League won the election. In February 2016, the new parliament of Myanmar was officially established, electing Win Myint, a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Democratic League, and Mahn Win Khaing Than, a member of the Democratic League, as the Speaker of the People's House and the Speaker of the Nationalities House. In mid March, the Myanmar Parliament elected U Htin Kyaw, a member of the Democratic League, as the new president, and Myint Swe and U Henry Van Thio as vice presidents. The new government was sworn in on March 30th. In April, the Federal Parliament approved Aung San Suu Kyi as the State Counsellor. On March 21, 2018, Ting Jue and Wen Min resigned from their positions as President and Speaker of the People's House, respectively. On March 22, the People's House of the Federal Parliament elected former Deputy Speaker U T Khun Myat as the new Speaker. On March 28th, Wen Min was elected as the new president. In November 2020, Myanmar held a new round of national elections. On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar Defense Forces took over the government. On February 2nd, the National Management Committee was established. On August 1st, a caretaker government was established.

In 1974, Myanmar formulated the Constitution of the Socialist Union of Myanmar. After the military government took over the regime in 1988, it announced the abolition of the constitution and convened a National Assembly in 1993 to formulate a new constitution. In May 2008, the new constitution draft was passed by a national referendum and officially came into effect on January 31, 2011.

The country is divided into 7 provinces, 7 states, and a federal district. The province is the main settlement area for the Burmese ethnic group, while the state is mostly inhabited by various ethnic minorities. The capital of the Federal District is Naypyidaw.

Myanmar has superior natural conditions and abundant resources. After independence in 1948, a market economy was implemented until 1962, a planned economy was implemented from 1962 to 1988, and a market economy was implemented after 1988.

Mineral resources mainly include tin, tungsten, zinc, aluminum, antimony, manganese, gold, silver, etc. Gemstones and jade are renowned worldwide. Oil and natural gas have significant reserves both inland and coastal. The forest vegetation is abundant, and the three major water systems of Irrawaddy River, Qindun River, and Salween River run north-south, with abundant water resources.

The main industries include oil and gas extraction, small machinery manufacturing, textiles, printing and dyeing, rice milling, wood processing, sugar production, papermaking, fertilizers, etc.

Agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries are the foundation of the national economy. The main crops include rice, wheat, corn, peanuts, sesame, cotton, beans, sugarcane, oil palm, tobacco, etc. The main forest products include various hardwoods such as teak and pear, as well as rattan. The main agricultural products exported by Myanmar are beans and rice.

Animal husbandry and fishery are mainly privately operated. The Myanmar government allows foreign companies to fish in designated waters and charges fees to foreign fishing vessels. Aquatic products are exported to multiple countries and regions.

The tourism industry boasts beautiful scenery and numerous famous historical sites. The main attractions include the world-renowned Yangon Pagoda, the cultural capital of Mandalay, the city of Pagan, the village on the Inle Lake, and the beaches of Ebri.

According to data from the Myanmar Ministry of Transport and Railways, as of November 2012, the total length of roads in Myanmar was 21300 miles. The total length of the railway is 3579 miles.

Water transportation: According to data from the Myanmar Ministry of Transport, as of November 2012, there were approximately 9219 miles of inland waterways, with major ports including Yangon Port, Port Klang, and Mawlamyine Port.

Air freight: The main airlines include Myanmar Airlines, Myanmar International Airlines, Mandalay Airlines, Yangon Airlines, Gambozha Airlines, Bagan Airlines, Golden Myanmar Airlines, etc. The main airports include Yangon Airport, Mandalay Airport, Naypyidaw Airport, Bagan Airport, and Dandui Airport. Yangon, Naypyidaw, and Mandalay airports are international airports.

There are five state-owned banks in Myanmar, namely: the Central Bank of Myanmar (established in 1948, formerly known as the Union Bank of Myanmar, renamed the Central Bank in 1990), the Agricultural Bank of Myanmar (established in 1953), the Economic Bank of Myanmar (established in 1967), the Foreign Trade Bank of Myanmar (established in 1967), and the Investment and Commercial Bank of Myanmar (established in 1989). Since 1992, private banks have been allowed to operate, and in 2016, foreign banks were allowed to establish representative offices in Myanmar. Currently, foreign banks such as Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Vietnam Investment and Development Bank, Dahua Bank of Singapore, Tokyo Mitsubishi Bank of Japan, and Industrial Bank of Korea have opened branches in Myanmar.

In the fiscal year 2023/2024, Myanmar's GDP was 79.3 billion US dollars, with a growth rate of 2.64%. Main trading partners: China, Thailand, etc. Myanmar's main export commodities include natural gas, rice, corn, beans, aquatic products, rubber, leather, mineral products, wood, pearls, gemstones, etc. The main imported commodities include fuel, industrial raw materials, chemical products, machinery and equipment, spare parts, hardware products, and consumer goods.

Myanmar culture is deeply influenced by Buddhist culture, and the writing, literature, art, music, dance, painting, sculpture, architecture, and customs of multiple ethnic groups in Myanmar have all left the imprint of Buddhist culture. After Myanmar's independence, it has always maintained its ethnic cultural traditions and protected its cultural heritage. The main cultural institutions and facilities in Myanmar include the National Dance Theatre, National Library, National Museum, and Aung San Museum.

Education is divided into preschool education, basic education, and higher education. Implement compulsory primary education. Preschool education includes day care kindergartens and preschool schools, which enroll children aged 3-5 years old; The basic education system is 10 years, with grades 1-4 being primary school, grades 5-8 being regular junior high school, and grades 9 and 10 being senior high school; The duration of higher education ranges from 3 to 6 years.

There are three types of daily newspapers distributed nationwide: "Myanmar Light" (in Burmese), "Mirror" (in Burmese), and "Myanmar New Light" in English. In addition, there are Chinese language journals such as "Myowadi" and "Yangon Times" nationwide, as well as "Golden Phoenix". The Myanmar News Agency is the national news agency. The main television stations include Myanmar Voice Television and Myawadi Television MRTV–4、 Myanmar International (MRTV-3), Channel-7, Skynet TV, etc.

On June 8, 1950, China and Myanmar established diplomatic relations. In the 1950s, China, Myanmar, and India jointly advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. In 1960, the two countries signed a border treaty, which successfully resolved the historical boundary issue. In recent years, the friendly relations between China and Myanmar have continued to develop steadily, and practical cooperation between the two countries in various fields has been continuously deepened. In May 2011, China and Myanmar established a comprehensive strategic partnership. In January 2020, President Xi Jinping and Myanmar leaders unanimously agreed to build a China Myanmar community with a shared future.