Myanmar

Official name: Union of Burma/Myanmar

Capital city: Rangoon

Internet country code: .mm

Flag description: Red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 14 white, five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel containing a stalk of rice; the 14 stars represent the seven administrative divisions and seven states

National anthem: “Kaba Makye” (Our Free Homeland; first line in English translation: “We shall always love Myanmar, Land of our forefathers”) by Y. M. B. Saya Tin

Geographical description: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand

Total area: 261,228 sq. mi. (676,578 sq. km.)

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)

Nationality: noun: Burmese (singular and plural); adjective: Burmese

Population: 47,373,958 (July 2007 CIA est.)

Ethnic groups: Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5%

Languages spoken: Burmese, minority languages

Religions: Buddhist 89%, Muslim 4%, Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%, traditional indigenous 1%, other 2%