MYANMAR

(Burma)

Rangoon

92 Strand Road
Kyauktada Township 
Yangon, Myanmar

Email:
rangoon@ibng.com 

Contact persons: Lyndal Pearce

 

General Information

Country (name in full):	Union of Myanmar
Capital:	Rangoon
Surface Area:	679,000 sq km
Official Languages:	Burmese
Population:	47,382,633 (July 2006 est.)
Exchange Rates:	Real Time Converter
Real GDP Growth:	5.2% (2005 est.)
GDP per capita:	purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2005 est.)
Head of State:	Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992)
Head of Government:	Prime Minister, Gen SOE WIN (since 19 October 2004)

Principal Trading Partners

Export Destinations
Thailand 44.3%, India 12.3%, China 6.8%, Japan 5% (2005)

Import Destinations
China 28.8%, Thailand 21.8%, Singapore 18.3%, Malaysia 7.6% (2005)

Myanmar Overview

Geography & Population
Myanmar is one of the largest country in South East Asia, stretching over 2,000 km from North to South. It is twice the size of Vietnam, over a quarter larger than Thailand, and Myanmar is bigger than England and France combined. Ethnically diverse, Myanmar is a nation of many races - some 130 ethnic groups make up its population of over 47 million. The majority of Myanmar's people are Bamars (from which the British coined the name Burma), but the Shan, Kachin, Kayin, Mon, Rakhine and others are also prominent throughout the country.

Language
The official language Burmese. 

Government and Law

Remnants of the British-era legal system are in place, but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not independent of the executive.

Climate
Myanmar's climate is tropical: during the cool season from late November through February, temperatures are pleasantly mild ranging from 21C to 28 C; the hot season from March to April can see the mercury reach as high as 45 C; and during the months of the rainy season, from May to October short rainstorms are frequent in the late afternoons.

Religion
Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%

Myanmar Calendar

Business travellers to Myanmar should note that Myanmar enjoys a wide range of public holidays due to religious, national and other festive events. 

Exhibitions and Conferences

IBN clients should consult their regional Business Centre for detailed information on exhibitions and conferences including exhibiting, booking requirements etc.

For a useful link on exhibition details, please visit the Fair Guide - www.fairguide.com.

To contact us, click here.

Travel Information

Rangoon has direct air-links with Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, Dhaka, Kunming, Moscow and Vientiane. Six International Airlines including Myanmar Airways International operate scheduled flights in and out of Rangoon. They are Thai Airways international, Silk Air, Biman, CAAC and Aeroflot. Myanmar Airways International operates six flights a week to Bangkok, thrice-weekly to Singapore and twice-weekly to Hong Kong.

The following information is provided to assist travellers when planning to visit Myanmar:

IDD:                                                      +95
Time:                                                    GMT + 6.5 Hrs
Voltage:                                                 220/230V
Cell Phone System:                                 Tri Band system
Dress:                                                    Business Suit
Taxi Fare to city from airport (average):     Various
Departure tax:                                        

Foreign Visa Requirements

Tourist visas for Myanmar, with a 28 day validity, can be issued the same day when applied for from any Myanmar Embassy or Consulate worldwide. Two types of visas are available: (a)"FIT Visa" holders are required to purchase US$200 worth of Foreign Exchange Certificates (FEC) upon arrival in Myanmar (Exchange rate: FEC1=US$1). (b)For "Package Tour Visas", no FEC purchase is required. However, a confirmation letter of your booking through a tour operator is required when applying for Package Tour Visas at the your local Myanmar embassy.

As visa requirements vary for visitors from country to country travellers should consult their respective Indonesian Embassies or Consulates for specific advice.  IBN clients are able to obtain specific information including supporting Letters of Invitation for business travel (if required) from their respective Business Centres.

Local Currency

The local currency is the Kyat. The present usable denominations are: Ks. 1,000; 500; 200; 100; 90; 50; 45; 20; 15; 10; 5; 1. Licensed money changers can help you exchange US$/FECs into local kyats. Major hotels and a few restaurants will accept credit cards.  Travellers’ cheques are not normally accepted and are difficult to transact.  Travellers are advised to bring US Dollars in cash (small denomination notes).  British Pounds, French Francs, German Deutsch Marks and other currencies are difficult to change.

To use our Real-Time Converter, click here. 

Useful Links

For business, national and regional news as well as current affairs, government and a more in depth view of Myanmar today, the following links should prove to be useful:

Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board - http://www.myanmar-tourism.com
The Myanmar Times - http://www.myanmar.com/myanmartimes
The New Light of Myanmar - http://www.myanmar.com/nlm
The Asian Wall Street Journal - http://online.wsj.com/public/asia
Asia Today - http://www.asiatoday.com.au

Disclaimer

Whilst IBN Group Pty Ltd (IBN) has taken due care to obtain and provide the country information detailed on this site, it cannot accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the same information and data. As this country information and data has been received from various sources, accepted by IBN as being reliable, IBN itself makes no representation concerning its completeness, truth or accuracy or its suitability for any particular purposes.