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| Independence Year : 1948 Population : 45611000 Life Expectancy : 54.9 Capital : 2710 GNP : 180375.00 GNP Old : 171028.00 Local Name : Myanma Pye Government Form : Republic Location : Southeast Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal Terrain : A land of hills and valleys rimmed in the north, east and west by mountain ranges forming a giant horseshoe. 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). Ethnic Group : according to Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs there are 8 Major National Ethnic Races in Myanmar, which all comprises different ethnic groups: the Kachin, the Kayah, the Kayin, the Chin , the Mon, the Bamar, the Rakhine, and the Shan. Religions : Buddhism (89.2%), Christianity (5.0%), Islam (3.8%), Hinduism (0.5%),Spiritualism (1.2%) and others (0.2%). Official Website :www.myanmar.com | 
Genral Information - Myanmar
Background
Myanmar is a country in Southeast Asia, formerly known as Burma.
Previously an independent kingdom, Burma was annexed by the British Empire to the colony of India in 1886. The Japan ese Empire invaded and occupied the country during World War II but it was returned to British control.
The name of the country was changed in 1989 by the ruling military government, officially recognized by the United Nations. Some national governments, such as Canada the United Kingdom the United States and much of the Burmese population do not recognize this name change, since they do not recognize the military government.
Despite multiparty elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party winning a decisive victory, the military junta refused to hand over power. Key opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest from 1989 to 1995, was again placed under house detention in September 2000; her supporters are routinely harassed or jailed. (Suu Kyi was released Monday, May 6th 2002 from 19 months of house arrest)
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