Myanmar, the Southeast Asian nation formerly known as Burma, will go to the polls Sunday in the first parliamentary elections -- touted by the government as a free and fair -- since the end of five decades of military dictatorship.
President Thein Sein, since Feb. 4, 2011
Several, although the two main parties are the ruling and military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, and the main opposition party, National League for Democracy.
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand
Yangon; Nay Pyi Taw is the administrative capital
56,320,206; 30 million of voting age; world ranking, 25th largest
Burman, 68 percent; Shan, 9 percent; Karen, 7 percent; Rakhine, 4 percent; Chinese, 3 percent; Indian, 2 percent; Mon, 2 percent; other, 5 percent
Buddhist, 89 percent; Christian, 4 percent (Baptist, 3 percent, Roman Catholic, 1 percent); Muslim, 4 percent; Animist, 1 percent; other, 2 percent
28.3 years overall; men, 27.7 years, women, 28.9 years (2015 estimate)
(those age 15 and older who can read and write) total population, 93.1 percent; men, 95.2 percent; women, 91.2 percent (2015 estimate)
total, 646,700; percent of population, 1.2 percent (2014 estimate); world ranking, 128
fixed lines, 530,000; cellphones, 26.6 million (2014 estimate)
35.23 million (2014 estimates); world ranking, 18