BURMA. —
I. GEOGRAPHY
In English *Burma*;a region of southern Asia (northwestern Indochina) encom-
passing almost the entire basin of the Irrawaddy and the
middle and lower parts of that of the Salween, plus a long
strip of territory (Tenasserim) that extends into the
Malay Peninsula (605,000 sq. km.). A predominantly moun-
tainous country, covered with splendid forests rich in
precious woods, especially *teak*, which then opens to the
south into broad valleys. The population is made up of
¾ Burmese (of Sino-Tibetan stock), mainly engaged in
agriculture, among whose products (cotton, millet, sesame,
tobacco, tea) rice stands out, of which Burma is one of the
world’s leading exporters. More important than livestock
breeding is fishing; among mineral resources (silver-lead,
copper, zinc, tungsten, precious stones), the extraction of
petroleum has assumed notable importance.
Burma, previously united with India, was separated from it in —
BURMA — Ecclesiastical Circumscriptions: 1. State boundaries;
2. Boundaries of ecclesiastical circumscriptions; 3. Railways.