Coca-Cola says it sells 1.8 billion servings of the drink every day. But for the last six decades, none has been in Burma.

That's because of US trade sanctions on the military junta which ruled the country from 1962 to 2011.

Those sanctions were suspended a few months ago, as the country began to move towards democratic reforms.

But the company said on Monday its first delivery had arrived and local production would begin soon.

Coca-Cola's entry into any country is a powerful symbol, says Tom Standage, author of A History of the World in Six Glasses.

"The moment Coca-Cola starts shipping is the moment you can say there might be real change going on here," he says. "Coca-Cola is the nearest thing to capitalism in a bottle."

Coca-Cola's rival PepsiCo has also announced plans to resume sales in Burma.

There are now just two countries in the world where Coca-Cola cannot be bought or sold - at least, not officially. They are Cuba and North Korea, which are both under long-term US trade embargoes (Cuba since 1962 and North Korea since 1950).

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