Compare American Samoa (2005) - Laos (2005)

Compare American Samoa (2005) z Laos (2005)

	American Samoa (2005)	Laos (2005)

Administrative divisions	none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three districts and two islands* at the second order; Eastern, Manu'a, Rose Island, Swains Island, Western	16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural), 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural), and 1 special zone** (khetphiset, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane), Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun*, Xekong, Xiangkhoang
Age structure	0-14 years: 35.7% (male 10,705/female 9,956) 15-64 years: 61.3% (male 18,351/female 17,125) 65 years and over: 3% (male 664/female 1,080) (2005 est.)	0-14 years: 41.6% (male 1,300,094/female 1,289,227) 15-64 years: 55.2% (male 1,693,494/female 1,737,196) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 88,744/female 108,386) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit, yams, copra, pineapples, papayas; dairy products, livestock	sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice, water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry
Airports	3 (2004 est.)	44 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)	total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)	total: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 199 sq km land: 199 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Rose Island and Swains Island	total: 236,800 sq km land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than Washington, DC	slightly larger than Utah
Background	Settled as early as 1000 B.C., Samoa was "discovered" by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899 treaty in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago. The US formally occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern islands with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year.	Laos was under the control of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the Communist Pathet Lao took control of the government, ending a six-century-old monarchy. Initial closer ties to Vietnam and socialization were replaced with a gradual return to private enterprise, a liberalization of foreign investment laws, and the admission into ASEAN in 1997.
Birth rate	23.13 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	35.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $121 million (37% in local revenue and 63% in US grants) expenditures: $127 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY96/97)	revenues: $284.3 million expenditures: $416.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital	Pago Pago	Vientiane
Climate	tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual rainfall averages about 3 m; rainy season from November to April, dry season from May to October; little seasonal temperature variation	tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
Coastline	116 km	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	ratified 2 June 1966, effective 1 July 1967	promulgated 14 August 1991
Country name	conventional long form: Territory of American Samoa conventional short form: American Samoa abbreviation: AS	conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic conventional short form: Laos local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao local short form: none
Death rate	3.33 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	11.83 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	$NA	$2.49 billion (2001)
Dependency status	unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US; administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (territory of the US)	chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia M. HASLACH embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, B. P. 114, Vientiane mailing address: American Embassy, Box V, APO AP 96546 telephone: [856] (21) 212581, 212582, 212585 FAX: [856] (21) 212584
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (territory of the US)	chief of mission: Ambassador PHANTHONG Phommahaxay chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416 FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923
Disputes - international	none	Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; Laos and Thailand pledge to complete demarcation of boundaries in 2005, while ongoing disputes over squatters and boundary encroachment by Thailand including Mekong River islets persist; in 2004 Cambodian-Laotian boundary commission agrees to re-erect missing markers in two adjoining provinces; concern among Mekong Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels
Economic aid - recipient	important financial support from the US, more than $40 million in 1994	$243 million (2001 est.)
Economy - overview	This is a traditional Polynesian economy in which more than 90% of the land is communally owned. Economic activity is strongly linked to the US, with which American Samoa conducts most of its foreign trade. Tuna fishing and tuna processing plants are the backbone of the private sector, with canned tuna the primary export. Transfers from the US Government add substantially to American Samoa's economic well-being. Attempts by the government to develop a larger and broader economy are restrained by Samoa's remote location, its limited transportation, and its devastating hurricanes. Tourism is a promising developing sector.	The government of Laos - one of the few remaining official Communist states - began decentralizing control and encouraging private enterprise in 1986. The results, starting from an extremely low base, were striking - growth averaged 6% in 1988-2004 except during the short-lived drop caused by the Asian financial crisis beginning in 1997. Despite this high growth rate, Laos remains a country with a primitive infrastructure; it has no railroads, a rudimentary road system, and limited external and internal telecommunications. The government has sponsored major improvements in the road system. Electricity is available in only a few urban areas. Subsistence agriculture accounts for half of GDP and provides 80% of total employment. The economy will continue to benefit from aid from the IMF and other international sources and from new foreign investment in food processing and mining. In late 2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US, allowing Laos-based producers to face lower tariffs on their exports; this may help spur growth.
Electricity - consumption	120.9 million kWh (2002)	3.036 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	400 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	125 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	130 million kWh (2002)	3.56 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Lata 966 m	lowest point: Mekong River 70 m highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
Environment - current issues	limited natural fresh water resources; the water division of the government has spent substantial funds in the past few years to improve water catchments and pipelines	unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	native Pacific islander 92.9%, Asian 2.9%, white 1.2%, mixed 2.8%, other 0.2% (2000 census)	Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%
Exchange rates	the US dollar is used	kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001), 7,887.6 (2000)
Executive branch	chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001) and Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Togiola TULAFONO (since 7 April 2003) cabinet: cabinet made up of 12 department directors elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 2 and 16 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Togiola TULAFONO elected governor; percent of vote - Togiola TULAFONO 55.7%, Afoa Moega LUTU 44.3%	chief of state: President Gen. KHAMTAI Siphadon (since 26 February 1998) and Vice President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 27 March 2001) head of government: Prime Minister BOUNGNANG Volachit (since 27 March 2001); First Deputy Prime Minister Bouasone BOUPHAVANH (since 3 October 2003) Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May 2002), Deputy Prime Minister THONGLOUN Sisolit (since 27 March 2001), and Deputy Prime Minister SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the National Assembly elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 24 February 2002 (next to be held in 2007); prime minister appointed by the president with the approval of the National Assembly for a five-year term election results: KHAMTAI Siphadon elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA%
Exports	NA	NA
Exports - commodities	canned tuna 93%	garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin
Exports - partners	Samoa 39.8%, Australia 19.9%, Japan 15.1%, New Zealand 10.5% (2004)	Thailand 19.3%, Vietnam 13.4%, France 8%, Germany 5.3%, UK 5% (2004)
Fiscal year	1 October - 30 September	1 October - 30 September
Flag description	blue, with a white triangle edged in red that is based on the outer side and extends to the hoist side; a brown and white American bald eagle flying toward the hoist side is carrying two traditional Samoan symbols of authority, a staff and a war club	three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%	agriculture: 49.5% industry: 27.5% services: 23% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $8,000 (2000 est.)	purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	NA	6% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	14 20 S, 170 00 W	18 00 N, 105 00 E
Geography - note	Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough seas and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds; strategic location in the South Pacific Ocean	landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand
Highways	total: 185 km paved: 185 km unpaved: 0 km (2004)	total: 21,716 km paved: 9,664 km unpaved: 12,052 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 30.6% (1997)
Illicit drugs	-	estimated cultivation in 2004 - 10,000 hectares, a 45% decrease from 2003; estimated potential production in 2004 - 49 metric tons, a significant decrease from 200 metric tons in 2003 (2005)
Imports	NA	NA
Imports - commodities	materials for canneries 56%, food 8%, petroleum products 7%, machinery and parts 6%	machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods
Imports - partners	Japan 31.4%, New Zealand 27.9%, Germany 17.1%, Australia 8.9% (2004)	Thailand 60.5%, China 10.3%, Vietnam 7.1%, Singapore 4% (2004)
Independence	none (territory of the US)	19 July 1949 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	9.7% (2001 est.)
Industries	tuna canneries (largely supplied by foreign fishing vessels), handicrafts	tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism
Infant mortality rate	total: 9.27 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	total: 85.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 95.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 75.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	NA%	12.3% (2004 est.)
International organization participation	Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU	ACCT, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)
Irrigated land	NA sq km	1,640 sq km note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	High Court (chief justice and associate justices are appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior)	People's Supreme Court (the president of the People's Supreme Court is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the National Assembly Standing Committee; the vice president of the People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National Assembly Standing Committee)
Labor force	14,000 (1996)	2.6 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	tuna canneries 34%, government 33%, other 33% (1990)	agriculture 80% (1997 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 5,083 km border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km
Land use	arable land: 10% permanent crops: 15% other: 75% (2001)	arable land: 3.8% permanent crops: 0.35% other: 95.85% (2001)
Languages	Samoan 90.6% (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages), English 2.9%, Tongan 2.4%, other Pacific islander 2.1%, other 2% note: most people are bilingual (2000 census)	Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Legal system	NA	based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice
Legislative branch	bicameral Fono or Legislative Assembly consists of the House of Representatives (21 seats - 20 of which are elected by popular vote and 1 is an appointed, nonvoting delegate from Swains Island; members serve two-year terms) and the Senate (18 seats; members are elected from local chiefs and serve four-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2006); Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - independents 18 note: American Samoa elects one nonvoting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2006); results - Eni F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA (Democrat) reelected as delegate	unicameral National Assembly (109 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - total number of seats increased from 99 to 109 for the 2002 election) elections: last held 24 February 2002 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - LPRP or LPRP-approved (independent, non-party members) 109
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 75.84 years male: 72.27 years female: 79.62 years (2005 est.)	total population: 55.08 years male: 53.07 years female: 57.17 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 98% female: 97% (1980 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 66.4% male: 77.4% female: 55.5% (2002)
Location	Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand	Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Map references	Oceania	Southeast Asia
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	none (landlocked)
Merchant marine	-	total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2005)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the US	Laos is one of the world's least developed countries; the Lao People's Armed Forces are small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced; there is little political will to allocate sparse funding to the military, and the armed forces' gradual degradation is likely to continue; the massive drug production and trafficking industry centered in the Golden Triangle makes Laos an important narcotics transit country, and armed Wa and Chinese smugglers are active on the Lao-Burma border (2005)
Military branches	-	Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$10.7 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	0.5% (2004)
National holiday	Flag Day, 17 April (1900)	Republic Day, 2 December (1975)
Nationality	noun: American Samoan(s) adjective: American Samoan	noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian
Natural hazards	typhoons common from December to March	floods, droughts
Natural resources	pumice, pumicite	timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Net migration rate	-20.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines	-	refined products 540 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders	Democratic Party [Oreta M. TOGAFAU]; Republican Party [Tautai A. F. FAALEVAO]	Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphadon, party president]; other parties proscribed
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975
Population	57,881 (July 2005 est.)	6,217,141 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA	40% (2002 est.)
Population growth rate	-0.11% (2005 est.)	2.42% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	Pago Pago	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2004)	AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)
Religions	Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%, Protestant and other 30%	Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: good telex, telegraph, facsimile and cellular telephone services; domestic satellite system with 1 Comsat earth station international: country code - 1-684; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)	general assessment: service to general public is poor but improving with over 20,000 telephones currently in service and an additional 48,000 expected by 2001; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas domestic: radiotelephone communications international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
Telephones - main lines in use	15,000 (2001)	61,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	2,377 (1999)	55,200 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	1; note - one cable TV station (2004)	4 (1999)
Terrain	five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)	mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Total fertility rate	3.25 children born/woman (2005 est.)	4.77 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	6% (2000)	5.7% (1997 est.)
Waterways	-	4,600 km note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2003)

Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.