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Compare Antigua and Barbuda (2004) - Laos (2004)
Compare Antigua and Barbuda (2004) z Laos (2004)
| Antigua and Barbuda (2004) | Laos (2004) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip | 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*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun**, Xekong, Xiangkhoang |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 28.1% (male 9,761; female 9,429)
15-64 years: 67.6% (male 23,179; female 23,023) 65 years and over: 4.3% (male 1,151; female 1,777) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years: 41.9% (male 1,277,152; female 1,265,761)
15-64 years: 54.9% (male 1,642,895; female 1,688,175) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 87,995; female 106,139) (2004 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock | sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice, water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry |
| Airports | 3 (2003 est.) | 46 (2003 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: 443 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km)
land: 443 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km |
total: 236,800 sq km
land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km |
| Area - comparative | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly larger than Utah |
| Background | The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak and Carib Indians populated the islands when Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by the English who formed a colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. | 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 | 17.7 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 36.47 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $123.7 million
expenditures: $145.9 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $298.5 million
expenditures: $429.9 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.) |
| Capital | Saint John's (Antigua) | Vientiane |
| Climate | tropical; little seasonal temperature variation | tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) |
| Coastline | 153 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Constitution | 1 November 1981 | promulgated 14 August 1991 |
| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda |
conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic
conventional short form: Laos local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao local short form: none |
| Currency | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) | kip (LAK) |
| Death rate | 5.55 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 12.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Debt - external | $231 million (1999) | $2.49 billion (2001) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda (embassy closed 30 June 1994); the US Ambassador to Barbados, Ambassador Mary E. KRAMER, is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda | 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 | chief of mission: Ambassador Lionel A. HURST
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 362-5122 FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225 consulate(s) general: Miami |
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 | demarcation of boundaries with Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam is largely complete, but with Thailand several areas including Mekong River islets remain in dispute; ongoing disputes with Thailand and Vietnam over squatters; concern among Mekong Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels |
| Economic aid - recipient | $2.3 million (1995) | $243 million (2001 est.) |
| Economy - overview | Tourism continues to dominate the economy, accounting for more than half of GDP. Weak tourist arrival numbers since early 2000 have slowed the economy, however, and pressed the government into a tight fiscal corner. The dual-island nation's agricultural production is focused on the domestic market and constrained by a limited water supply and a labor shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages in tourism and construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on income growth in the industrialized world, especially in the US, which accounts for slightly more than one-third of tourist arrivals. | 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 7% in 1988-2001 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. 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. |
| Electricity - consumption | 97.89 million kWh (2001) | 824.7 million kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 400 million kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - production | 105.3 million kWh (2001) | 1.317 billion kWh (2001) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m |
lowest point: Mekong River 70 m
highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m |
| Environment - current issues | water management - a major concern because of limited natural fresh water resources - is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly | 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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 | black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian | Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1% |
| Exchange rates | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999), 2.7 (1998) (fixed rate since 1976) | kips per US dollar - 10,443 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.58 (2001), 7,887.64 (2000), 7,102.02 (1999) |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General James B. CARLISLE (since 10 June 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Baldwin SPENCER (since 24 March 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general chosen by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general |
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 Siphandon elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA% |
| Exports | NA (2001) | NA (2001) |
| Exports - commodities | petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8% | garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin |
| Exports - partners | Germany 84.9%, UK 3.8%, US 3.3% (2003) | Thailand 20.7%, Vietnam 15.9%, France 7.3%, Germany 5.3%, Belgium 4% (2003) |
| Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 October - 30 September |
| Flag description | red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band | three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $750 million (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $10.32 billion (2003 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 3.9%
industry: 19.2% services: 76.8% (2002) |
agriculture: 49.4%
industry: 24.5% services: 26.1% (2003 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $11,000 (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2003 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 3% (2002 est.) | 5.5% (2003 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 17 03 N, 61 48 W | 18 00 N, 105 00 E |
| Geography - note | Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a very large western harbor | 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: 250 km (1999 est.) | 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 | considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as an offshore financial center | world's third-largest illicit opium producer (estimated cultivation in 2003 - 18,900 hectares, a 19% decrease over 2002; estimated potential production in 2003 - 200 metric tons, a 11% increase from 2002); potential heroin producer; transshipment point for heroin and methamphetamine produced in Burma; illicit producer of cannabis; growing methamphetamine abuse problem |
| Imports | NA (2001) | NA (2001) |
| Imports - commodities | food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil | machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods |
| Imports - partners | US 26.5%, Singapore 10%, Poland 7%, Germany 6.1%, UK 6.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.4% (2003) | Thailand 59.4%, China 12.8%, Vietnam 10.2% (2003) |
| Independence | 1 November 1981 (from UK) | 19 July 1949 (from France) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 6% (1997 est.) | 9.7% (2001 est.) |
| Industries | tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances) | tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 20.18 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 24.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
total: 87.06 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 97.05 deaths/1,000 live births female: 76.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 0.4% (2000 est.) | 15.3% (2003 est.) |
| International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | ACCT, 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 | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction) | 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 | 30,000 | 2.6 million (2001 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 7%, industry 11%, services 82% (1983) | 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: 18.18%
permanent crops: 4.55% other: 77.27% (2001) |
arable land: 3.8%
permanent crops: 0.35% other: 95.85% (2001) |
| Languages | English (official), local dialects | Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages |
| Legal system | based on English common law | based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice |
| Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (17-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 23 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ALP 4, UPP 12, contested 1; note - new election will decide the contested seat |
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: 71.6 years
male: 69.26 years female: 74.07 years (2004 est.) |
total population: 54.69 years
male: 52.71 years female: 56.75 years (2004 est.) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
total population: 89% male: 90% female: 88% (1960 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 66.4% male: 77.4% female: 55.5% (2002) |
| Location | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico | Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Southeast Asia |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
none (landlocked) |
| Merchant marine | total: 867 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,873,626 GRT/7,683,143 DWT
by type: bulk 25, cargo 477, chemical tanker 13, container 284, liquefied gas 10, multi-functional large load carrier 15, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 32, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: Australia 1, Bahamas 1, Bangladesh 2, Belgium 3, Colombia 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 1, Estonia 3, France 1, Germany 818, Greece 2, Iceland 5, Latvia 1, Lebanon 1, Lithuania 2, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 19, New Zealand 1, Norway 2, Portugal 1, Slovenia 5, Sweden 2, Switzerland 5, Turkey 3, United States 10 registered in other countries: 2 (2004 est.) |
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2004 est.) |
| Military branches | Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (including Coast Guard) | Lao People's Army (LPA; including Riverine Force), Air Force |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | NA | $10.9 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | 0.5% (2003) |
| Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 1,456,500 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 783,800 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 68,563 (2004 est.) |
| National holiday | Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981) | Republic Day, 2 December (1975) |
| Nationality | noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan |
noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)
adjective: Lao or Laotian |
| Natural hazards | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts | floods, droughts |
| Natural resources | NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism | timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones |
| Net migration rate | -6.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Pipelines | - | refined products 540 km (2004) |
| Political parties and leaders | Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three opposition parties - United National Democratic Party or UNDP, Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, and Progressive Labor Movement or PLM) | Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphandon, party president]; other parties proscribed |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL] | noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 |
| Population | 68,320 (July 2004 est.) | 6,068,117 (July 2004 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA | 40% (2002 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 0.6% (2004 est.) | 2.44% (2004 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Saint John's | none |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998) |
| Religions | Christian, (predominantly Anglican with other Protestant, and some Roman Catholic) | Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: good automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-268; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe |
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 | 38,000 (2002) | 61,900 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 38,200 (2002) | 55,200 (2002) |
| Television broadcast stations | 2 (1997) | 4 (1999) |
| Terrain | mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas | mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus |
| Total fertility rate | 2.27 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 4.86 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 11% (2001 est.) | 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) |
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