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Compare Benin (2003) - Laos (2007)

Compare Benin (2003) z Laos (2007)

 Benin (2003)Laos (2007)
 BeninLaos
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou 15 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural), 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xekong, Xiangkhoang
Age structure 0-14 years: 47% (male 1,668,817; female 1,638,291)


15-64 years: 50.7% (male 1,739,517; female 1,834,231)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 67,504; female 93,130) (2003 est.)
0-14 years: 41.2% (male 1,349,352/female 1,338,252)


15-64 years: 55.7% (male 1,795,029/female 1,835,168)


65 years and over: 3.1% (male 90,188/female 114,009) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001) sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry
Airports 5 (2002) 42 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
total: 9


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)
total: 33


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 9


under 914 m: 23 (2007)
Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
total: 236,800 sq km


land: 230,800 sq km


water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania slightly larger than Utah
Background Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged. Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th Century under King FA NGUM. For three hundred years Lan Xang included large parts of present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came 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 and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1986. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997.
Birth rate 43.15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 34.98 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $377.4 million


expenditures: $561.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
revenues: $392.3 million


expenditures: $541.3 million (2006 est.)
Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government name: Vientiane


geographic coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 36 E


time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
Coastline 121 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution December 1990 promulgated 14 August 1991
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Benin


conventional short form: Benin


local long form: Republique du Benin


local short form: Benin


former: Dahomey
conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic


conventional short form: Laos


local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao


local short form: none
Currency Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States -
Death rate 13.65 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 11.28 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (2000) $3.179 billion (2006)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Wayne NEILL


embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou


mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou


telephone: [229] 30-06-50


FAX: [229] 30-06-70
chief of mission: Ambassador Ravic R. HUSO


embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, That Dam Road, Vientiane


mailing address: American Embassy Vientiane, APO AP 96546


telephone: [856] 21-26-7000


FAX: [856] 21-26-7190
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN


chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656


FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996
chief of mission: Ambassador PHIANE Philakone


chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416


FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923
Disputes - international two villages are in dispute along the border with Burkina Faso; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, but states accept 2001 arbitration over disputed Niger River islands; several villages along the Okpara River are in dispute with Nigeria; in 2001, Benin claimed Togo moved the boundary stones - joint commission presently resurveying the boundary Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over islands in the Mekong River; concern among Mekong Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels
Economic aid - recipient $342.6 million (2000) $379 million (2006 est.)
Economy - overview The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged a stable 5% in the past six years, but rapid population rise has offset much of this increase. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and communication technology. The 2001 privatization policy should continue in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture in spite of initial government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, while pressing for speeded-up structural reforms. 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% per year in 1988-2006 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, though the government is sponsoring major improvements in the road system with possible support from Japan. Electricity is available in only a few urban areas. Subsistence agriculture, dominated by rice, accounts for about half of GDP and provides 80% of total employment. The economy will continue to benefit from aid by the IMF and other international sources and from new foreign investment in hydropower and mining. Construction will be another strong economic driver, especially as hydroelectric dam and road projects gain steam. Several policy changes since 2004 may help spur growth. In late 2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US, allowing Laos-based producers to benefit from lower tariffs on exports. Laos is taking steps to join the World Trade Organization in the next few years; the resulting trade policy reforms will improve the business environment. On the fiscal side, a value-added tax (VAT) regime, slated to begin in 2008, will streamline the government's inefficient tax system.
Electricity - consumption 631.1 million kWh (2001) 1.193 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 728 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 376 million kWh (2001) 326 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 274.3 million kWh (2001) 1.715 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 14.2%


hydro: 85.8%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
lowest point: Mekong River 70 m


highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


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 African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500 Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7 (1999), 589.95 (1998) kips per US dollar - 10,235 (2006), 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002)
Executive branch chief of state: President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; runoff election held 22 March 2001 (next to be held NA March 2006)


election results: Mathieu KEREKOU reelected president; percent of vote - Mathieu KEREKOU 84.1%, Bruno AMOUSSOU 15.9%


note: the four top-ranking contenders following the first-round presidential elections were: Mathieu KEREKOU (incumbent) 45.4%, Nicephore SOGOLO (former president) 27.1%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI (National Assembly Speaker) 12.6%, and Bruno AMOUSSOU (Minister of State) 8.6%; the second-round balloting, originally scheduled for 18 March 2001, was postponed four days because both SOGOLO and HOUNGBEDJI withdrew alleging electoral fraud; this left KEREKOU to run against his own Minister of State, AMOUSSOU, in what was termed a "friendly match"
chief of state: President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 8 June 2006); Vice President BOUN-GNANG Volachit (since 8 June 2006)


head of government: Prime Minister BOUASONE Bouphavanh (since 8 June 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May 2002), Maj. Gen. DOUANGCHAI Phichit (since 8 June 2006), SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998), and THONGLOUN Sisoulit (since 27 March 2001)


cabinet: Ministers appointed by president, approved by National Assembly


elections: president and vice president elected by National Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 8 June 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister nominated by president and elected by National Assembly for five-year term


election results: CHOUMMALI Saignason elected president; BOUN-GNANG Volachit elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100%; BOUASONE Bouphavanh elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote - 97%
Exports NA (2001) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin
Exports - partners India 25%, Italy 11.1%, Indonesia 7.4%, China 7.2%, Thailand 6.7%, Brazil 6.1%, UK 4.4%, Niger 4% (2002) Thailand 41%, Vietnam 9.7%, China 4.1%, Malaysia 4% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 October - 30 September
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side 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 - $7.38 billion (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 38%


industry: 15%


services: 47% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 42.7%


industry: 31%


services: 26.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2002 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 6% (2002 est.) 8.3% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 18 00 N, 105 00 E
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands 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: 6,787 km


paved: 1,357 km (including 10 km of expressways)


unpaved: 5,430 km (1999 est.)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 3.4%


highest 10%: 28.5% (2002)
Illicit drugs transshipment point for narcotics associated with Nigerian trafficking organizations and most commonly destined for Western Europe and the US; vulnerable to money laundering due to a poorly regulated financial infrastructure estimated opium poppy cultivation in 2005 was 5,600 hectares, about a 45% decrease from 2004; estimated potential opium production in 2005 was 28 metric tons, a significant decrease from 200 metric tons in 2003; unsubstantiated reports of domestic methamphetamine production; growing domestic methamphetamine problem
Imports NA (2001) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods
Imports - partners China 30.7%, France 15.7%, UK 4.8%, Italy 4.2% (2002) Thailand 68.8%, China 11.3%, Vietnam 5.5% (2006)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 19 July 1949 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 8.3% (2001 est.) 15.7% (2006 est.)
Industries textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction materials (2001) copper, tin, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement
Infant mortality rate total: 86.76 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 91.79 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 81.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
total: 81.44 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 90.91 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 71.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.3% (2002 est.) 6.8% (2006 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO ACCT, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 4 (2002) -
Irrigated land 120 sq km (1998 est.) 1,750 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice 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 NA 2.1 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture: 80%


industry and services: 20% (2005 est.)
Land boundaries total: 1,989 km


border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 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: 15.28%


permanent crops: 1.36%


other: 83.36% (1998 est.)
arable land: 4.01%


permanent crops: 0.34%


other: 95.65% (2005)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 30 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Presidential Movement 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small parties) 31
unicameral National Assembly (115 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 30 April 2006 (next to be held in 2011)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LPRP 113, independents 2
Life expectancy at birth total population: 51.08 years


male: 50.35 years


female: 51.84 years (2003 est.)
total population: 55.89 years


male: 53.82 years


female: 58.04 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 40.9%


male: 56.2%


female: 26.5% (2000)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 68.7%


male: 77%


female: 60.9% (2001 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Map references Africa Southeast Asia
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 NM none (landlocked)
Merchant marine none (2002 est.) total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT


by type: cargo 1 (2007)
Military - note - 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 Armed Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $80.8 million (FY02) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.7% (FY02) 0.5% (2006)
Military manpower - availability note: both sexes are liable for military service


males age 15-49: 1,597,562


females age 15-49: 1,536,036 (2003 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 805,603


females age 15-49: 809,961 (2003 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 75,021


females: 78,998 (2003 est.)
-
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) Republic Day, 2 December (1975)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)


adjective: Lao or Laotian
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March floods, droughts
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines - refined products 540 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders African Congress for Renewal or DUNYA [Saka SALEY]; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Alliance of the Social Democratic Party or PSD [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Coalition of Democratic Forces [Gatien HOUNGBEDJI]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Front for Renewal and Development or FARD-ALAFIA [Jerome Sakia KINA]; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD [Bertin BORNA]; Key Force or FC [leader NA]; Presidential Movement (UBF, MADEP, FC, IDP, and 4 other small parties); Renaissance Party du Benin or PRB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile) [Sacca LAFIA]; Union of Tomorrow's Benin or UBF [Bruno AMOUSSOU]


note: approximately 20 additional minor parties
Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALI Saignason]; other parties proscribed
Political pressure groups and leaders NA noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975
Population 7,041,490


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.)
6,521,998 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 37% (2001 est.) 30.7% (2005 est.)
Population growth rate 2.95% (2003 est.) 2.37% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Cotonou, Porto-Novo -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) AM 7, FM 14, shortwave 2 (2006)
Railways total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
-
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Buddhist 65%, animist 32.9%, Christian 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.8% (1995 census)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.008 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.978 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.791 male(s)/female


total population: 0.984 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); submarine cable
general assessment: service to general public is poor but improving; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas


domestic: multiple service providers; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership about 10 per 100 persons


international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
Telephones - main lines in use 51,000 (2000) 90,067 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 55,500 (2000) 638,200 (2006)
Television broadcast stations 1;; (2001) 7 (includes 1 station relaying Vietnam Television from Hanoi) (2006)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Total fertility rate 6.04 children born/woman (2003 est.) 4.59 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 2.4% (2005 est.)
Waterways streams navigable along small sections, important only locally 4,600 km


note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,900 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2007)
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