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Compare Botswana (2008) - Laos (2001)

Compare Botswana (2008) z Laos (2001)

 Botswana (2008)Laos (2001)
 BotswanaLaos
Administrative divisions 9 districts and 5 town councils*; Central, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Jwaneng*, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Northeast, Northwest, Selebi-Pikwe*, Southeast, Southern 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, Louangphabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun**, Xekong, Xiangkhoang
Age structure 0-14 years: 35.8% (male 330,377/female 319,376)


15-64 years: 60.3% (male 549,879/female 545,148)


65 years and over: 3.9% (male 28,725/female 42,003) (2007 est.)
0-14 years:
42.75% (male 1,212,577; female 1,196,795)

15-64 years:
53.94% (male 1,494,927; female 1,544,851)

65 years and over:
3.31% (male 85,632; female 101,185) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry
Airports 85 (2007) 51 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 11


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 7


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)
total:
8

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
5

914 to 1,523 m:
2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 74


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 54


under 914 m: 17 (2007)
total:
43

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
17

under 914 m:
25 (2000 est.)
Area total: 600,370 sq km


land: 585,370 sq km


water: 15,000 sq km
total:
236,800 sq km

land:
230,800 sq km

water:
6,000 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Texas slightly larger than Utah
Background Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. Four decades of uninterrupted civilian leadership, progressive social policies, and significant capital investment have created one of the most dynamic economies in Africa. Mineral extraction, principally diamond mining, dominates economic activity, though tourism is a growing sector due to the country's conservation practices and extensive nature preserves. Botswana has one of the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection, but also one of Africa's most progressive and comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease. 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, an easing of foreign investment laws, and the admission into ASEAN in 1997.
Birth rate 23.17 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 37.84 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $4.886 billion


expenditures: $3.756 billion (2007 est.)
revenues:
$211 million

expenditures:
$462 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est.)
Capital name: Gaborone


geographic coordinates: 24 45 S, 25 55 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Vientiane
Climate semiarid; warm winters and hot summers tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution March 1965, effective 30 September 1966 promulgated 14 August 1991
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Botswana


conventional short form: Botswana


local long form: Republic of Botswana


local short form: Botswana


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

conventional short form:
Laos

local long form:
Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao

local short form:
none
Currency - kip (LAK)
Death rate 13.63 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 13.02 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $513 million (31 December 2007 est.) $2.46 billion (1998 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Katherine H. CANAVAN


embassy: address NA, Gaborone


mailing address: Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone


telephone: [267] 395-3982


FAX: [267] 395-6947
chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affairs Karen Brevard STEWART

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 Lapologang Caesar LEKOA


chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036


telephone: [1] (202) 244-4990


FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164
chief of mission:
Ambassador VANG Rattanavong

chancery:
2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 332-6416

FAX:
[1] (202) 332-4923
Disputes - international the alignment of the boundary with Namibia in the Kwando/Linyanti/Chobe River, including the Situngu marshlands, was resolved amicably in 2003; concerns from international experts and local populations over the ecology of the Okavango Delta in Botswana and human displacement scuttled Namibian plans to construct a hydroelectric dam at Popavalle (Popa Falls) along the Angola-Namibia border; Botswana has built electric fences to stem the thousands of Zimbabweans who flee to find work and escape political persecution; Namibia has long supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to, plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing the short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary parts of the border with Thailand are indefinite
Economic aid - recipient $70.89 million (2005) $345 million (1999 est.)
Economy - overview Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966, though growth slowed to 4.7% annually in 2006-07. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of more than $11,000 in 2006. Two major investment services rank Botswana as the best credit risk in Africa. Diamond mining has fueled much of the expansion and currently accounts for more than one-third of GDP and for 70-80% of export earnings. Tourism, financial services, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key sectors. On the downside, the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially was 23.8% in 2004, but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the second highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. An expected leveling off in diamond mining production overshadows long-term prospects. 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% during 1988-97. Reform efforts subsequently slowed, and GDP growth dropped an average of 3 percentage points. Because Laos depends heavily on its trade with Thailand, it was damaged by the regional financial crisis beginning in 1997. Government mismanagement deepened the crisis, and from June 1997 to June 1999 the Lao kip lost 87% of its value. Laos' foreign exchange problems peaked in September 1999 when the kip fell from 3,500 kip to the dollar to 9,000 kip to the dollar in a matter of weeks. Now that the currency has stabilized, however, the government seems content to let the current situation persist, despite limited government revenue and foreign exchange reserves. A landlocked country with a primitive infrastructure, Laos 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. For the foreseeable future the economy will continue to depend on aid from the IMF and other international sources; Japan is currently the largest bilateral aid donor; aid from the former USSR/Eastern Europe has been cut sharply.
Electricity - consumption 2.602 billion kWh (2005) 173.6 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 705 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 1.754 billion kWh (2005) 142 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 912 million kWh (2005) 792 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
2.78%

hydro:
97.22%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m


highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m
lowest point:
Mekong River 70 m

highest point:
Phou Bia 2,817 m
Environment - current issues overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; a majority 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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7% Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong ("Meo") and the Yao (Mien) 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%
Exchange rates pulas per US dollar - 6.2035 (2007), 5.8447 (2006), 5.1104 (2005), 4.6929 (2004), 4.9499 (2003) kips per US dollar - 7,578.00 (December 2000), 7,102.03 (1999), 3,298.33 (1998), 1,259.98 (1997), 921.02 (1996)
Executive branch chief of state: President Festus G. MOGAE (since 1 April 1998); Vice President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Festus G. MOGAE (since 1 April 1998); Vice President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998);


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president


elections: president indirectly elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held in 2009); vice president appointed by the president


election results: Festus G. MOGAE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 52%
chief of state:
President Gen. KHAMTAI Siphandon (since 26 February 1998) and Vice President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since NA March 2001)

head of government:
Prime Minister BOUNGNANG Volachit (since NA March 2001); Deputy Prime Ministers THONGLOUN Sisolit (since NA March 2001), 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 21 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); 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 0 bbl/day (2004) $323 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities diamonds, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin
Exports - partners European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 87%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 7%, Zimbabwe 4% (2006) Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, France, Belgium
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March 1 October - 30 September
Flag description light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center 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 - $9 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 1.6%


industry: 51.5% (including 36% mining)


services: 46.9% (2006 est.)
agriculture:
51%

industry:
22%

services:
27% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4.7% (2007 est.) 4% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 22 00 S, 24 00 E 18 00 N, 105 00 E
Geography - note landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country landlocked
Highways - total:
14,000 km

paved:
3,360 km

unpaved:
10,640 km (1991)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%:
4.2%

highest 10%:
26.4% (1992)
Illicit drugs - world's third-largest illicit opium producer (estimated cultivation in 1999 - 21,800 hectares, a 16% decrease over 1998; estimated potential production in 1999 - 140 metric tons, about the same as in 1998); potential heroin producer; transshipment point for heroin and methamphetamine produced in Burma; illicit producer of cannabis
Imports 13,490 bbl/day (2004) $540 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel
Imports - partners Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 74%, EFTA 17%, Zimbabwe 4% (2006) Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Hong Kong
Independence 30 September 1966 (from UK) 19 July 1949 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 4.5% (2007 est.) 7.5% (1999 est.)
Industries diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism
Infant mortality rate total: 43.97 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 45.02 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 42.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
92.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7.2% (2007 est.) 33% (2000 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ACCT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 10 sq km (2003) 1,250 sq km (1993 est.)

note:
rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each district) 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 288,400 formal sector employees (2004) 1 million - 1.5 million
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
agriculture 80% (1997 est.)
Land boundaries total: 4,013 km


border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 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: 0.65%


permanent crops: 0.01%


other: 99.34% (2005)
arable land:
3%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
3%

forests and woodland:
54%

other:
40% (1993 est.)
Languages Setswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%, Sekgalagadi 2.8%, English 2.1% (official), other 8.6%, unspecified 0.4% (2001 census) Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Legal system based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and Socialist practice
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body with 8 permanent members consisting of the chiefs of the principal tribes, and 7 non-permanent members serving 5-year terms, consisting of 4 elected subchiefs and 3 members selected by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly (63 seats, 57 members are directly elected by popular vote, 4 are appointed by the majority party, and 2, the President and Attorney-General, serve as ex-officio members; members serve five-year terms)


elections: National Assembly elections last held 30 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2009)


election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 51.7%, BNF 26.1%, BCP 16.6%, other 5%; seats by party - BDP 44, BNF 12, BCP 1
unicameral National Assembly (99 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - by presidential decree, on 27 October 1997, the number of seats increased from 85 to 99)

elections:
last held 21 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)

election results:
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - LPRP or LPRP-approved (independent, non-party members) 99
Life expectancy at birth total population: 50.58 years


male: 51.55 years


female: 49.58 years (2007 est.)
total population:
53.48 years

male:
51.58 years

female:
55.44 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 81.2%


male: 80.4%


female: 81.8% (2003 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
57%

male:
70%

female:
44% (1999 est.)
Location Southern Africa, north of South Africa Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Map references Africa Southeast Asia
Maritime claims none (landlocked) none (landlocked)
Merchant marine - total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,370 GRT/3,000 DWT

ships by type:
cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Military branches Botswana Defense Force (includes an air wing) (2006) Lao People's Army (LPA; includes riverine element), Air Force, National Police Department
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $55 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3.3% (2006) 4.2% (FY96/97)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49:
1,319,537 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49:
710,627 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males:
64,437 (2001 est.)
National holiday Independence Day (Botswana Day), 30 September (1966) Republic Day, 2 December (1975)
Nationality noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)


adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
noun:
Lao(s) or Laotian(s)

adjective:
Lao or Laotian
Natural hazards periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility floods, droughts, and blight
Natural resources diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Net migration rate 5.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2007 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines - petroleum products 136 km
Political parties and leaders Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Otlaadisa KOOSALETSE]; Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Festus G. MOGAE]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Peoples Party or BPP; MELS Movement of Botswana or MELS; New Democratic Front or NDF


note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats - includes the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; the Independence Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO]; the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE]
Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphandon, party president]; other parties proscribed
Political pressure groups and leaders NA noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975
Population 1,815,508


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 2007 est.)
5,635,967 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 30.3% (2003) 46.1% (1993 est.)
Population growth rate 1.503% (2007 est.) 2.48% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors - none
Radio broadcast stations AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001) AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios - 730,000 (1997)
Railways total: 888 km


narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
0 km
Religions Christian 71.6%, Badimo 6%, other 1.4%, unspecified 0.4%, none 20.6% (2001 census) Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.034 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.009 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.684 male(s)/female


total population: 1.003 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.01 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: the system is expanding with the growth of mobile-cellular service and participation in regional development; system is fully digital with fiber-optic cables linking the major population centers in the east; fixed-line connections declined in recent years and now stand at 8 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density currently is about 60 per 100 persons


domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations; mobile-cellular service is growing fast


international: country code - 267; international calls are made via satellite, using international direct dialing; 2 international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2007)
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:
satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
Telephones - main lines in use 136,900 (2006) 25,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 979,800 (2006) 4,915 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 2 (1 state-owned, 1 private) 4 (1999)
Terrain predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Total fertility rate 2.73 children born/woman (2007 est.) 5.12 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 23.8% (2004) 5.7% (1997 est.)
Waterways - 4,587 km approximately

note:
primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m
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