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Compare Colombia (2004) - Laos (2002)

Compare Colombia (2004) z Laos (2002)

 Colombia (2004)Laos (2002)
 ColombiaLaos
Administrative divisions 32 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital district* (distrito capital); Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlantico, Distrito Capital de Bogota*, Bolivar, Boyaca, Caldas, Caqueta, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Guainia, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Narino, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindio, Risaralda, San Andres y Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada 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: 31% (male 6,644,080; female 6,489,677)


15-64 years: 63.9% (male 13,171,416; female 13,879,115)


65 years and over: 5% (male 940,762; female 1,185,725) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 42.5% (male 1,233,659; female 1,219,872)


15-64 years: 54.2% (male 1,543,246; female 1,591,419)


65 years and over: 3.3% (male 86,375; female 102,609) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products; shrimp sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry
Airports 980 (2003 est.) 51 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 101


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 9


1,524 to 2,437 m: 39


914 to 1,523 m: 39


under 914 m: 12 (2004 est.)
total: 9


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 879


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 34


914 to 1,523 m: 272


under 914 m: 572 (2004 est.)
total: 42


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 15


under 914 m: 26 (2002)
Area total: 1,138,910 sq km


land: 1,038,700 sq km


water: 100,210 sq km


note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, Serrana Bank, and Serranilla Bank
total: 236,800 sq km


land: 230,800 sq km


water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than three times the size of Montana slightly larger than Utah
Background Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and Venezuela). A 40-year insurgent campaign to overthrow the Colombian Government escalated during the 1990s, undergirded in part by funds from the drug trade. Although the violence is deadly and large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence, the movement lacks the military strength or popular support necessary to overthrow the government. An anti-insurgent army of paramilitaries has grown to be several thousand strong in recent years, challenging the insurgents for control of territory and the drug trade, and also the government's ability to exert its dominion over rural areas. While Bogota steps up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders. 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 21.19 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 37.39 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $24 billion


expenditures: $25.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $211 million


expenditures: $462 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est.)
Capital Bogota Vientiane
Climate tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
Coastline 3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km) 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 5 July 1991 promulgated 14 August 1991
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Colombia


conventional short form: Colombia


local long form: Republica de Colombia


local short form: Colombia
conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic


conventional short form: Laos


local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao


local short form: none
Currency Colombian peso (COP) kip (LAK)
Death rate 5.61 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 12.71 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $38.26 billion (2003 est.) $2.53 billion (1999)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador William B. WOOD


embassy: Calle 22D-BIS, numbers 47-51, Apartado Aereo 3831


mailing address: Carrera 45 #22D-45, Bogota, D.C., APO AA 34038


telephone: [57] (1) 315-0811


FAX: [57] (1) 315-2197
chief of mission: Ambassador Douglas A. HARTWICK


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 Luis Alberto MORENO Mejia


chancery: 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 387-8338


FAX: [1] (202) 232-8643


consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Washington, DC


consulate(s): Atlanta
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 Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over disputed maritime boundary involving 50,000 sq km in the Caribbean Sea, including the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; maritime boundary dispute with Venezuela in the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian drug activities penetrate Peruvian border area; the continuing civil disorder in Colombia has created a serious refugee crisis in neighboring states, especially Ecuador demarcation of boundaries with Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam is nearing completion, but with Thailand, several areas including Mekong River islets, remain in dispute; ongoing disputes with Thailand and Vietnam over squatters
Economic aid - recipient NA $345 million (1999 est.)
Economy - overview Colombia's economy suffers from weak domestic and foreign demand, austere government budgets, and serious internal armed conflict, but seems poised for recovery. Other economic problems facing President URIBE range from reforming the pension system to reducing high unemployment. Two of Colombia's leading exports, oil and coffee, face an uncertain future; new exploration is needed to offset declining oil production, while coffee harvests and prices are depressed. On the positive side, several international financial institutions have praised the economic reforms introduced by URIBE, which includes measures designed to reduce the public-sector deficit below 2.5% of GDP in 2004. The government's economic policy and democratic security strategy have engendered a growing sense of confidence in the economy, particularly within the business sector, and GDP growth in 2003 was among the highest in Latin America. 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 39.81 billion kWh (2001) 690.6 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 210 million kWh (2001) 400 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 40 million kWh (2001) 142 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 42.99 billion kWh (2001) 1.02 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 2%


hydro: 98%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pico Cristobal Colon 5,775 m


note: nearby Pico Simon Bolivar also has the same elevation
lowest point: Mekong River 70 m


highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water
Environment - international agreements party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
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 mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1% 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 Colombian pesos per US dollar - 2,877.65 (2003), 2,504.24 (2002), 2,299.63 (2001), 2,087.9 (2000), 1,756.23 (1999) kips per US dollar - 9,467.00 (December 2001), 8,954.58 (2001), 7,887.64 (2000), 7,102.03 (1999), 3,298.33 (1998), 1,259.98 (1997)
Executive branch chief of state: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August 2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August 2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet consists of a coalition of the two dominant parties - the PL and PSC - and independents


elections: president and vice president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 26 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2006)


election results: President Alvaro URIBE Velez received 53% of the vote; Vice President Francisco SANTOS was elected on the same ticket
chief of state: President Gen. KHAMTAI Siphandon (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 Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since NA 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 NA 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) $325 million (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities petroleum, coffee, coal, apparel, bananas, cut flowers wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin
Exports - partners US 47.1%, Ecuador 6%, Venezuela 5.3% (2003) Thailand 20%, France 7.5%, Germany 5.9%, UK 4.1%, Belgium 4% (2000)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 October - 30 September
Flag description three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue, and red; similar to the flag of Ecuador, which is longer and bears the Ecuadorian coat of arms superimposed 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 - $263.2 billion (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $9.2 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 13.7%


industry: 32.1%


services: 54.2% (2003 est.)
agriculture: 53%


industry: 22%


services: 25% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $6,300 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,630 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.7% (2003 est.) 5% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 4 00 N, 72 00 W 18 00 N, 105 00 E
Geography - note only South American country with coastlines on both North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand
Heliports 1 (2003 est.) -
Highways total: 110,000 km


paved: 26,000 km


unpaved: 84,000 km (2000)
total: 14,000 km


paved: 3,360 km


unpaved: 10,640 km (1991)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 1%


highest 10%: 44% (1999)
lowest 10%: 3%


highest 10%: 31% (1997)
Illicit drugs illicit producer of coca, opium poppy, and cannabis; world's leading coca cultivator (cultivation of coca in 2002 was 144,450 hectares, a 15% decline since 2001); potential production of opium between 2001 and 2002 declined by 25% to 91 metric tons; potential production of heroin declined to 11.3 metric tons; the world's largest processor of coca derivatives into cocaine; supplier of about 90% of the cocaine to the US market and the great majority of cocaine to other international drug markets; important supplier of heroin to the US market; active aerial eradication program; a significant portion of non-US narcotics proceeds are either laundered or invested in Colombia through the black market peso exchange world's third-largest illicit opium producer (estimated cultivation in 2002 - 23,200 hectares, a 5% increase over 2001; estimated potential production in 2002 - 180 metric tons, a 10% decrease from 2001); potential heroin producer; transshipment point for heroin and methamphetamine produced in Burma; illicit producer of cannabis; growing methamphetamine abuse problem
Imports NA (2001) $540 million f.o.b. (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel
Imports - partners US 29.6%, Brazil 5.5%, Mexico 5.4%, Venezuela 5.2%, China 5%, Japan 4.6%, Germany 4.4% (2003) Thailand 52%, Singapore 3.9%, Japan 1.6%, Hong Kong 1.5%, China 0.8% (2000)
Independence 20 July 1810 (from Spain) 19 July 1949 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 3.5% (2003 est.) 7.5% (1999 est.)
Industries textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism
Infant mortality rate total: 21.72 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 25.69 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 17.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
90.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7.1% (2003 est.) 10% (2001 est.)
International organization participation BCIE, CAN, CDB, FAO, G-3, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ACCT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, 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 8,500 sq km (1998 est.) 1,640 sq km


note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch four roughly coequal, supreme judicial organs; Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (highest court of criminal law; judges are selected by their peers from the nominees of the Superior Judicial Council for eight-year terms); Council of State (highest court of administrative law; judges are selected from the nominees of the Superior Judicial Council for eight-year terms); Constitutional Court (guards integrity and supremacy of the constitution; rules on constitutionality of laws, amendments to the constitution, and international treaties); Superior Judicial Council (administers and disciplines the civilian judiciary; resolves jurisdictional conflicts arising between other courts; members are elected by three sister courts and Congress for eight-year terms) 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 20.34 million (2003 est.) 2.4 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 30%, industry 24%, services 46% (1990) agriculture 80% (1997 est.)
Land boundaries total: 6,004 km


border countries: Brazil 1,643 km, Ecuador 590 km, Panama 225 km, Peru 1,496 km (est.), Venezuela 2,050 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: 2.42%


permanent crops: 1.67%


other: 95.91% (2001)
arable land: 3.47%


permanent crops: 0.23%


other: 96.3% (1998 est.)
Languages Spanish Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Legal system based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after US procedures was enacted in 1992-93; judicial review of executive and legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and Socialist practice
Legislative branch bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Senate or Senado (102 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (166 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held NA March 2006); House of Representatives - last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held NA March 2006)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 28, PSC 13, independents and smaller parties (many aligned with conservatives) 61; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 54, PSC 21, independents and other parties 91
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 NA 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: 71.43 years


male: 67.58 years


female: 75.41 years (2004 est.)
total population: 53.88 years


male: 51.95 years


female: 55.87 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 92.5%


male: 92.4%


female: 92.6% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 57%


male: 70%


female: 44% (1999 est.)
Location Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Map references South America Southeast Asia
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total: 13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 35,427 GRT/46,301 DWT


by type: bulk 4, cargo 5, container 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 2


registered in other countries: 16 (2004 est.)
total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT


ships by type: cargo 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches Army (Ejercito Nacional), Navy (Armada Nacional, including Naval Aviation, Marines, and Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Colombiana) Lao People's Army (LPA; including Riverine Force), Air Force, National Police Department
Military expenditures - dollar figure $3.3 billion (FY01) $55 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3.4% (FY01) 4.2% (FY96/97)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 11,252,027 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 1,365,027 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 7,495,462 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 734,945 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 392,656 (2004 est.) males: 64,437 (2002 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 20 July (1810) Republic Day, 2 December (1975)
Nationality noun: Colombian(s)


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


adjective: Lao or Laotian
Natural hazards highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts floods, droughts
Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Net migration rate -0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines gas 4,360 km; oil 6,134 km; refined products 3,140 km (2004) petroleum products 136 km
Political parties and leaders Conservative Party or PSC [Carlos HOLGUIN Sardi]; Liberal Party or PL [Camilo SANCHEZ]; Colombian Communist Party or PCC [Jaime CAICEDO]; Democratic Pole or PDI [Antonio NAVARRO Wolff]


note: Colombia has about 60 formally recognized political parties, most of which do not have a presence in either house of Congress
Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphandon, party president]; other parties proscribed
Political pressure groups and leaders two largest insurgent groups active in Colombia - Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC and National Liberation Army or ELN; largest anti-insurgent paramilitary group is United Self-Defense Groups of Colombia or AUC noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975
Population 42,310,775 (July 2004 est.) 5,777,180 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line 55% (2001) 40% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 1.53% (2004 est.) 2.47% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors Bahia de Portete, Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Leticia, Puerto Bolivar, San Andres, Santa Marta, Tumaco, Turbo none
Radio broadcast stations AM 454, FM 34, shortwave 27 (1999) AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios - 730,000 (1997)
Railways total: 3,304 km


standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (2003)
0 km (2001)
Religions Roman Catholic 90% Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%)
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: 0.79 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 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: 0.84 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: modern system in many respects


domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic satellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking 50 cities


international: country code - 57; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat; 3 fully digitalized international switching centers; 8 submarine cables
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 8,768,100 (2003) 25,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 6,186,200 (2003) 4,915 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 60 (includes seven low-power stations) (1997) 4 (1999)
Terrain flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Total fertility rate 2.59 children born/woman (2004 est.) 5.03 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 14.2% (2003 est.) 5.7% (1997 est.)
Waterways 9,187 km (2004) 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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