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Compare Eritrea (2001) - Laos (2006)

Compare Eritrea (2001) z Laos (2006)

 Eritrea (2001)Laos (2006)
 EritreaLaos
Administrative divisions 8 provinces (singular - awraja); Akale Guzay, Barka, Denkel, Hamasen, Sahil, Semhar, Senhit, Seraye

note:
in May 1995 the National Assembly adopted a resolution stating that the administrative structure of Eritrea, which had been established by former colonial powers, would consist of only six provinces when the new constitution, then being drafted, became effective in 1997; the new provinces, the names of which had not been recommended by the US Board on Geographic Names for recognition by the US Government, pending acceptable definition of the boundaries, were: Anseba, Debub, Debubawi Keyih Bahri, Gash-Barka, Maakel, and Semanawi Keyih Bahri; more recently, it has been reported that these provinces have been redesignated regions and renamed Southern Red Sea, Northern Red Sea, Anseba, Gash-Barka, Southern, and Central
16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural), 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural), and 1 special zone** (khetphiset, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun**, Xekong, Xiangkhoang
Age structure 0-14 years:
42.85% (male 922,691; female 918,916)

15-64 years:
53.87% (male 1,147,927; female 1,167,705)

65 years and over:
3.28% (male 71,232; female 69,798) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 41.4% (male 1,324,207/female 1,313,454)


15-64 years: 55.4% (male 1,744,206/female 1,786,139)


65 years and over: 3.1% (male 89,451/female 111,024) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal; livestock, goats; fish sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry
Airports 20 (2000 est.) 44 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total:
2

over 3,047 m:
1

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1 (2000 est.)
total: 9


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
18

over 3,047 m:
2

2,438 to 3,047 m:
2

1,524 to 2,437 m:
5

914 to 1,523 m:
7

under 914 m:
2 (2000 est.)
total: 35


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 13


under 914 m: 21 (2006)
Area total:
121,320 sq km

land:
121,320 sq km

water:
0 sq km
total: 236,800 sq km


land: 230,800 sq km


water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Pennsylvania slightly larger than Utah
Background Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation. Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two and a half year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices on 12 December 2000. 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 42.52 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 35.49 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues:
$283.9 million

expenditures:
$351.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
revenues: $319.3 million


expenditures: $434.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Capital Asmara (formerly Asmera) name: Vientiane


geographic coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 36 E


time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually); semiarid in western hills and lowlands; rainfall heaviest during June-September except in coastal desert tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
Coastline 2,234 km total; mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution the transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented promulgated 14 August 1991
Country name conventional long form:
State of Eritrea

conventional short form:
Eritrea

local long form:
Hagere Ertra

local short form:
Ertra

former:
Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia
conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic


conventional short form: Laos PDR or Laos


local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao


local short form: none
Currency nakfa (ERN) -
Death rate 12.07 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 11.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $281 million (2000 est.) $2.49 billion (2001)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador William D. CLARKE

embassy:
Franklin D. Roosevelt Street, Asmara

mailing address:
P. O. Box 211, Asmara

telephone:
[291] (1) 120004

FAX:
[291] (1) 127584
chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia M. HASLACH


embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, That Dam Road, Vientiane


mailing address: American Embassy Vientiane, Box V, APO AP 96546


telephone: [856] 21-26 7000


FAX: [856] 21-26 7074
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador GIRMA Asmerom

chancery:
1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:
[1] (202) 319-1991

FAX:
[1] (202) 319-1304
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 as a result of the 12 December 2000 peace agreement ending a two-year war with Ethiopia, the UN will administer a 25-km wide temporary security zone within Eritrea until a joint boundary commission delimits and demarcates a final 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 several areas along Mekong River and Thai squatters; concern among Mekong Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels
Economic aid - recipient $77 million (1999) $243 million (2001 est.)
Economy - overview With independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993, Eritrea faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country. The economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. The small industrial sector consists mainly of light industries with outmoded technologies. Domestic output (GDP) is substantially augmented by worker remittances from abroad. Government revenues come from custom duties and taxes on income and sales. Road construction is a top domestic priority. In the long term, Eritrea may benefit from the development of offshore oil, offshore fishing, and tourism. Eritrea's economic future depends on its ability to master fundamental social and economic problems, e.g., by reducing illiteracy, promoting job creation, expanding technical training, attracting foreign investment, and streamlining the bureaucracy. Eritrea's agriculture over the last two years was severely weakened by war and drought, and many farmlands must wait to be demined. Another major difficulty is the ports, which prior to the war were Ethiopia's preferred outlets but since have seen trade dry up. The government of Laos, one of the few remaining official Communist states, began decentralizing control and encouraging private enterprise in 1986. The results, starting from an extremely low base, were striking - growth averaged 6% in 1988-2004 except during the short-lived drop caused by the Asian financial crisis beginning in 1997. Despite this high growth rate, Laos remains a country with a primitive infrastructure. It has no railroads, a rudimentary road system, and limited external and internal telecommunications, 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 food processing and mining. Construction will be another strong economic driver, especially as hydroelectric dam and road projects gain steam. In late 2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US, allowing Laos-based producers to face lower tariffs on exports. This new status may help spur growth. In addition, the European Union has agreed to provide $1 million to the Lao Government for technical assistance in preparations for WTO membership. If the avian flu worsens and spreads in the region, however, prospects for tourism could dim.
Electricity - consumption 153.5 million kWh (1999) 3.298 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh NA kWh (1999) 435 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh NA kWh (1999) 230 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 165 million kWh (1999) 3.767 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
100%

hydro:
0%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m

highest point:
Soira 3,018 m
lowest point: Mekong River 70 m


highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare 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

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 ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3% Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%
Exchange rates nakfa per US dollar = 9.5 (January 2000), 7.6 (January 1999), 7.2 (March 1998 est.) kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state:
President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly

head of government:
President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly

cabinet:
State Council is the collective executive authority

elections:
president elected by the National Assembly; election last held 8 June 1993 (next tentatively scheduled for December 2001)

election results:
ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%
chief of state: President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 8 June 2006) and Vice President BOUN-GNANG Volachit (since 8 June 2006)


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


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the National Assembly


elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 8 June 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly for a 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 $26 million (f.o.b., 1999) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin
Exports - partners Sudan 27.2%, Ethiopia 26.5%, Japan 13.2%, UAE 7.3%, Italy 5.3% (1998) Thailand 29.6%, Vietnam 12%, France 6.1%, Germany 4.6% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 October - 30 September
Flag description red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle 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 - $2.9 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
16%

industry:
27%

services:
57% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 45.5%


industry: 28.7%


services: 25.8% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $710 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate -1% (2000 est.) 7.3% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 15 00 N, 39 00 E 18 00 N, 105 00 E
Geography - note strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993 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:
3,850 km

paved:
810 km

unpaved:
3,040 km (2000)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%: 3.2%


highest 10%: 30.6% (1997)
Illicit drugs - estimated cultivation in 2004 - 10,000 hectares, a 45% decrease from 2003; estimated potential production in 2004 - 49 metric tons, a significant decrease from 200 metric tons in 2003 (2005)
Imports $560 million (c.i.f., 1999) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods
Imports - partners Italy 17.4%, UAE 16.2%, Germany 5.7%, UK 4.5%, Korea 4.4% (1998) Thailand 66.1%, China 9%, Vietnam 6.7% (2005)
Independence 24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia) 19 July 1949 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 13% (2005 est.)
Industries food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles copper, tin, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement
Infant mortality rate 75.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 83.31 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 92.95 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 73.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 14% (2000 est.) 7% (2005 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO 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, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 4 (2000) -
Irrigated land 280 sq km (1993 est.) 1,750 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; 10 provincial courts; 29 district courts 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 2.8 million (2002 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 80%, industry and services 20% agriculture: 80%


industry and services: 20% (1997 est.)
Land boundaries total:
1,630 km

border countries:
Djibouti 113 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 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:
12%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
49%

forests and woodland:
6%

other:
32% (1998 est.)
arable land: 4.01%


permanent crops: 0.34%


other: 95.65% (2005)
Languages Afar, Amharic, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Legal system operates on the basis of transitional laws that incorporate pre-independence statutes of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front, revised Ethiopian laws, customary laws, and post independence enacted laws based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term limits not established)

elections:
in May 1997, following the adoption of the new constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member Constituent Assembly which had been established in 1997 to discuss and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to serve as the country's legislative body until country-wide elections to a National Assembly are held; only 75 members will be elected to the National Assembly - the other 75 will be members of the Central Committee of the PFDJ; parliamentary elections are now scheduled for NA December 2001
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:
56.18 years

male:
53.73 years

female:
58.71 years (2001 est.)
total population: 55.49 years


male: 53.45 years


female: 57.61 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition:
NA

total population:
25%

male:
NA%

female:
NA%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 66.4%


male: 77.4%


female: 55.5% (2002)
Location Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Map references Africa Southeast Asia
Maritime claims territorial sea:
12 NM
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total:
5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,069 GRT/19,549 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 1, cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.)
total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT


by type: cargo 1 (2006)
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 Army, Navy, Air Force Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $160 million (2000 est.) $11.04 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 29.4% (2000 est.) 0.4% (2005 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 24 May (1993) Republic Day, 2 December (1975)
Nationality noun:
Eritrean(s)

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


adjective: Lao or Laotian
Natural hazards frequent droughts; locust swarms floods, droughts
Natural resources gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Net migration rate 7.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

note:
according to the UNHCR, about 150,000 Eritrean refugees in Sudan have registered for voluntary repatriation, following the restoration of diplomatic relations between Eritrea and Sudan in January 2000
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines - refined products 540 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, the only party recognized by the government [ISAIAS Afworki, PETROS Solomon]; note - the National Assembly has appointed a committee to draft a law on political parties Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALY Sayasone]; other parties proscribed
Political pressure groups and leaders Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ; Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council or ELF-RC [Ahmed NASSER]; Eritrean Liberation Front-United Organization or ELF-UO [Mohammed Said NAWD] noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975
Population 4,298,269 (July 2001 est.) 6,368,481 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 34% (2005 est.)
Population growth rate 3.84% (2001 est.) 2.39% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa) -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 2 (2000) AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006)
Radios 345,000 (1997) -
Railways total:
317 km

narrow gauge:
317 km 0.950-m gauge (1999)

note:
links Ak'ordat and Asmara with the port of Massawa; nonoperational since 1978 except for about a 5 km stretch that was reopened in Massawa in 1994; rehabilitation of the remainder and of the rolling stock is under way
-
Religions Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant 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 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
NA

domestic:
very inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system

international:
NA
general assessment: service to general public is poor but improving; 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 23,578 (2000) 90,067 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA 520,546 (2006)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2000) 7; note - including one station relaying Vietnam Television from Hanoi (2006)
Terrain dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Total fertility rate 5.87 children born/woman (2001 est.) 4.68 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 2.4% (2005 est.)
Waterways none 4,600 km


note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2005)
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