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Compare Haiti (2006) - Laos (2005)

Compare Haiti (2006) z Laos (2005)

 Haiti (2006)Laos (2005)
 HaitiLaos
Administrative divisions 10 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est 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: 42.4% (male 1,770,523/female 1,749,853)


15-64 years: 54.2% (male 2,201,957/female 2,301,886)


65 years and over: 3.4% (male 125,298/female 158,987) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 41.6% (male 1,300,094/female 1,289,227)


15-64 years: 55.2% (male 1,693,494/female 1,737,196)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 88,744/female 108,386) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice, water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry
Airports 12 (2006) 44 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006)
total: 9


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 8


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 7 (2006)
total: 35


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 13


under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
Area total: 27,750 sq km


land: 27,560 sq km


water: 190 sq km
total: 236,800 sq km


land: 230,800 sq km


water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maryland slightly larger than Utah
Background The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola, and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare its independence in 1804. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the departure of President Jean-Betrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and technical delays have prompted repeated postponements, and Haiti missed the constitutionally-mandated presidential inauguration date of 7 February 2006. Laos was under the control of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the Communist Pathet Lao took control of the government, ending a six-century-old monarchy. Initial closer ties to Vietnam and socialization were replaced with a gradual return to private enterprise, a liberalization of foreign investment laws, and the admission into ASEAN in 1997.
Birth rate 36.44 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 35.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $400 million


expenditures: $600.8 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues: $284.3 million


expenditures: $416.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital name: Port-au-Prince


geographic coordinates: 18 32 N, 72 20 W


time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October
Vientiane
Climate tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
Coastline 1,771 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution approved March 1987; suspended June 1988 with most articles reinstated March 1989; constitutional government ousted in a military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991, military government claimed to be observing the constitution; returned to constitutional rule in October 1994; constitution remains technically in force but has not been observed since Aristide's departure in 2004 promulgated 14 August 1991
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Haiti


conventional short form: Haiti


local long form: Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d' Ayiti


local short form: Haiti/Ayiti
conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic


conventional short form: Laos


local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao


local short form: none
Death rate 12.17 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 11.83 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $1.313 billion (2005 est.) $2.49 billion (2001)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Janet A. SANDERSON


embassy: 5 Harry S Truman Boulevard, Bicentenaire-Port-au-Prince


mailing address: P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince


telephone: [509] 222-0200


FAX: [509] 223-9038
chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia M. HASLACH


embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, B. P. 114, Vientiane


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


telephone: [856] (21) 212581, 212582, 212585


FAX: [856] (21) 212584
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond JOSEPH (as of October 2005)


chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090


FAX: [1] (202) 745-7215


consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
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 since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) maintain civil order in Haiti; despite efforts to control illegal migration, Haitians fleeing economic privation and civil unrest continue to cross into the Dominican Republic and sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; Laos and Thailand pledge to complete demarcation of boundaries in 2005, while ongoing disputes over squatters and boundary encroachment by Thailand including Mekong River islets persist; in 2004 Cambodian-Laotian boundary commission agrees to re-erect missing markers in two adjoining provinces; concern among Mekong Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels
Economic aid - recipient $153 million (FY05 est.) $243 million (2001 est.)
Economy - overview In this poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, 80% of the population lives in abject poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation. The economy grew 1.5% in 2005, the highest growth rate since 1999. Haiti suffers from rampant inflation, a lack of investment, and a severe trade deficit. In early 2005, Haiti paid its arrears to the World Bank, paving the way for reengagement with the Bank. The government is reliant on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability. Remittances are the primary source of foreign exchange, equaling nearly a quarter of GDP in 2005. 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. The government has sponsored major improvements in the road system. 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. In late 2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US, allowing Laos-based producers to face lower tariffs on their exports; this may help spur growth.
Electricity - consumption 507.8 million kWh (2003) 3.036 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 400 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 125 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 546 million kWh (2003) 3.56 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m
lowest point: Mekong River 70 m


highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
Environment - current issues extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water 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, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups black 95%, mulatto and white 5% Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%
Exchange rates gourdes per US dollar - 40.449 (2005), 38.352 (2004), 42.367 (2003), 29.251 (2002), 24.429 (2001) kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001), 7,887.6 (2000)
Executive branch chief of state: President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006)


head of government: Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard ALEXIS (since 30 May 2006)


cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 7 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the National Assembly


election results: Rene PREVAL elected president; percent of vote - Rene PREVAL 51%
chief of state: President Gen. KHAMTAI Siphadon (since 26 February 1998) and Vice President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 27 March 2001)


head of government: Prime Minister BOUNGNANG Volachit (since 27 March 2001); First Deputy Prime Minister Bouasone BOUPHAVANH (since 3 October 2003) Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May 2002), Deputy Prime Minister THONGLOUN Sisolit (since 27 March 2001), and Deputy Prime Minister SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998)


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


elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 24 February 2002 (next to be held in 2007); prime minister appointed by the president with the approval of the National Assembly for a five-year term


election results: KHAMTAI Siphadon elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA%
Exports NA bbl/day NA
Exports - commodities manufactures, coffee, oils, cocoa, mangoes garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin
Exports - partners US 80.8%, Dominican Republic 6.9%, Canada 4% (2005) Thailand 19.3%, Vietnam 13.4%, France 8%, Germany 5.3%, UK 5% (2004)
Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September 1 October - 30 September
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength) three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 28%


industry: 20%


services: 52% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 49.5%


industry: 27.5%


services: 23% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1.8% (2005 est.) 6% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 19 00 N, 72 25 W 18 00 N, 105 00 E
Geography - note shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic) 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: 21,716 km


paved: 9,664 km


unpaved: 12,052 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


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


highest 10%: 30.6% (1997)
Illicit drugs Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial transactions; pervasive corruption 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 NA bbl/day NA
Imports - commodities food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods
Imports - partners US 49.3%, Netherlands Antilles 12%, Colombia 3.2% (2005) Thailand 60.5%, China 10.3%, Vietnam 7.1%, Singapore 4% (2004)
Independence 1 January 1804 (from France) 19 July 1949 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 9.7% (2001 est.)
Industries sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly industries based on imported parts tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism
Infant mortality rate total: 71.65 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 78.01 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 65.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
total: 85.22 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 95.04 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 75.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 15.7% (2005 est.) 12.3% (2004 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, Caricom, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ACCT, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)
Irrigated land 920 sq km (2003) 1,640 sq km


note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation 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 3.6 million


note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1995)
2.6 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 66%


industry: 9%


services: 25%
agriculture 80% (1997 est.)
Land boundaries total: 360 km


border countries: Dominican Republic 360 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: 28.11%


permanent crops: 11.53%


other: 60.36% (2005)
arable land: 3.8%


permanent crops: 0.35%


other: 95.85% (2001)
Languages French (official), Creole (official) Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Legal system based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice
Legislative branch bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the Senate (30 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - in reestablishing the Senate, the candidate in each department receiving the most votes in the last election serves six years, the candidate with the second most votes serves four years, and the candidate with the third most votes serves two years


elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2006, run-off elections to be determined (next regular election, for one third of seats, to be held in 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 April 2006, run-off elections to be determined (next regular election to be held in 2010)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 11, OPL 4, FL 3, FUSION 3, LAAA 2, UNCRH 2, ALYANS 1, PONT 1, 3 seats subject to run-off election; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 19, FUSION 15, ALYANS 10, OPL 8, FL 6, UNCRH 6, MPH 4, RDNP 4, LAAA 3,KONBA 3, FRN 1, MOCHRENHA 1, MRN 1, Tet-Ansanm 1, MIRN 1, JPDN 1, UNITE 1, PLH 1, 13 seats subject to run-off election
unicameral National Assembly (109 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - total number of seats increased from 99 to 109 for the 2002 election)


elections: last held 24 February 2002 (next to be held in 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - LPRP or LPRP-approved (independent, non-party members) 109
Life expectancy at birth total population: 53.23 years


male: 51.89 years


female: 54.6 years (2006 est.)
total population: 55.08 years


male: 53.07 years


female: 57.17 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 52.9%


male: 54.8%


female: 51.2% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 66.4%


male: 77.4%


female: 55.5% (2002)
Location Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Southeast Asia
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine - total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT


by type: cargo 1 (2005)
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 the regular Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force - have been demobilized but still exist on paper unless they are constitutionally abolished Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $25.96 million (2003 est.) $10.7 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.9% (2003 est.) 0.5% (2004)
National holiday Independence Day, 1 January (1804) Republic Day, 2 December (1975)
Nationality noun: Haitian(s)


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


adjective: Lao or Laotian
Natural hazards lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts floods, droughts
Natural resources bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Net migration rate -1.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - refined products 540 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Artibonite in Action or LAAA [Youri LATORTUE]; Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convention for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]; Cooperative Action to Build Haiti or KONBA [Evans LESCOUFALIR]; Democratic Alliance or ALYANS (coalition composed of KID and PPRH) [Evans PAUL]; Effort and Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph JASME]; For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL]; Front for Hope or L'ESPWA (alliance of ESKAMP, PLB, and grass-roots organizations Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, the Central Plateau Peasants' Group, and Kombit Sudest) [Rene PREVAL]; Grand Center Right Front coalition (composed of MDN, MRN, and PDCH) [Hubert de RONCERAY]; Haitian Christian Democratic Party or PDCH [Osner FEVRY and Marie-Denise CLAUDE]; Haitian Democratic and Reform Movement or MODEREH [Dany TOUSSAINT and Pierre Soncon PRINCE]; Heads Together or Tet-Ansanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT]; Independent Movement for National Reconciliation or MIRN [Luc FLEURINORD]; Justice for Peace and National Development or JPDN [Rigaud DUPLAN]; Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Rudy HERIVEAUX]; Liberal Party of Haiti or PLH [Gehy MICHEL]; Merging of Haitian Social Democratic Parties or FUSION or FPSDH (merged Ayiti Capable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and National Congress of Democratic Movements) [Serge GILLES]; Mobilization for Haiti's Development or MPH [Samir MOURRA]; Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert de RONCERAY]; Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN [Jean Henold BUTEAU]; Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN]; National Christian Union for the Reconstruction of Haiti or UNCRH [Marie Claude GERMAIN]; National Front for the Reconstruction of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE]; New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Open the Gate Party or PLB [Anes LUBIN]; Popular Party for the Renewal of Haiti or PPRH [Claude ROMAIN and Daniel SUPPLICE]; Struggling People's Organization or OPL [Edgard LEBLANC]; Union for Haiti or UPH (coalition of MIDH and FL) [Marc BAZIN]; Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitians or UNITE [Edouard FRANCISQUE] Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphadon, party president]; other parties proscribed
Political pressure groups and leaders Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole ST-CYR]; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of Workers Trade Unions or FOS; Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, or KOREGA; Group of 184 Civil Society Organizations, or G-184 [Andy APAID]; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Popular Organizations Gathering Power or PROP; Roman Catholic Church; Protestant Federation of Haiti noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975
Population 8,308,504


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 2006 est.)
6,217,141 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 80% (2003 est.) 40% (2002 est.)
Population growth rate 2.3% (2006 est.) 2.42% (2005 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999) AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)
Religions Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3%


note: roughly half of the population practices Voodoo
Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 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: 0.82 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: domestic facilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly better


domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service


international: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
general assessment: service to general public is poor but improving with over 20,000 telephones currently in service and an additional 48,000 expected by 2001; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas


domestic: radiotelephone communications


international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
Telephones - main lines in use 140,000 (2004) 61,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 400,000 (2004) 55,200 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997) 4 (1999)
Terrain mostly rough and mountainous mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Total fertility rate 4.94 children born/woman (2006 est.) 4.77 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (2002 est.) 5.7% (1997 est.)
Waterways - 4,600 km


note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2003)
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