Compare Jersey (2003) - Laos (2005)

Compare Jersey (2003) z Laos (2005)

	Jersey (2003)	Laos (2005)

Administrative divisions	none (British crown dependency)	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: 17.8% (male 8,292; female 7,744) 15-64 years: 67.2% (male 30,178; female 30,410) 65 years and over: 15% (male 5,858; female 7,674) (2003 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	potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products	sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice, water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry
Airports	1 (2002)	44 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)	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: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 116 sq km land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 236,800 sq km land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly larger than Utah
Background	The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II.	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	10.44 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)	35.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $601 million expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.)	revenues: $284.3 million expenditures: $416.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital	Saint Helier	Vientiane
Climate	temperate; mild winters and cool summers	tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
Coastline	70 km	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice	promulgated 14 August 1991
Country name	conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey conventional short form: Jersey	conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic conventional short form: Laos local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao local short form: none
Currency	British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound	-
Death rate	9.17 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)	11.83 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	none	$2.49 billion (2001)
Dependency status	British crown dependency	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (British crown dependency)	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	none (British crown dependency)	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	none	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	none	$243 million (2001 est.)
Economy - overview	The economy is based largely on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven.	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	-	3.036 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	-	400 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France	125 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	-	3.56 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 143 m	lowest point: Mekong River 70 m highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
Environment - current issues	NA	unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most 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, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	UK and Norman-French descent	Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%
Exchange rates	Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound	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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch	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	NA
Exports - commodities	light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles	garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin
Exports - partners	UK	Thailand 19.3%, Vietnam 13.4%, France 8%, Germany 5.3%, UK 5% (2004)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	1 October - 30 September
Flag description	white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag and in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield holding the three lions of England in yellow	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 - $2.2 billion (1999 est.)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 5% industry: 2% services: 93% (1996)	agriculture: 49.5% industry: 27.5% services: 23% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $24,800 (1999 est.)	purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	NA%	6% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	49 15 N, 2 10 W	18 00 N, 105 00 E
Geography - note	largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier	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: 577 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km	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	-	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	NA
Imports - commodities	machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals	machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods
Imports - partners	UK	Thailand 60.5%, China 10.3%, Vietnam 7.1%, Singapore 4% (2004)
Independence	none (British crown dependency)	19 July 1949 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	9.7% (2001 est.)
Industries	tourism, banking and finance, dairy	tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism
Infant mortality rate	total: 5.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 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)	4.7% (1998)	12.3% (2004 est.)
International organization participation	-	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)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	NA	-
Irrigated land	NA sq km	1,640 sq km note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff)	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	57,050 (1996)	2.6 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 80% (1997 est.)
Land boundaries	0 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: NEGL% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)	arable land: 3.8% permanent crops: 0.35% other: 95.85% (2001)
Languages	English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts	Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Legal system	English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court	based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice
Legislative branch	unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators (elected for 6-year terms), 12 constables or heads of parishes (elected for 3-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for 3-year terms); the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch) elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 52	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: 78.93 years male: 76.48 years female: 81.57 years (2003 est.)	total population: 55.08 years male: 53.07 years female: 57.17 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: NA total population: NA% 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	Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France	Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Map references	Europe	Southeast Asia
Maritime claims	exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM territorial sea: 3 NM	none (landlocked)
Merchant marine	none (2002 est.)	total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2005)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	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	-	Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$10.7 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	0.5% (2004)
National holiday	Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)	Republic Day, 2 December (1975)
Nationality	noun: Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander	noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian
Natural hazards	NA	floods, droughts
Natural resources	arable land	timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Net migration rate	2.77 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines	-	refined products 540 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders	none; all independents	Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphadon, party president]; other parties proscribed
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975
Population	90,156 (July 2003 est.)	6,217,141 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	40% (2002 est.)
Population growth rate	0.4% (2003 est.)	2.42% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)
Railways	0 km	-
Religions	Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian	Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 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	NA years of age; universal adult	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: 3 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: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
Telephones - main lines in use	65,500 (1997)	61,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	4,400 (1997)	55,200 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	2 (1997)	4 (1999)
Terrain	gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast	mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Total fertility rate	1.57 children born/woman (2003 est.)	4.77 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	0.7% (1998 est.)	5.7% (1997 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 (2003)

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