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Compare Jordan (2001) - Laos (2002)

Compare Jordan (2001) z Laos (2002)

 Jordan (2001)Laos (2002)
 JordanLaos
Administrative divisions 12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba 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:
37.23% (male 980,345; female 938,081)

15-64 years:
59.44% (male 1,633,579; female 1,429,631)

65 years and over:
3.33% (male 84,815; female 86,927) (2001 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 wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats, poultry sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry
Airports 18 (2000 est.) 51 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total:
15

over 3,047 m:
7

2,438 to 3,047 m:
6

914 to 1,523 m:
1

under 914 m:
1 (2000 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:
3

under 914 m:
3 (2000 est.)
total: 42


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 15


under 914 m: 26 (2002)
Area total:
92,300 sq km

land:
91,971 sq km

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


land: 230,800 sq km


water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Indiana slightly larger than Utah
Background For most of its history since independence from British administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN (1953-1999). A pragmatic ruler, he successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, through several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he resumed parliamentary elections and gradually permitted political liberalization; in 1994 a formal peace treaty was signed with Israel. King ABDALLAH II - the eldest son of King HUSSEIN and Princess MUNA - assumed the throne following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power and established his domestic priorities. 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 25.44 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 37.39 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues:
$2.8 billion

expenditures:
$3.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $211 million


expenditures: $462 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est.)
Capital Amman Vientiane
Climate mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April) tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
Coastline 26 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 8 January 1952 promulgated 14 August 1991
Country name conventional long form:
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

conventional short form:
Jordan

local long form:
Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah

local short form:
Al Urdun

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


conventional short form: Laos


local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao


local short form: none
Currency Jordanian dinar (JOD) kip (LAK)
Death rate 2.62 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 12.71 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $8 billion (2000 est.) $2.53 billion (1999)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador William J. BURNS

embassy:
Abdoum, Amman

mailing address:
P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; APO AE 09892-0200

telephone:
[962] (6) 5920101

FAX:
[962] (6) 5920121
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 Marwan Jamil MUASHER

chancery:
3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 966-2664

FAX:
[1] (202) 966-3110
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 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 ODA, $850 million (1996 est.) $345 million (1999 est.)
Economy - overview Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil. The Persian Gulf crisis, which began in August 1990, aggravated Jordan's already serious economic problems, forcing the government to stop most debt payments and suspend rescheduling negotiations. Aid from Gulf Arab states, worker remittances, and trade revenues contracted. Refugees flooded the country, producing serious balance-of-payments problems, stunting GDP growth, and straining government resources. The economy rebounded in 1992, largely due to the influx of capital repatriated by workers returning from the Gulf. After averaging 9% in 1992-95, GDP growth averaged only 1.5% during 1996-99. In an attempt to spur growth, King ABDALLAH has undertaken limited economic reform, including partial privatization of some state-owned enterprises and Jordan's entry in January 2000 into the World Trade Organization (WTrO). Debt, poverty, and unemployment are fundamental ongoing economic problems. 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 6.594 billion kWh (1999) 690.6 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 4 million kWh (1999) 400 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 407 million kWh (1999) 142 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 6.657 billion kWh (1999) 1.02 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
99.79%

hydro:
0.21%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
fossil fuel: 2%


hydro: 98%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Dead Sea -408 m

highest point:
Jabal Ram 1,734 m
lowest point: Mekong River 70 m


highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
Environment - current issues limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water
Environment - international agreements party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

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


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 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 Jordanian dinars per US dollar - 0.7090 (1996-present )

note:
since May 1989, the Jordanian dinar has been pegged to a group of currencies
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:
King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Crown Prince HAMZAH (half brother of the monarch, born 29 March 1980)

head of government:
Prime Minister Ali Abul RAGHEB (since 19 June 2000)

cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the monarch

elections:
none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch
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 $2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) $325 million (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities phosphates, fertilizers, potash, agricultural products, manufactures wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin
Exports - partners India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, EU, Indonesia, UAE, Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, Ethiopia 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 equal horizontal bands of black (top, the Abbassid Caliphate of Islam), white (the Ummayyad Caliphate of Islam), and green (the Fatimid Caliphate of Islam) with a red isosceles triangle (representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916) based on the hoist side bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven points on the star represent faith in One God, humanity, national spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations 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 - $17.3 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $9.2 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
3%

industry:
25%

services:
72% (1998 est.)
agriculture: 53%


industry: 22%


services: 25% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $3,500 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,630 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2% (2000 est.) 5% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 31 00 N, 36 00 E 18 00 N, 105 00 E
Geography - note - landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand
Heliports 1 (2000 est.) -
Highways total:
8,000 km

paved:
8,000 km

unpaved:
0 km (2000 est.)
total: 14,000 km


paved: 3,360 km


unpaved: 10,640 km (1991)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
2.4%

highest 10%:
34.7% (1991)
lowest 10%: 3%


highest 10%: 31% (1997)
Illicit drugs - 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 $4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) $540 million f.o.b. (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, food, live animals, manufactured goods machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel
Imports - partners Iraq, Germany, US, Japan, UK, Italy, Turkey, Malaysia, Syria, China Thailand 52%, Singapore 3.9%, Japan 1.6%, Hong Kong 1.5%, China 0.8% (2000)
Independence 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration) 19 July 1949 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 3.8% (2000 est.) 7.5% (1999 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash, light manufacturing, tourism tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism
Infant mortality rate 20.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) 90.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 0.7% (2000 est.) 10% (2001 est.)
International organization participation ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO 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) 5 (2000) 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 630 sq km (1993 est.) 1,640 sq km


note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal) 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 1.15 million

note:
in addition, at least 300,000 workers are employed abroad (1997 est.)
2.4 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation industry 11.4%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 10.5%, construction 10%, transport and communications 8.7%, agriculture 7.4%, other services 52% (1992) agriculture 80% (1997 est.)
Land boundaries total:
1,619 km

border countries:
Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 728 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 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:
4%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
9%

forests and woodland:
1%

other:
85% (1993 est.)
arable land: 3.47%


permanent crops: 0.23%


other: 96.3% (1998 est.)
Languages Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Legal system based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and Socialist practice
Legislative branch bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate (a 40-member body appointed by the monarch from designated categories of public figures; members serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (80 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

elections:
House of Representatives - last held 4 November 1997 (next to be held NA November 2001)

election results:
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - National Constitutional Party 2, Arab Land Party 1, independents 75, other 2

note:
the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved by the monarch several times since 1974; in November 1989 the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held
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:
77.53 years

male:
75.1 years

female:
80.12 years (2001 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:
86.6%

male:
93.4%

female:
79.4% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 57%


male: 70%


female: 44% (1999 est.)
Location Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Map references Middle East Southeast Asia
Maritime claims territorial sea:
3 NM
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total:
6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 40,919 GRT/57,777 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 1, cargo 3, container 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 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 Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF; includes Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal Naval Force, and Royal Jordanian Air Force); Ministry of the Interior's Public Security Force (falls under JAF only in wartime or crisis situations) Lao People's Army (LPA; including Riverine Force), Air Force, National Police Department
Military expenditures - dollar figure $608.9 million (FY98/99) $55 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 7.8% (FY98/99) 4.2% (FY96/97)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
1,458,571 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 1,365,027 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
1,034,109 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 734,945 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
57,131 (2001 est.)
males: 64,437 (2002 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 25 May (1946) Republic Day, 2 December (1975)
Nationality noun:
Jordanian(s)

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


adjective: Lao or Laotian
Natural hazards droughts floods, droughts
Natural resources phosphates, potash, shale oil timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Net migration rate 7.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 209 km; note - may not be in use petroleum products 136 km
Political parties and leaders Al-Umma (Nation) Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH, secretary general]; Arab Land Party [Dr. Muhammad al-'ORAN, secretary general]; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'eed THIYAB, secretary general]; National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi MAJALI, secretary general] Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphandon, party president]; other parties proscribed
Political pressure groups and leaders Council of Professional Association Presidents [Ahmad al-QADIRI, chairman]; Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim Brotherhood [Abd-al-Majid DHUNAYBAT, secretary general] noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975
Population 5,153,378 (July 2001 est.) 5,777,180 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line 30% (1998 est.) 40% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 3% (2001 est.) 2.47% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors Al 'Aqabah none
Radio broadcast stations AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999) AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios 1.66 million (1997) 730,000 (1997)
Railways total:
677 km

narrow gauge:
677 km 1.050-m gauge (2000)
0 km (2001)
Religions Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek Catholics, Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several small Shi'a Muslim and Druze populations) (2000 est.) Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%)
Sex ratio at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
1.1 male(s)/female (2001 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 20 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
service has improved recently with the increased use of digital switching equipment, but better access to the telephone system is needed in the rural areas and easier access to pay telephones is needed by the urban public

domestic:
microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; considerable use is made of mobile cellular systems; Internet service is available

international:
satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals; fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria; connection to international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); participant in MEDARABTEL; international links total about 4,000
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 403,000 (1997) 25,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 11,500 (1995) 4,915 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 20 (plus 96 repeaters) (1995) 4 (1999)
Terrain mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Total fertility rate 3.29 children born/woman (2001 est.) 5.03 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 15% official rate; actual rate is 25%-30% (1999 est.) 5.7% (1997 est.)
Waterways none 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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