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Compare Laos (2001) - Guyana (2008)

Compare Laos (2001) z Guyana (2008)

 Laos (2001)Guyana (2008)
 LaosGuyana
Administrative divisions 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 10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Demerara-Mahaica, East Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo
Age structure 0-14 years:
42.75% (male 1,212,577; female 1,196,795)

15-64 years:
53.94% (male 1,494,927; female 1,544,851)

65 years and over:
3.31% (male 85,632; female 101,185) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 26.1% (male 102,111/female 98,325)


15-64 years: 68.6% (male 266,288/female 261,620)


65 years and over: 5.3% (male 17,308/female 23,443) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry sugarcane, rice, shrimp, fish, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products
Airports 51 (2000 est.) 93 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total:
8

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
5

914 to 1,523 m:
2 (2000 est.)
total: 9


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


under 914 m: 6 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
43

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
17

under 914 m:
25 (2000 est.)
total: 84


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 14


under 914 m: 69 (2007)
Area total:
236,800 sq km

land:
230,800 sq km

water:
6,000 sq km
total: 214,970 sq km


land: 196,850 sq km


water: 18,120 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Utah slightly smaller than Idaho
Background 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. Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. This ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001 and again in 2006.
Birth rate 37.84 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 18.09 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues:
$211 million

expenditures:
$462 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est.)
revenues: $419.4 million


expenditures: $527.4 million (2007 est.)
Capital Vientiane name: Georgetown


geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 10 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January)
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 459 km
Constitution promulgated 14 August 1991 6 October 1980
Country name conventional long form:
Lao People's Democratic Republic

conventional short form:
Laos

local long form:
Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao

local short form:
none
conventional long form: Cooperative Republic of Guyana


conventional short form: Guyana


former: British Guiana
Currency kip (LAK) -
Death rate 13.02 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 8.28 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $2.46 billion (1998 est.) $1.2 billion (2002)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affairs Karen Brevard STEWART

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
chief of mission: Ambassador David M. ROBINSON


embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown


mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown; US Embassy, 3170 Georgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3170


telephone: [592] 225-4900 through 4909


FAX: [592] 225-8497
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador VANG Rattanavong

chancery:
2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 332-6416

FAX:
[1] (202) 332-4923
chief of mission: Ambassador Bayney KARRAN


chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900


FAX: [1] (202) 232-1297


consulate(s) general: New York
Disputes - international parts of the border with Thailand are indefinite all of the area west of the Essequibo River is claimed by Venezuela preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before UNCLOS that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks arbitration under provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters
Economic aid - recipient $345 million (1999 est.) $136.8 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) $253 million (1997) (2005)
Economy - overview 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% during 1988-97. Reform efforts subsequently slowed, and GDP growth dropped an average of 3 percentage points. Because Laos depends heavily on its trade with Thailand, it was damaged by the regional financial crisis beginning in 1997. Government mismanagement deepened the crisis, and from June 1997 to June 1999 the Lao kip lost 87% of its value. Laos' foreign exchange problems peaked in September 1999 when the kip fell from 3,500 kip to the dollar to 9,000 kip to the dollar in a matter of weeks. Now that the currency has stabilized, however, the government seems content to let the current situation persist, despite limited government revenue and foreign exchange reserves. A landlocked country with a primitive infrastructure, Laos 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. For the foreseeable future the economy will continue to depend on aid from the IMF and other international sources; Japan is currently the largest bilateral aid donor; aid from the former USSR/Eastern Europe has been cut sharply. The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-07, based on expansion in the agricultural and mining sectors, a more favorable atmosphere for business initiatives, a more realistic exchange rate, fairly low inflation, and the continued support of international organizations. Economic recovery since the 2005 flood-related contraction has been buoyed by increases in remittances and foreign direct investment. Chronic problems include a shortage of skilled labor and a deficient infrastructure. The government is juggling a sizable external debt against the urgent need for expanded public investment. In March 2007, the Inter-American Development Bank, Guyana's principal donor, canceled Guyana's nearly $470 million debt, equivalent to nearly 41% of GDP. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term from restructuring and partial privatization, and the state-owned sugar industry will conduct efficiency increasing modernizations. Export earnings from agriculture and mining have fallen sharply, while the import bill has risen, driven by higher energy prices. Guyana's entrance into the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) in January 2006 will broaden the country's export market, primarily in the raw materials sector.
Electricity - consumption 173.6 million kWh (1999) 750.7 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 705 million kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 142 million kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 792 million kWh (1999) 807.3 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
2.78%

hydro:
97.22%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Mekong River 70 m

highest point:
Phou Bia 2,817 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m
Environment - current issues unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation
Environment - international 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
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong ("Meo") and the Yao (Mien) 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1% East Indian 50%, black 36%, Amerindian 7%, white, Chinese, and mixed 7%
Exchange rates kips per US dollar - 7,578.00 (December 2000), 7,102.03 (1999), 3,298.33 (1998), 1,259.98 (1997), 921.02 (1996) Guyanese dollars per US dollar - 201.89 (2007), 200.28 (2006), 200.79 (2005), 198.31 (2004), 193.88 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state:
President Gen. KHAMTAI Siphandon (since 26 February 1998) and Vice President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since NA March 2001)

head of government:
Prime Minister BOUNGNANG Volachit (since NA March 2001); Deputy Prime Ministers THONGLOUN Sisolit (since NA March 2001), 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 21 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); 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%
chief of state: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); note - assumed presidency after resignation of President Janet JAGAN and reelected in 2001, and again in 2006


head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since October 1992, except for a period as chief of state after the death of President Cheddi JAGAN on 6 March 1997)


cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the legislature


elections: president elected by popular vote as leader of a party list in parliamentary elections, which must be held at least every five years (no term limits); elections last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011); prime minister appointed by the president


election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of vote 54.6%
Exports $323 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) 0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin sugar, gold, bauxite, alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber
Exports - partners Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, France, Belgium US 18.8%, Canada 18.4%, UK 8.7%, Portugal 6.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.9%, Netherlands 4.3%, Belgium 4.3%, Jamaica 4.1% (2006)
Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September calendar year
Flag description three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border between the yellow and the green
GDP purchasing power parity - $9 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
51%

industry:
22%

services:
27% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 35.2%


industry: 19%


services: 45.8% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 4% (2000 est.) 4.5% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 00 N, 105 00 E 5 00 N, 59 00 W
Geography - note landlocked the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively
Highways total:
14,000 km

paved:
3,360 km

unpaved:
10,640 km (1991)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
4.2%

highest 10%:
26.4% (1992)
lowest 10%: 1.3%


highest 10%: 33.8% (1999)
Illicit drugs world's third-largest illicit opium producer (estimated cultivation in 1999 - 21,800 hectares, a 16% decrease over 1998; estimated potential production in 1999 - 140 metric tons, about the same as in 1998); potential heroin producer; transshipment point for heroin and methamphetamine produced in Burma; illicit producer of cannabis transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis; rising money laundering related to drug trafficking and human smuggling
Imports $540 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) 10,070 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food
Imports - partners Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Hong Kong Trinidad and Tobago 23%, US 21.3%, China 9.7%, Cuba 6.3%, UK 4.5% (2006)
Independence 19 July 1949 (from France) 26 May 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 7.5% (1999 est.) 2% (2007 est.)
Industries tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining
Infant mortality rate 92.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 31.35 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 34.93 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 27.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 33% (2000 est.) 10.4% (2007 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 1,250 sq km (1993 est.)

note:
rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)
1,500 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch 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) Supreme Court of Judicature, consisting of the High Court and the Judicial Court of Appeal, with right of final appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice
Labor force 1 million - 1.5 million 418,000 (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 80% (1997 est.) agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
Land boundaries total:
5,083 km

border countries:
Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km
total: 2,949 km


border countries: Brazil 1,606 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km
Land use arable land:
3%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
3%

forests and woodland:
54%

other:
40% (1993 est.)
arable land: 2.23%


permanent crops: 0.14%


other: 97.63% (2005)
Languages Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Urdu
Legal system based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and Socialist practice based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly (99 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - by presidential decree, on 27 October 1997, the number of seats increased from 85 to 99)

elections:
last held 21 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)

election results:
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - LPRP or LPRP-approved (independent, non-party members) 99
unicameral National Assembly (65 seats; members elected by popular vote, also not more than 4 non-elected non-voting ministers and 2 non-elected non-voting parliamentary secretaries appointed by the president; to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011)


election results: percent of vote by party - PPP/C 54.6%, PNC/R 34%, AFC 8.1%, other 3.3%; seats by party - PPP/C 36, PNC/R 22, AFC 5, other 2
Life expectancy at birth total population:
53.48 years

male:
51.58 years

female:
55.44 years (2001 est.)
total population: 66.17 years


male: 63.52 years


female: 68.95 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
57%

male:
70%

female:
44% (1999 est.)
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school


total population: 98.8%


male: 99.1%


female: 98.5% (2003 est.)
Location Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela
Map references Southeast Asia South America
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,370 GRT/3,000 DWT

ships by type:
cargo 1 (2000 est.)
total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,516 GRT/14,193 DWT


by type: cargo 5, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1


registered in other countries: 2 (St Vincent and The Grenadines 2, unknown 1) (2007)
Military branches Lao People's Army (LPA; includes riverine element), Air Force, National Police Department Guyana Defense Force: Army (includes Coast Guard, Air Corps) (2007)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $55 million (FY98) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4.2% (FY96/97) 1.8% (2006)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
1,319,537 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
710,627 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
64,437 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Republic Day, 2 December (1975) Republic Day, 23 February (1970)
Nationality noun:
Lao(s) or Laotian(s)

adjective:
Lao or Laotian
noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)


adjective: Guyanese
Natural hazards floods, droughts, and blight flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons
Natural resources timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -7.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines petroleum products 136 km -
Political parties and leaders Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphandon, party president]; other parties proscribed Alliance for Change or AFC [Raphael TROTMAN and Khemraj RAMJATTAN]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Justice for All Party [C.N. SHARMA]; People's National Congress/Reform or PNC/R [Robert Herman Orlando CORBIN]; People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Bharrat JAGDEO]; Rise, Organize, and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; The Unity Party [Joey JAGAN]; Vision Guyana [Peter RAMSAROOP]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARAINE]
Political pressure groups and leaders noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 Amerindian People's Association; Guyana Citizens Initiative; Guyana Bar Association; Guyana Human Rights Association; Guyana Public Service Union or GPSU; Private Sector Commission; Trades Union Congress
Population 5,635,967 (July 2001 est.) 769,095


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 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 46.1% (1993 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.48% (2001 est.) 0.234% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors none -
Radio broadcast stations AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios 730,000 (1997) -
Railways 0 km -
Religions Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5%
Sex ratio 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:
0.85 male(s)/female

total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.039 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.018 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.738 male(s)/female


total population: 1.006 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system 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)
general assessment: fair system for long-distance service


domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines; fixed-line teledensity is about 15 per 100 persons; many areas still lack fixed-line telephone services; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 37 per 100 persons in 2005


international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 25,000 (1997) 110,100 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 4,915 (1997) 281,400 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 4 (1999) 3 (1 public station; 2 private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997)
Terrain mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south
Total fertility rate 5.12 children born/woman (2001 est.) 2.04 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 5.7% (1997 est.) 9.1% (understated) (2000)
Waterways 4,587 km approximately

note:
primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m
Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2006)
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