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Compare Laos (2001) - Tajikistan (2003)

Compare Laos (2001) z Tajikistan (2003)

 Laos (2001)Tajikistan (2003)
 LaosTajikistan
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 2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* (Khorugh), Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand)


note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses
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: 39.8% (male 1,376,244; female 1,353,108)


15-64 years: 55.5% (male 1,896,509; female 1,915,334)


65 years and over: 4.7% (male 140,993; female 181,564) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
Airports 51 (2000 est.) 66 (2002)
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: 13


2,438 to 3,047 m: 5


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
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: 53


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 14


under 914 m: 36 (2002)
Area total:
236,800 sq km

land:
230,800 sq km

water:
6,000 sq km
total: 143,100 sq km


land: 142,700 sq km


water: 400 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Utah slightly smaller than Wisconsin
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. Tajikistan has experienced three changes in government and a five-year civil war since it gained independence in 1991 from the USSR. A peace agreement among rival factions was signed in 1997, and implemented in 2000. The central government's less than total control over some areas of the country has forced it to compromise and forge alliances among factions. Attention by the international community in the wake of the war in Afghanistan has brought increased economic development assistance, which could create jobs and increase stability in the long term. Tajikistan is in the early stages of seeking World Trade Organization membership and has joined NATO's Partnership for Peace.
Birth rate 37.84 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 32.78 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues:
$211 million

expenditures:
$462 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est.)
revenues: $502 million


expenditures: $520 million, including capital expenditures of $86 million (2002 est.)
Capital Vientiane Dushanbe
Climate tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution promulgated 14 August 1991 6 November 1994
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: Republic of Tajikistan


conventional short form: Tajikistan


local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston


local short form: Tojikiston


former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
Currency kip (LAK) somoni
Death rate 13.02 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 8.46 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $2.46 billion (1998 est.) $1 billion (2002 est.)
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 Richard E. HOAGLAND


embassy: 10 Pavlova Street, Dushanbe, Tajikistan 734003; note - the embassy in Dushanbe is not yet fully operational; most business is still handled in Almaty at 531 Sayfullin Street, Almaty, Kazakhstan, telephone 7-3272-58-79-61, FAX 7-3272-58-79-68


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [992] (372) 21-03-48 (Dushanbe)


FAX: [992] (372) 21-03-62
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 Khamrokhon ZARIPOV


chancery: 1725 K Sreet NW, Suite 409, Washington, DC 20006


telephone: [1] (202) 223-6090


FAX: [1] (202) 223-6091
Disputes - international parts of the border with Thailand are indefinite prolonged regional drought creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; boundary agreements signed in 2002 cede 1,000 sq km of Pamir Mountain range to China in return for China relinquishing claims to 28,000 sq km of Tajikistani lands; negotiations with China resolved the longstanding boundary dispute; talks have begun with Uzbekistan to demine and delimit border; disputes in Isfara Valley delay completion of delimitation with Kyrgyzstan
Economic aid - recipient $345 million (1999 est.) $60.7 million from US (2001)
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. Tajikistan has the lowest per capita GDP among the 15 former Soviet republics. Only 8% to 10% of the land area is arable. Cotton is the most important crop. Mineral resources, varied but limited in amount, include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten. Industry consists only of a large aluminum plant, hydropower facilities, and small obsolete factories mostly in light industry and food processing. The civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the already weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production. Even though 60% of its people continue to live in abject poverty, Tajikistan has experienced steady economic growth since 1997. Continued privatization of medium and large state-owned enterprises will further increase productivity. Tajikistan's economic situation, however, remains fragile due to uneven implementation of structural reforms, weak governance, widespread unemployment, and the external debt burden. A debt restructuring agreement was reached with Russia in December 2002, including an interest rate of 4%, a 3-year grace period, and a US $49.8 million credit to the Central Bank of Tajikistan.
Electricity - consumption 173.6 million kWh (1999) 14.52 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 705 million kWh (1999) 3.909 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 142 million kWh (1999) 5.242 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 792 million kWh (1999) 14.18 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
2.78%

hydro:
97.22%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
fossil fuel: 1.9%


hydro: 98.1%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Mekong River 70 m

highest point:
Phou Bia 2,817 m
lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m


highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m
Environment - current issues unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides
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, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


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% Tajik 64.9%, Uzbek 25%, Russian 3.5% (declining because of emigration), other 6.6%
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) Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 2.7 (2002), 2.37 (2001), 2.08 (2000), 1.24 (1999), 0.78 (1998)


note: the new unit of exchange was introduced on 30 October 2000, with one somoni equal to 1,000 of the old Tajikistani rubles
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 Emomali RAHMONOV (since 6 November 1994; head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992)


head of government: Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January 1999)


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


elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 6 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2006); prime minister appointed by the president; Tajikistan held a constitutional referendum on 22 June 2003 that, among other things, set a term limit of two seven-year terms for the president


election results: Emomali RAHMONOV elected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 97%, Davlat USMON 2%
Exports $323 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles
Exports - partners Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, France, Belgium Netherlands 29.4%, Turkey 16.1%, Russia 11.9%, Uzbekistan 9.9%, Switzerland 9.3%, Hungary 5.4%, Latvia 4.2% (2002)
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 three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, and green; a gold crown surmounted by seven gold, five-pointed stars is located in the center of the white stripe
GDP purchasing power parity - $9 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $8.476 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
51%

industry:
22%

services:
27% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 19%


industry: 26%


services: 55% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4% (2000 est.) 9.1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 00 N, 105 00 E 39 00 N, 71 00 E
Geography - note landlocked landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain in the former USSR
Highways total:
14,000 km

paved:
3,360 km

unpaved:
10,640 km (1991)
total: 27,767 km


paved: NA


unpaved: NA (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
4.2%

highest 10%:
26.4% (1992)
lowest 10%: 3.2%


highest 10%: 25.2% (1998)
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 major transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption; Tajikistan seizes roughly 80 percent of all drugs captured in Central Asia and stands third world-wide in seizures of opiates (heroin and raw opium)
Imports $540 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs
Imports - partners Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Hong Kong Russia 22.7%, Uzbekistan 18.4%, Ukraine 11.2%, Kazakhstan 10%, Turkmenistan 6.5%, Azerbaijan 5.7%, India 4.4% (2002)
Independence 19 July 1949 (from France) 9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate 7.5% (1999 est.) 10.3% (2000 est.)
Industries tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism aluminum, zinc, lead, chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers
Infant mortality rate 92.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 113.43 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 126.58 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 99.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 33% (2000 est.) 12% (2001 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) AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IOC, IOM, ITU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) 4 (2002)
Irrigated land 1,250 sq km (1993 est.)

note:
rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)
7,200 sq km (1998 est.)
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 (judges are appointed by the president)
Labor force 1 million - 1.5 million 3.187 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 80% (1997 est.) agriculture 67.2%, industry 7.5%, services 25.3% (2000 est.)
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: 3,651 km


border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km
Land use arable land:
3%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
3%

forests and woodland:
54%

other:
40% (1993 est.)
arable land: 5.41%


permanent crops: 0.92%


other: 93.67% (1998 est.)
Languages Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business
Legal system based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and Socialist practice based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts
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
bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (33 seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; all serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 27 February and 12 March 2000 for the Assembly of Representatives (next to be held NA 2005) and 23 March 2000 for the National Assembly (next to be held NA 2005)


election results: Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 65%, Communist Party 20%, Islamic Rebirth Party 7.5%, other 7.5%; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
Life expectancy at birth total population:
53.48 years

male:
51.58 years

female:
55.44 years (2001 est.)
total population: 64.37 years


male: 61.39 years


female: 67.5 years (2003 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 can read and write


total population: 99.4%


male: 99.6%


female: 99.1% (2003 est.)
Location Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Central Asia, west of China
Map references Southeast Asia Asia
Maritime claims none (landlocked) none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,370 GRT/3,000 DWT

ships by type:
cargo 1 (2000 est.)
-
Military branches Lao People's Army (LPA; includes riverine element), Air Force, National Police Department Army, Air Force and Air Defense Force, Presidential National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $55 million (FY98) $35.4 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4.2% (FY96/97) 3.9% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
1,319,537 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 1,704,457 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
710,627 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 1,397,188 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
64,437 (2001 est.)
males: 82,490 (2003 est.)
National holiday Republic Day, 2 December (1975) Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991)
Nationality noun:
Lao(s) or Laotian(s)

adjective:
Lao or Laotian
noun: Tajikistani(s)


adjective: Tajikistani
Natural hazards floods, droughts, and blight earthquakes and floods
Natural resources timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -3.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines petroleum products 136 km gas 540 km; oil 38 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphandon, party president]; other parties proscribed Democratic Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV, chairman]; Islamic Revival Party [Said Abdullo NURI, chairman]; People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV]; Social Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOIROV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Sherali KENJAYEV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV]
Political pressure groups and leaders noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 there are two unregistered political parties with 1,000 or more members: Progressive Party [Suton QUVVATOV]; Unity Party [Hikmatuko SAIDOV]
Population 5,635,967 (July 2001 est.) 6,863,752 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 46.1% (1993 est.) 60% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 2.48% (2001 est.) 2.13% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors none none
Radio broadcast stations AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 8, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2002)
Radios 730,000 (1997) -
Railways 0 km total: 482 km


broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2002)
Religions Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 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: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female


total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 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: poorly developed and not well maintained; many towns are not reached by the national network


domestic: cable and microwave radio relay


international: linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to international gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 2 Intelsat
Telephones - main lines in use 25,000 (1997) 363,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 4,915 (1997) 2,500 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 4 (1999) 13 (2001)
Terrain mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Total fertility rate 5.12 children born/woman (2001 est.) 4.17 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 5.7% (1997 est.) 40% (2002 est.)
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
none
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