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Compare Laos (2001) - Wallis and Futuna (2008)

Compare Laos (2001) z Wallis and Futuna (2008)

 Laos (2001)Wallis and Futuna (2008)
 LaosWallis and Futuna
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 none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three kingdoms at the second order named Alo, Sigave, Wallis
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: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA
Agriculture - products sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas; pigs, goats; fish
Airports 51 (2000 est.) 2 (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: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (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: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Area total:
236,800 sq km

land:
230,800 sq km

water:
6,000 sq km
total: 274 sq km


land: 274 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets
Area - comparative slightly larger than Utah 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
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. The Futuna island group was discovered by the Dutch in 1616 and Wallis by the British in 1767, but it was the French who declared a protectorate over the islands in 1842. In 1959, the inhabitants of the islands voted to become a French overseas territory.
Birth rate 37.84 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) NA
Budget revenues:
$211 million

expenditures:
$462 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est.)
revenues: $29,730


expenditures: $31,330 (2004 est.)
Capital Vientiane name: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)


geographic coordinates: 13 57 S, 171 56 W


time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October); rains 2,500-3,000 mm per year (80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees C
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 129 km
Constitution promulgated 14 August 1991 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
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: Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands


conventional short form: Wallis and Futuna


local long form: Territoire des Iles Wallis et Futuna


local short form: Wallis et Futuna
Currency kip (LAK) -
Death rate 13.02 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) NA
Debt - external $2.46 billion (1998 est.) $3.67 million (2004)
Dependency status - overseas territory of France
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
none (overseas territory of France)
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
none (overseas territory of France)
Disputes - international parts of the border with Thailand are indefinite none
Economic aid - recipient $345 million (1999 est.) assistance from France, $NA
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 economy is limited to traditional subsistence agriculture, with about 80% of labor force earnings from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs), and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed in government. Revenues come from French Government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia.
Electricity - consumption 173.6 million kWh (1999) NA kWh
Electricity - exports 705 million kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 142 million kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 792 million kWh (1999) NA kWh
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: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Singavi 765 m
Environment - current issues unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain) largely as a result of the continued use of wood as the main fuel source; as a consequence of cutting down the forests, the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly prone to erosion; there are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the lack of natural fresh water resources
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
-
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% Polynesian
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) Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per U NA (2007), 95.03 (2006), 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (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 Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by High Administrator Richard DIDIER (since 19 July 2006)


head of government: President of the Territorial Assembly Patalione KANIMOA (since January 2001)


cabinet: Council of the Territory consists of three kings and three members appointed by the high administrator on the advice of the Territorial Assembly


note: there are three traditional kings with limited powers


elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high administrator appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly
Exports $323 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) $47,450 f.o.b. (2004)
Exports - commodities wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin copra, chemicals, construction materials
Exports - partners Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, France, Belgium Italy 40%, Croatia 15%, US 14%, Denmark 13% (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 unofficial, local flag has a red field with four white isosceles triangles in the middle, representing the three native kings of the islands and the French administrator; the apexes of the triangles are oriented inward and at right angles to each other; the flag of France, outlined in white on two sides, is in the upper hoist quadrant; the flag of France is the only official flag
GDP purchasing power parity - $9 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
51%

industry:
22%

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


industry: NA%


services: NA%
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 4% (2000 est.) NA%
Geographic coordinates 18 00 N, 105 00 E 13 18 S, 176 12 W
Geography - note landlocked both island groups have fringing reefs
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%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
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 -
Imports $540 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) $61.17 million f.o.b. (2004)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel chemicals, machinery, passenger ships, consumer goods
Imports - partners Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Hong Kong France 97%, Australia 2%, NZ 1% (2006)
Independence 19 July 1949 (from France) none (overseas territory of France)
Industrial production growth rate 7.5% (1999 est.) NA%
Industries tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber
Infant mortality rate 92.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 33% (2000 est.) 2.8% (2005)
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) SPC, UPU
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.)
NA
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) justice generally administered under French law by the high administrator, but the three traditional kings administer customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu; a court of appeal is located in Noumea, New Caledonia
Labor force 1 million - 1.5 million 3,104 (2003)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 80% (1997 est.) agriculture: 80%


industry: 4%


services: 16% (2001 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
0 km
Land use arable land:
3%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
3%

forests and woodland:
54%

other:
40% (1993 est.)
arable land: 7.14%


permanent crops: 35.71%


other: 57.15% (2005)
Languages Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages Wallisian 58.9% (indigenous Polynesian language), Futunian 30.1%, French 10.8%, other 0.2% (2003 census)
Legal system based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and Socialist practice the laws of France, where applicable, apply
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 Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 11 March 2002 (next to be held 22 April 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR and affiliates 13, Socialists and affiliates 7


note: Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and one deputy to the French National Assembly; French Senate - elections last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held by September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - RPR (now UMP) 1; French National Assembly - elections last held 16 June 2002 (next to be held by in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - RPR (UMP) 1
Life expectancy at birth total population:
53.48 years

male:
51.58 years

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


male: NA


female: NA
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: 50%


male: 50%


female: 50% (1969 est.)
Location Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Map references Southeast Asia Oceania
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 92,346 GRT/98,307 DWT


by type: chemical tanker 2, passenger 6


foreign-owned: 8 (France 6, French Polynesia 2) (2007)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of France
Military branches Lao People's Army (LPA; includes riverine element), Air Force, National Police Department -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $55 million (FY98) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4.2% (FY96/97) -
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) Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Nationality noun:
Lao(s) or Laotian(s)

adjective:
Lao or Laotian
noun: Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders


adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander
Natural hazards floods, droughts, and blight NA
Natural resources timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones NEGL
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) NA


note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (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 Lua Kae Tahi (Giscardians); Mouvement des Radicaux de Gauche or MRG; Rally for the Republic or RPR (UMP) [Clovis LOGOLOGOFOLAU]; Socialist Party or PS; Taumu'a Lelei [Soane Muni UHILA]; Union Populaire Locale or UPL [Falakiko GATA]; Union Pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF
Political pressure groups and leaders noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 NA
Population 5,635,967 (July 2001 est.) 16,309 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 46.1% (1993 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.48% (2001 est.) NA
Ports and harbors none -
Radio broadcast stations AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (2000)
Radios 730,000 (1997) -
Railways 0 km -
Religions Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
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.)
-
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: NA


domestic: NA


international: country code - 681
Telephones - main lines in use 25,000 (1997) 1,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 4,915 (1997) 0 (1994)
Television broadcast stations 4 (1999) 2 (2000)
Terrain mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus volcanic origin; low hills
Total fertility rate 5.12 children born/woman (2001 est.) NA
Unemployment rate 5.7% (1997 est.) 15.2% (2003)
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
-
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