Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
Jah-Jah.pl / Index countries / Laos (2002) - Tajikistan (2002) / Compare countries
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Laos (2002) - Tajikistan (2002)

Compare Laos (2002) z Tajikistan (2002)

 Laos (2002)Tajikistan (2002)
 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: 42.5% (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.)
0-14 years: 40.4% (male 1,370,314; female 1,346,465)


15-64 years: 54.9% (male 1,835,573; female 1,854,677)


65 years and over: 4.7% (male 136,033; female 176,505) (2002 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 (2001) 53 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 9


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2002)
total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 42


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 15


under 914 m: 26 (2002)
total: 51


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 12


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 37.39 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 32.99 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $211 million


expenditures: $462 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est.)
revenues: $146 million


expenditures: $196 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) (2000 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 12.71 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 8.51 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $2.53 billion (1999) $1.23 billion (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US 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
chief of mission: Ambassador Franklin P. HUDDLE, Jr.


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 7-3272-58079-68


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [992] (372) 21-03-48, 21-03-50, 21-03-52, 24-15-60


FAX: [992] (372) 51-00-28, 21-03-62
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador PHANTHONG Phommahaxay


chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416


FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923
Tajikistan does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a permanent mission to the UN: address - 136 East 67th Street, New York, NY 10021, telephone - [1] (212) 472-7645, FAX - [1] (212) 628-0252; permanent representative to the UN is Khamrokhon ZARIPOV
Disputes - international 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 Uzbekistan has mined much of its undemarcated southern and eastern border with Tajikistan; border demarcation negotiations continuing with Kyrgyzstan in Isfara Valley area; Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan wrestle with sharing water resources and the resulting regional environmental degradation caused by the shrinking of the Aral Sea
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% 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. Tajikistan has the lowest per capita GDP among the 15 former Soviet republics. 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 80% of its people continue to live in abject poverty, Tajikistan has experienced strong 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, and the external debt burden. Servicing of the debt, owed principally to Russia and Uzbekistan, could require as much as 50% of government revenues in 2002, thus limiting the nation's ability to meet pressing development needs.
Electricity - consumption 690.6 million kWh (2000) 12.539 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 400 million kWh (2000) 3.909 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 142 million kWh (2000) 3.2 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 1.02 billion kWh (2000) 14.245 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 2%


hydro: 98%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
fossil fuel: 2%


hydro: 98%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
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 - 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) Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 2.55 (January 2002), 2.2 (January 2001), 1550 (January 2000), 998 (January 1999), 350 (January 1997), 284 (January 1996)


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 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%
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


election results: Emomali RAHMONOV elected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 97%, Davlat USMON 2%
Exports $325 million (2001 est.) $640 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles
Exports - partners Thailand 20%, France 7.5%, Germany 5.9%, UK 4.1%, Belgium 4% (2000) Europe 43%, Russia 30%, Uzbekistan 13% (2000)
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 - $9.2 billion (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $7.5 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 53%


industry: 22%


services: 25% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 19%


industry: 25%


services: 56% (2000)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,630 (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,140 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5% (2001 est.) 8.3% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 00 N, 105 00 E 39 00 N, 71 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 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: 29,900 km


paved: 21,400 km (includes some all-weather gravel-surfaced roads)


unpaved: 8,500 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3%


highest 10%: 31% (1997)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
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 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.) $700 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs
Imports - partners Thailand 52%, Singapore 3.9%, Japan 1.6%, Hong Kong 1.5%, China 0.8% (2000) Uzbekistan 27%, Russia 16%, Europe 12% (2000)
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 90.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) 114.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 10% (2001 est.) 33% (2001 est.)
International organization participation 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) AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IOC, IOM, ITU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) 4 (2002)
Irrigated land 1,640 sq km


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 2.4 million (1999) 3.187 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 80% (1997 est.) agriculture 67%, industry 8%, services 25% (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: 3.47%


permanent crops: 0.23%


other: 96.3% (1998 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 (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
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: 53.88 years


male: 51.95 years


female: 55.87 years (2002 est.)
total population: 64.28 years


male: 61.24 years


female: 67.46 years (2002 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: 98%


male: 99%


female: 97% (1989 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/3,110 DWT


ships by type: cargo 1 (2002 est.)
-
Military branches Lao People's Army (LPA; including Riverine Force), 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: 1,365,027 (2002 est.) males age 15-49: 1,646,278 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 734,945 (2002 est.) males age 15-49: 1,349,505 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2002 est.) 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 64,437 (2002 est.) males: 72,056 (2002 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 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 (2002 est.) -3.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines petroleum products 136 km natural gas 400 km (1992)
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 5,777,180 (July 2002 est.) 6,719,567 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line 40% (2001 est.) 80% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 2.47% (2002 est.) 2.12% (2002 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) 1.291 million (1991)
Railways 0 km (2001) total: 482 km


broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge


note: includes only lines in common carrier service; lines dedicated to particular industries are excluded (2001)
Religions Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%) 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: 0.84 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 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: 0.77 male(s)/female


total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 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 5.03 children born/woman (2002 est.) 4.23 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 5.7% (1997 est.) 20% (2001 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
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.