Compare Laos (2003) - Equatorial Guinea (2004)

Compare Laos (2003) z Equatorial Guinea (2004)

	Laos (2003)	Equatorial Guinea (2004)

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	7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas
Age structure	0-14 years: 42.2% (male 1,255,172; female 1,242,823) 15-64 years: 54.6% (male 1,592,697; female 1,639,431) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 87,192; female 104,230) (2003 est.)	0-14 years: 42% (male 110,268; female 109,222) 15-64 years: 54.3% (male 136,370; female 147,431) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,745; female 11,015) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry	coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts; livestock; timber
Airports	51 (2002)	3 (2003 est.)
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: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 less than 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 236,800 sq km land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km	total: 28,051 sq km land: 28,051 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than Utah	slightly smaller than Maryland
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, a liberalization of foreign investment laws, and the admission into ASEAN in 1997.	Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President OBIANG NGUEM MBASOGO has ruled the country for over two decades since seizing power from his uncle, then President MACIAS, in a 1979 coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as well as the 1999 legislative elections - were widely seen as being flawed. The president controls most opposition parties through the judicious use of patronage. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, there have been few improvements in the country's living standards.
Birth rate	36.93 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)	36.56 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $211 million expenditures: $462 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est. est.)	revenues: $708.5 million expenditures: $317.6 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
Capital	Vientiane	Malabo
Climate	tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)	tropical; always hot, humid
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	296 km
Constitution	promulgated 14 August 1991	approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995
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 Equatorial Guinea conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial former: Spanish Guinea
Currency	kip (LAK)	Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Death rate	12.39 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)	12.27 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$2.53 billion (1999)	$248 million (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	the US does not have an embassy in Equatorial Guinea (embassy closed September 1995); the US ambassador to Cameroon is accredited to Equatorial Guinea; the US State Department is considering opening a Consulate Agency in Malabo
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	chief of mission: Ambassador Teodoro Biyogo NSUE chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700 FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252
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	in 2002, ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but a dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River, imprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ decision, and the unresolved Bakasi allocation contribute to the delay in implementation; creation of a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay with Gabon is hampered by dispute over Mbane Island, administered and occupied by Gabon since the 1970s
Economic aid - recipient	$345 million (1999 est.)	$33.8 million (1995)
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.	The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years. Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the neglect of the rural economy under successive regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth (the government has stated its intention to reinvest some oil revenue into agriculture). A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been cut off since 1993 because of corruption and mismanagement. No longer eligible for concessional financing because of large oil revenues, the government has been unsuccessfully trying to agree on a "shadow" fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF. Businesses, for the most part, are owned by government officials and their family members. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Growth will remain strong in 2004, led by oil.
Electricity - consumption	824.7 million kWh (2001)	21.91 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	400 million kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	1.317 billion kWh (2001)	23.56 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 1.4% hydro: 98.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Mekong River 70 m highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m
Environment - current issues	unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water	tap water is not potable; 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, Ship Pollution 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%	Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish
Exchange rates	kips per US dollar - 7,562 (2002), 8,954.58 (2001), 7,887.64 (2000), 7,102.02 (1999), 3,298.33 (1998)	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 581.2 (2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.976 (2000), 615.699 (1999)
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 Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup) head of government: Prime Minister Miguel Abia BITEO BORICO (since 14 June 2004); First Deputy Prime Minister Miguel OYONO NDONG (since NA January 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Demetrio Elo NDONG NZE FUMU (since NA January 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2009); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected president; percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%; elections marred by widespread fraud
Exports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin	petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa
Exports - partners	Vietnam 25.7%, Thailand 19%, France 7.5%, Germany 5.3% (2002)	US 33.6%, Spain 25.8%, China 14.4%, Canada 11.8%, Italy 6.4% (2003)
Fiscal year	1 October - 30 September	1 January - 31 December
Flag description	three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band	three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice)
GDP	purchasing power parity - $10.4 billion (2002 est.)	purchasing power parity - $1.27 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 53% industry: 23% services: 24% (2001 est.)	agriculture: 20% industry: 60% services: 2.4% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2002 est.)	purchasing power parity - $2,700 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	5.7% (2002 est.)	20% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	18 00 N, 105 00 E	2 00 N, 10 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	insular and continental regions rather widely separated
Highways	total: 21,716 km paved: 9,664 km unpaved: 12,052 km (1999 est.)	total: 2,880 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 30.6% (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	-
Imports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods	petroleum sector equipment, other equipment
Imports - partners	Thailand 58.9%, Vietnam 12.3%, China 7.9% (2002)	US 30.6%, UK 16%, France 15.1%, Cote d'Ivoire 11.9%, Spain 8.1%, Norway 5.9%, Italy 5.3% (2003)
Independence	19 July 1949 (from France)	12 October 1968 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate	7.5% (1999 est.)	30% (2002 est.)
Industries	tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism	petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas
Infant mortality rate	total: 88.94 deaths/1,000 live births male: 99.1 deaths/1,000 live births female: 78.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)	total: 87.08 deaths/1,000 live births male: 93.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 80.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	10% (2002 est.)	6% (2003 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)	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	1 (2000)	-
Irrigated land	1,640 sq km note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)	NA sq km
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 Tribunal
Labor force	2.4 million (1999)	NA (October 2000)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 80% (1997 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: 539 km border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km
Land use	arable land: 3.47% permanent crops: 0.23% other: 96.3% (1998 est.)	arable land: 4.63% permanent crops: 3.57% other: 91.8% (2001)
Languages	Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages	Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo
Legal system	based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice	partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom
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	unicameral House of People's Representatives or Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (80 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 7 March 1999 (next to be held 24 April 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - PDGE 80%, UP 6%, CPDS 5%; seats by party - PDGE 75, UP 4 and CPDS 1 note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all executive authority in the president
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 54.3 years male: 52.34 years female: 56.33 years (2003 est.)	total population: 55.15 years male: 53 years female: 57.36 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 52.8% male: 67.5% female: 38.1% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.7% male: 93.3% female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
Location	Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam	Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon
Map references	Southeast Asia	Africa
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT ships by type: cargo 1 (2002 est.)	total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,556 GRT/9,704 DWT by type: cargo 2, passenger/cargo 1 registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.)
Military branches	Lao People's Army (LPA; including Riverine Force), Air Force, National Police Department	Army, Navy, Air Force, Rapid Intervention Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$55 million (FY98)	$75.1 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	4.2% (FY96)	2.5% (2003)
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 1,411,042 (2003 est.)	males age 15-49: 120,463 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 759,499 (2003 est.)	males age 15-49: 61,084 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - military age	18 years of age (2003 est.)	-
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	males: 67,260 (2003 est.)	-
National holiday	Republic Day, 2 December (1975)	Independence Day, 12 October (1968)
Nationality	noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian	noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s) adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean
Natural hazards	floods, droughts	violent windstorms, flash floods
Natural resources	timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones	oil, petroleum, timber, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese, uranium, titanium, iron ore
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines	refined products 540 km (2003)	condensate 37 km; gas 39 km; liquid natural gas 4 km; oil 24 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders	Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphandon, party president]; other parties proscribed	Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MIKO Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE (ruling party) [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO]; Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Miguel Esono EMAN]; Popular Union or UP [Andres Moises Bda ADA]; Progressive Democratic Alliance or ADP [Victorino Bolekia BONAY]; Union of Independent Democrats of UDI [Daniel OYONO]
Political pressure groups and leaders	noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975	NA
Population	5,921,545 (July 2003 est.)	523,051 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	40% (2002 est.)	NA
Population growth rate	2.45% (2003 est.)	2.43% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	none	Bata, Luba, Malabo
Radio broadcast stations	AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)	AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2002)
Railways	0 km	-
Religions	Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%)	nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.04 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 (2003 est.)	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal adult
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: poor system with adequate government services domestic: NA international: country code - 240; international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	25,000 (1997)	9,600 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	4,915 (1997)	41,500 (2003)
Television broadcast stations	4 (1999)	1 (2002)
Terrain	mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus	coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic
Total fertility rate	4.94 children born/woman (2003 est.)	4.68 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	5.7% (1997 est.)	30% (1998 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	-

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