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Compare Laos (2003) - Guyana (2006)

Compare Laos (2003) z Guyana (2006)

 Laos (2003)Guyana (2006)
 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: 42.2% (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: 26.2% (male 102,551/female 98,772)


15-64 years: 68.6% (male 265,193/female 260,892)


65 years and over: 5.2% (male 17,043/female 22,794) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry sugarcane, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish, shrimp
Airports 51 (2002) 90 (2006)
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: 9


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


under 914 m: 6 (2006)
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: 81


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 14


under 914 m: 65 (2006)
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, a liberalization 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, Jane JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001.
Birth rate 36.93 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 18.28 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $211 million


expenditures: $462 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est. est.)
revenues: $320.1 million


expenditures: $362.6 million; including capital expenditures of $93.4 million (2005 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 12.39 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 8.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $2.53 billion (1999) $1.2 billion (2002)
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 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 PHANTHONG Phommahaxay


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 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 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.) $84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) $253 million (1997)
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 Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-02, 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. Growth slowed in 2003 and came back gradually in 2004, buoyed largely by increased export earnings; it slowed again in 2005. 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. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term from restructuring and partial privatization. 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 might broaden the country's export market, primarily in the raw materials sector.
Electricity - consumption 824.7 million kWh (2001) 724.5 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 400 million kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 1.317 billion kWh (2001) 779 million kWh (2003)
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: 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 - 7,562 (2002), 8,954.58 (2001), 7,887.64 (2000), 7,102.02 (1999), 3,298.33 (1998) Guyanese dollars per US dollar - 200.79 (2005), 198.31 (2004), 193.88 (2003), 190.67 (2002), 187.32 (2001)
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 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 NA (2001) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber
Exports - partners Vietnam 25.7%, Thailand 19%, France 7.5%, Germany 5.3% (2002) Canada 18.9%, US 18.9%, UK 11.7%, Portugal 8.1%, Jamaica 5.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.2% (2005)
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 - $10.4 billion (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 53%


industry: 23%


services: 24% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 37%


industry: 20.3%


services: 42.7% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2002 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 5.7% (2002 est.) -3% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 00 N, 105 00 E 5 00 N, 59 00 W
Geography - note landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand 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: 21,716 km


paved: 9,664 km


unpaved: 12,052 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 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 NA (2001) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food
Imports - partners Thailand 58.9%, Vietnam 12.3%, China 7.9% (2002) US 26.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 23.9%, Cuba 6.6%, UK 5%, China 4.1% (2005)
Independence 19 July 1949 (from France) 26 May 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 7.5% (1999 est.) NA%
Industries tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining
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: 32.19 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 35.8 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 28.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 10% (2002 est.) 6.9% (2005 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) ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (subscriber), ITU, 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 1,640 sq km


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 2.4 million (1999) 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: 2,462 km


border countries: Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km
Land use arable land: 3.47%


permanent crops: 0.23%


other: 96.3% (1998 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, 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 (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 National Assembly (65 members elected by popular vote, also not more than four non-elected non-voting ministers and two non-elected non-voting parliamentary secretaries appointed by the president; members 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: 54.3 years


male: 52.34 years


female: 56.33 years (2003 est.)
total population: 65.86 years


male: 63.21 years


female: 68.65 years (2006 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 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 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT


ships by type: cargo 1 (2002 est.)
total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,461 GRT/15,155 DWT


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


foreign-owned: 1 (Germany 1)


registered in other countries: 4 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, unknown 1) (2006)
Military branches Lao People's Army (LPA; including Riverine Force), Air Force, National Police Department Guyana Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Corps (2006)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $55 million (FY98) $6.48 million (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4.2% (FY96) 0.9% (2003 est.)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 1,411,042 (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 759,499 (2003 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) 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 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 (2003 est.) -7.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines refined products 540 km (2003) -
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 5,921,545 (July 2003 est.) 767,245


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 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 40% (2002 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.45% (2003 est.) 0.25% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors none -
Radio broadcast stations AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways 0 km total: 187 km


standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge


note: all dedicated to ore transport (2001 est.)
Religions Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%) Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5%
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: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female


total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 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


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 (one public station; two 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 4.94 children born/woman (2003 est.) 2.04 children born/woman (2006 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 (2005)
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