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Compare Laos (2004) - Antigua and Barbuda (2005)

Compare Laos (2004) z Antigua and Barbuda (2005)

 Laos (2004)Antigua and Barbuda (2005)
 LaosAntigua and Barbuda
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, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun**, Xekong, Xiangkhoang 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip
Age structure 0-14 years: 41.9% (male 1,277,152; female 1,265,761)


15-64 years: 54.9% (male 1,642,895; female 1,688,175)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 87,995; female 106,139) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 27.9% (male 9,767/female 9,427)


15-64 years: 68% (male 23,466/female 23,250)


65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,085/female 1,727) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice, water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock
Airports 46 (2003 est.) 3 (2004 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 (2004 est.)
total: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 35


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 13


under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
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: 442.6 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km)


land: 442.6 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Utah 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Laos was under the control of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. 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. The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak and Carib Indians populated the islands when Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by the English who formed a colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981.
Birth rate 36.47 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 17.26 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $298.5 million


expenditures: $429.9 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
revenues: $123.7 million


expenditures: $145.9 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.)
Capital Vientiane Saint John's (Antigua)
Climate tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 153 km
Constitution promulgated 14 August 1991 1 November 1981
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: none


conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda
Currency kip (LAK) -
Death rate 12.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 5.44 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $2.49 billion (2001) $231 million (1999)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia M. HASLACH


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 Antigua and Barbuda (embassy closed 30 June 1994); the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda
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 Lionel A. HURST


chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016


telephone: [1] (202) 362-5122


FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225


consulate(s) general: Miami
Disputes - international demarcation of boundaries with Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam is largely complete, but with Thailand several areas including Mekong River islets remain in dispute; ongoing disputes with Thailand and Vietnam over squatters; concern among Mekong Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels none
Economic aid - recipient $243 million (2001 est.) $2.3 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. Tourism continues to dominate the economy, accounting for more than half of GDP. Weak tourist arrival numbers since early 2000 have slowed the economy, however, and pressed the government into a tight fiscal corner. The dual-island nation's agricultural production is focused on the domestic market and constrained by a limited water supply and a labor shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages in tourism and construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on income growth in the industrialized world, especially in the US, which accounts for slightly more than one-third of tourist arrivals.
Electricity - consumption 824.7 million kWh (2001) 103 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 400 million kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 1.317 billion kWh (2001) 110.8 million kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Mekong River 70 m


highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m
Environment - current issues unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water water management - a major concern because of limited natural fresh water resources - is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling


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 and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1% black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian
Exchange rates kips per US dollar - 10,443 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.58 (2001), 7,887.64 (2000), 7,102.02 (1999) East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000)


note: fixed rate since 1976
Executive branch chief of state: President Gen. KHAMTAI Siphadon (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 Bouasone BOUPHAVANH (since 3 October 2003) Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since 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 in 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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir James B. CARLISLE (since 10 June 1993)


head of government: Prime Minister Winston Baldwin SPENCER (since 24 March 2004)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general chosen by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general
Exports NA (2001) NA
Exports - commodities garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8%
Exports - partners Thailand 20.7%, Vietnam 15.9%, France 7.3%, Germany 5.3%, Belgium 4% (2003) Poland 47.8%, UK 24.6%, Germany 8.7% (2004)
Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September 1 April - 31 March
Flag description three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band
GDP purchasing power parity - $10.32 billion (2003 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 49.4%


industry: 24.5%


services: 26.1% (2003 est.)
agriculture: 3.9%


industry: 19.2%


services: 76.8% (2002)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $11,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5.5% (2003 est.) 3% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 00 N, 105 00 E 17 03 N, 61 48 W
Geography - note landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a very large western harbor
Highways total: 21,716 km


paved: 9,664 km


unpaved: 12,052 km (1999 est.)
total: 250 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 2003 - 18,900 hectares, a 19% decrease over 2002; estimated potential production in 2003 - 200 metric tons, a 11% increase from 2002); potential heroin producer; transshipment point for heroin and methamphetamine produced in Burma; illicit producer of cannabis; growing methamphetamine abuse problem considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as an offshore financial center
Imports NA (2001) NA
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil
Imports - partners Thailand 59.4%, China 12.8%, Vietnam 10.2% (2003) China 19.5%, US 18.7%, Singapore 14.8%, Poland 8.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.7% (2004)
Independence 19 July 1949 (from France) 1 November 1981 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 9.7% (2001 est.) 6% (1997 est.)
Industries tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)
Infant mortality rate total: 87.06 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 97.05 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 76.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 19.46 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 23.43 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 15.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 15.3% (2003 est.) 0.4% (2000 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land 1,640 sq km


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) Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction)
Labor force 2.6 million (2001 est.) 30,000
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 80% (1997 est.) agriculture 7%, industry 11%, services 82% (1983)
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: 3.8%


permanent crops: 0.35%


other: 95.85% (2001)
arable land: 18.18%


permanent crops: 4.55%


other: 77.27% (2001)
Languages Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages English (official), local dialects
Legal system based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice based on English common law
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 in 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LPRP or LPRP-approved (independent, non-party members) 109
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (17-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Representatives - last held 23 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2009)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ALP 4, UPP 13
Life expectancy at birth total population: 54.69 years


male: 52.71 years


female: 56.75 years (2004 est.)
total population: 71.9 years


male: 69.53 years


female: 74.38 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 66.4%


male: 77.4%


female: 55.5% (2002)
definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling


total population: 89%


male: 90%


female: 88% (1960 est.)
Location Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico
Map references Southeast Asia Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT


by type: cargo 1 (2004 est.)
total: 980 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,873,626 GRT/7,683,143 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 33, cargo 630, chemical tanker 9, container 272, liquefied gas 9, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 17, vehicle carrier 1


foreign-owned: 923 (Australia 2, Bangladesh 4, Belgium 4, Colombia 2, Denmark 8, Estonia 2, Germany 849, Iceland 5, Latvia 5, Lebanon 2, Lithuania 1, Netherlands 11, Norway 3, Philippines 1, Russia 1, Slovenia 5, Sweden 1, Switzerland 5, Turkey 4, United Kingdom 1, United States 7) (2005)
Military branches Lao People's Army (LPA; including Riverine Force), Air Force Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force: Infantry, Coast Guard (2004)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $10.9 million (2003) NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.5% (2003) NA
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 1,456,500 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 783,800 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 68,563 (2004 est.) -
National holiday Republic Day, 2 December (1975) Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981)
Nationality noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)


adjective: Lao or Laotian
noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)


adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan
Natural hazards floods, droughts hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts
Natural resources timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) -6.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines refined products 540 km (2004) -
Political parties and leaders Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphandon, party president]; other parties proscribed Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three opposition parties - United National Democratic Party or UNDP, Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, and Progressive Labor Movement or PLM)
Political pressure groups and leaders noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL]
Population 6,068,117 (July 2004 est.) 68,722 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 40% (2002 est.) NA
Population growth rate 2.44% (2004 est.) 0.57% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors none Saint John's
Radio broadcast stations AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%) Christian, (predominantly Anglican with other Protestant, and some Roman Catholic)
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: 0.83 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female


total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 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: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
general assessment: NA


domestic: good automatic telephone system


international: country code - 1-268; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe
Telephones - main lines in use 61,900 (2002) 38,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 55,200 (2002) 38,200 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 4 (1999) 2 (1997)
Terrain mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas
Total fertility rate 4.86 children born/woman (2004 est.) 2.26 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 5.7% (1997 est.) 11% (2001 est.)
Waterways 4,600 km


note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2003)
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