Compare Laos (2004) - Botswana (2003)

Compare Laos (2004) z Botswana (2003)

	Laos (2004)	Botswana (2003)

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	9 districts and four town councils; Central, Francistown, Gaborone, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse, Northwest, Northeast, Selebi-Pikwe, Southeast, Southern*
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: 39.5% (male 314,764; female 307,024) 15-64 years: 56% (male 424,726; female 455,967) 65 years and over: 4.5% (male 30,599; female 40,187) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice, water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry	livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts
Airports	46 (2003 est.)	86 (2002)
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: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
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: 76 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 55 under 914 m: 18 (2002)
Area	total: 236,800 sq km land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km	total: 600,370 sq km land: 585,370 sq km water: 15,000 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than Utah	slightly smaller than Texas
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.	Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. Four decades of uninterrupted civilian leadership, progressive social policies, and significant capital investment have created one of the most dynamic economies in Africa. Mineral extraction, principally diamond mining, dominates economic activity, though tourism is a growing sector due to the country's conservation practices and extensive nature preserves. Botswana has the world's highest known rate of HIV/AIDS infection, but also one of Africa's most progressive and comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease.
Birth rate	36.47 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)	25.5 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	revenues: $298.5 million expenditures: $429.9 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)	revenues: $2.3 billion expenditures: $2.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY 01/02)
Capital	Vientiane	Gaborone
Climate	tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)	semiarid; warm winters and hot summers
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	promulgated 14 August 1991	March 1965, effective 30 September 1966
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 Botswana conventional short form: Botswana former: Bechuanaland
Currency	kip (LAK)	pula (BWP)
Death rate	12.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)	31 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	$2.49 billion (2001)	$360 million (2002)
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	chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph HUGGINS embassy: address NA, Gaborone mailing address: Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone telephone: [267] 353982 FAX: [267] 312782
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 Lapologang Caesar LEKOA chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 244-4990 FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164
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	established a commission with Namibia to resolve small residual disputes along the Caprivi Strip, including the Situngu marshlands along the Linyanti River; downstream Botswana residents protest Namibia's planned construction of the Okavango hydroelectric dam on Popa Falls; dormant dispute remains where Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe boundaries converge
Economic aid - recipient	$243 million (2001 est.)	$73 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.	Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest growth rates since independence in 1966. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $9,500 in 2002. Two major investment services rank Botswana as the best credit risk in Africa. Diamond mining has fueled much of the expansion and currently accounts for more than one-third of GDP and for nine-tenths of export earnings. Tourism, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key sectors. On the downside, the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially is 21%, but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. Long-term prospects are overshadowed by the prospects of a leveling off in diamond mining production.
Electricity - consumption	824.7 million kWh (2001)	1.564 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	400 million kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	1.183 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	1.317 billion kWh (2001)	409.8 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Mekong River 70 m highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m	lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m
Environment - current issues	unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water	overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources
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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, 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 and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%	Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7%
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)	pulas per US dollar - 6.33 (2002), 5.84 (2001), 5.1 (2000), 4.62 (1999), 4.23 (1998)
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: President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since 13 July 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 16 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004); vice president appointed by the president election results: Festus MOGAE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 54.3%
Exports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin	diamonds 90%, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles
Exports - partners	Thailand 20.7%, Vietnam 15.9%, France 7.3%, Germany 5.3%, Belgium 4% (2003)	European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 87%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 7%, Zimbabwe 4% (2000)
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	light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center
GDP	purchasing power parity - $10.32 billion (2003 est.)	purchasing power parity - $13.48 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 49.4% industry: 24.5% services: 26.1% (2003 est.)	agriculture: 4% industry: 44% (including 36% mining) services: 52% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2003 est.)	purchasing power parity - $8,500 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	5.5% (2003 est.)	4.2% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	18 00 N, 105 00 E	22 00 S, 24 00 E
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	landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country
Highways	total: 21,716 km paved: 9,664 km unpaved: 12,052 km (1999 est.)	total: 10,217 km paved: 5,619 km unpaved: 4,598 km (1999)
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	-
Imports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods	foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products
Imports - partners	Thailand 59.4%, China 12.8%, Vietnam 10.2% (2003)	Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 74%, EFTA 17%, Zimbabwe 4% (2000)
Independence	19 July 1949 (from France)	30 September 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	9.7% (2001 est.)	2.4% (2001 est.)
Industries	tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism	diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles
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: 67.34 deaths/1,000 live births male: 68.36 deaths/1,000 live births female: 66.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	15.3% (2003 est.)	8.1% (2002 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, AfDB, C, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	11 (2001)
Irrigated land	1,640 sq km note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)	10 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)	High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each district)
Labor force	2.6 million (2001 est.)	264,000 formal sector employees (2000)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 80% (1997 est.)	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: 4,013 km border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km
Land use	arable land: 3.8% permanent crops: 0.35% other: 95.85% (2001)	arable land: 0.61% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.38% (1998 est.)
Languages	Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages	English (official), Setswana
Legal system	based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice	based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; 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 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 House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body consisting of the chiefs of the eight principal tribes, four elected subchiefs, and three members selected by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly (44 seats, 40 members are directly elected by popular vote and 4 are appointed by the majority party; members serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly elections last held 16 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 54.3%, BNF 24.7%, other 21%; seats by party - BDP 33, BNF 6, other 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 54.69 years male: 52.71 years female: 56.75 years (2004 est.)	total population: 32.26 years male: 32.2 years female: 32.32 years (2003 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 can read and write total population: 79.8% male: 76.9% female: 82.4% (2003 est.)
Location	Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam	Southern Africa, north of South Africa
Map references	Southeast Asia	Africa
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	none (landlocked)
Merchant marine	total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2004 est.)	-
Military branches	Lao People's Army (LPA; including Riverine Force), Air Force	Botswana Defense Force (including Army and Air Wing), Botswana National Police
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$10.9 million (2003)	$207.3 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	0.5% (2003)	3.5% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 1,456,500 (2004 est.)	males age 15-49: 381,056 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 783,800 (2004 est.)	males age 15-49: 201,402 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age	-	18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	males: 68,563 (2004 est.)	males: 20,476 (2003 est.)
National holiday	Republic Day, 2 December (1975)	Independence Day (Botswana Day), 30 September (1966)
Nationality	noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian	noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural) adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
Natural hazards	floods, droughts	periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility
Natural resources	timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones	diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 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	Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Festus MOGAE]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Mokgweetsi KGOSIPULA]; Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO] note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats; the BAM parties are: the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO], the Independence Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO], and the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE]
Political pressure groups and leaders	noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975	NA
Population	6,068,117 (July 2004 est.)	1,573,267 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 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	40% (2002 est.)	47%
Population growth rate	2.44% (2004 est.)	-0.55% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	none	none
Radio broadcast stations	AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)	AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001)
Railways	-	total: 888 km narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)
Religions	Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%)	indigenous beliefs 85%, Christian 15%
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: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 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: the system is expanding with the growth of mobile cellular service and participation in regional development domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations; mobile cellular service is growing fast international: two international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	61,900 (2002)	131,000 (September 2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular	55,200 (2002)	270,000 (September 2001)
Television broadcast stations	4 (1999)	1 (2001)
Terrain	mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus	predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest
Total fertility rate	4.86 children born/woman (2004 est.)	3.27 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	5.7% (1997 est.)	40% (official rate is 21%) (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)	none

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