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Compare Laos (2004) - Western Sahara (2006)

Compare Laos (2004) z Western Sahara (2006)

 Laos (2004)Western Sahara (2006)
 LaosWestern Sahara
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 none (under de facto control of Morocco)
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: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice, water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
Airports 46 (2003 est.) 11 (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 (2004 est.)
total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2006)
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: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2006)
Area total: 236,800 sq km


land: 230,800 sq km


water: 6,000 sq km
total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Utah about the size of Colorado
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. Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed.
Birth rate 36.47 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) NA births/1,000 population
Budget revenues: $298.5 million


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


expenditures: $NA
Capital Vientiane none


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 1,110 km
Constitution promulgated 14 August 1991 -
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: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
Currency kip (LAK) -
Death rate 12.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) NA deaths/1,000 population
Debt - external $2.49 billion (2001) $NA
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
none
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
none
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 Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals
Economic aid - recipient $243 million (2001 est.) $NA
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. Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level.
Electricity - consumption 824.7 million kWh (2001) 83.7 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) 85 million kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Mekong River 70 m


highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
Environment - current issues unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water sparse water and lack of arable land
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: none of the selected agreements


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% Arab, Berber
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) Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001)
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%
none
Exports NA (2001) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin phosphates 62%
Exports - partners Thailand 20.7%, Vietnam 15.9%, France 7.3%, Germany 5.3%, Belgium 4% (2003) Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004)
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 -
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: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2003 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 5.5% (2003 est.) NA%
Geographic coordinates 18 00 N, 105 00 E 24 30 N, 13 00 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 the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
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 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 bbl/day
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Imports - partners Thailand 59.4%, China 12.8%, Vietnam 10.2% (2003) Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004)
Independence 19 July 1949 (from France) -
Industrial production growth rate 9.7% (2001 est.) NA%
Industries tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism phosphate mining, handicrafts
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: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 15.3% (2003 est.) NA%
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) none
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) -
Labor force 2.6 million (2001 est.) 12,000
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 80% (1997 est.) agriculture: 50%


industry and services: 50%
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: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Land use arable land: 3.8%


permanent crops: 0.35%


other: 95.85% (2001)
arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2005)
Languages Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Legal system based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice -
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
-
Life expectancy at birth total population: 54.69 years


male: 52.71 years


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


male: NA years


female: NA years
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 66.4%


male: 77.4%


female: 55.5% (2002)
NA
Location Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Map references Southeast Asia Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
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 -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $10.9 million (2003) $992.2 million
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.5% (2003) -
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) -
Nationality noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)


adjective: Lao or Laotian
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Natural hazards floods, droughts hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
Natural resources timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones phosphates, iron ore
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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 -
Political pressure groups and leaders noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 none
Population 6,068,117 (July 2004 est.) 273,008 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 40% (2002 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.44% (2004 est.) NA
Ports and harbors none -
Radio broadcast stations AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%) Muslim
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.)
NA
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed
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: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
Telephones - main lines in use 61,900 (2002) about 2,000 (1999 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular 55,200 (2002) 0 (1999)
Television broadcast stations 4 (1999) NA
Terrain mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Total fertility rate 4.86 children born/woman (2004 est.) NA children born/woman
Unemployment rate 5.7% (1997 est.) NA%
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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