Compare Laos (2005) - Dominica (2002)

Compare Laos (2005) z Dominica (2002)

	Laos (2005)	Dominica (2002)

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 (Vientiane), Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun*, Xekong, Xiangkhoang	10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter
Age structure	0-14 years: 41.6% (male 1,300,094/female 1,289,227) 15-64 years: 55.2% (male 1,693,494/female 1,737,196) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 88,744/female 108,386) (2005 est.)	0-14 years: 28.3% (male 10,052; female 9,800) 15-64 years: 63.8% (male 23,011; female 21,782) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 2,245; female 3,268) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products	sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice, water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry	bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and fishery potential not exploited
Airports	44 (2004 est.)	2 (2001)
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: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (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.)	-
Area	total: 236,800 sq km land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km	total: 754 sq km land: 754 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than Utah	slightly more than four 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.	Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans, due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean.
Birth rate	35.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	17.3 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget	revenues: $284.3 million expenditures: $416.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)	revenues: $72 million expenditures: $79.9 million, including capital expenditures of $11.5 million (FY97/98)
Capital	Vientiane	Roseau
Climate	tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)	tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	148 km
Constitution	promulgated 14 August 1991	3 November 1978
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: Commonwealth of Dominica conventional short form: Dominica
Currency	-	East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Death rate	11.83 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	7.11 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external	$2.49 billion (2001)	$150 million (2000) (2000)
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 Dominica; US interests are served by the embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados
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 Swinburne LESTRADE chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6781 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6791 consulate(s) general: New York
Disputes - international	Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; Laos and Thailand pledge to complete demarcation of boundaries in 2005, while ongoing disputes over squatters and boundary encroachment by Thailand including Mekong River islets persist; in 2004 Cambodian-Laotian boundary commission agrees to re-erect missing markers in two adjoining provinces; 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.)	$24.4 million (1995) (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 6% in 1988-2004 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. The government has sponsored major improvements in the road system. 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. In late 2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US, allowing Laos-based producers to face lower tariffs on their exports; this may help spur growth.	The Dominican economy depends on agriculture, primarily bananas, and remains highly vulnerable to climatic conditions. Hurricane Luis devastated the country's banana crop in 1995 after tropical storms wiped out a quarter of the 1994 crop. The subsequent recovery has been fueled by increases in construction, soap production, and tourist arrivals. Development of the tourism industry remains difficult however, because of the rugged coastline, lack of beaches, and the absence of an international airport. Economic growth is sluggish, and unemployment is greater than 20%. The government has been attempting to develop an offshore financial sector in order to diversify the island's production base.
Electricity - consumption	3.036 billion kWh (2002)	62.31 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports	400 million kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports	125 million kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production	3.56 billion kWh (2002)	67 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 48% hydro: 52% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Mekong River 70 m highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Morne Diablatins 1,447 m
Environment - current issues	unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water	NA
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, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, 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, mixed black and European, European, Syrian, Carib Amerindian
Exchange rates	kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001), 7,887.6 (2000)	East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (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 Siphadon elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA%	chief of state: President Vernon Lordon SHAW (since 6 October 1998) head of government: Prime Minister Pierre CHARLES (since 1 October 2000); note - assumed post after death of Prime Minister Roosevelt DOUGLAS cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by the House of Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 6 October 1998 (next to be held NA October 2003); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Vernon Lordon SHAW elected president; percent of legislative vote - NA%
Exports	NA	$49 million f.o.b. (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities	garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin	bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges
Exports - partners	Thailand 19.3%, Vietnam 13.4%, France 8%, Germany 5.3%, UK 5% (2004)	Caricom countries 47%, UK 36%, US 7% (1996 est.)
Fiscal year	1 October - 30 September	1 July - 30 June
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 centered cross of three equal bands - the vertical part is yellow (hoist side), black, and white and the horizontal part is yellow (top), black, and white; superimposed in the center of the cross is a red disk bearing a sisserou parrot encircled by 10 green, five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the 10 stars represent the 10 administrative divisions (parishes)
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $262 million (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 49.5% industry: 27.5% services: 23% (2004 est.)	agriculture: 18% industry: 23% services: 59% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2004 est.)	purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	6% (2004 est.)	-3.2% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates	18 00 N, 105 00 E	15 25 N, 61 20 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	known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in the world
Highways	total: 21,716 km paved: 9,664 km unpaved: 12,052 km (1999 est.)	total: 780 km paved: 390 km unpaved: 390 km (2001)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 30.6% (1997)	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	estimated cultivation in 2004 - 10,000 hectares, a 45% decrease from 2003; estimated potential production in 2004 - 49 metric tons, a significant decrease from 200 metric tons in 2003 (2005)	transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; minor cannabis producer; anti-money-laundering enforcement is weak, making the country particularly vulnerable to money laundering
Imports	NA	$132 million c.i.f. (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities	machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods	manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals
Imports - partners	Thailand 60.5%, China 10.3%, Vietnam 7.1%, Singapore 4% (2004)	US 41%, Caricom countries 25%, UK 13%, Netherlands, Canada (1996 est.)
Independence	19 July 1949 (from France)	3 November 1978 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	9.7% (2001 est.)	-10% (1997 est.)
Industries	tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism	soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes
Infant mortality rate	total: 85.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 95.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 75.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	15.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	12.3% (2004 est.)	1% (2001 est.)
International organization participation	ACCT, APT, 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)	ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	16 (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)	Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the Court of Appeal and the High Court (located in Saint Lucia; one of the six judges must reside in Dominica and preside over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction)
Labor force	2.6 million (2001 est.)	25,000
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 80% (1997 est.)	agriculture 40%, industry and commerce 32%, services 28%
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: 4% permanent crops: 16% other: 80% (1998 est.)
Languages	Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages	English (official), French patois
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	unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats, 9 appointed senators, 21 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 31 January 2000 (next to be held by 17 July 2005) note - tradition dictates that the election will be held within five years of the last election, but technically it is five years from the first seating of parliament (17 April 2000) plus a 90 day grace period election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -DLP 10, UWP 9, DFP 2
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 55.08 years male: 53.07 years female: 57.17 years (2005 est.)	total population: 73.86 years male: 70.98 years female: 76.88 years (2002 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 ever attended school total population: 94% male: 94% female: 94% (1970 est.)
Location	Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam	Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago
Map references	Southeast Asia	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	contiguous zone: 24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2005)	none (2002 est.)
Military - note	Laos is one of the world's least developed countries; the Lao People's Armed Forces are small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced; there is little political will to allocate sparse funding to the military, and the armed forces' gradual degradation is likely to continue; the massive drug production and trafficking industry centered in the Golden Triangle makes Laos an important narcotics transit country, and armed Wa and Chinese smugglers are active on the Lao-Burma border (2005)	-
Military branches	Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force	Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (including Special Service Unit, Coast Guard)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$10.7 million (2004)	$NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	0.5% (2004)	NA%
National holiday	Republic Day, 2 December (1975)	Independence Day, 3 November (1978)
Nationality	noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian	noun: Dominican(s) adjective: Dominican
Natural hazards	floods, droughts	flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months
Natural resources	timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones	timber, hydropower, arable land
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-18.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines	refined products 540 km (2004)	-
Political parties and leaders	Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphadon, party president]; other parties proscribed	Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Charles SAVARIN]; Dominica Labor Party or DLP [Pierre CHARLES]; United Workers Party or UWP [Edison JAMES]
Political pressure groups and leaders	noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975	Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party)
Population	6,217,141 (July 2005 est.)	70,158 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	40% (2002 est.)	NA%
Population growth rate	2.42% (2005 est.)	-0.81% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Portsmouth, Roseau
Radio broadcast stations	AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)	AM 3, FM 10, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios	-	46,000 (1997)
Railways	-	0 km
Religions	Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%)	Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), none 2%, other 6%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 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: fully automatic network international: microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia
Telephones - main lines in use	61,900 (2002)	19,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular	55,200 (2002)	461 (1996)
Television broadcast stations	4 (1999)	0 (however, there is one cable television company) (1997)
Terrain	mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus	rugged mountains of volcanic origin
Total fertility rate	4.77 children born/woman (2005 est.)	2.01 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate	5.7% (1997 est.)	23% (2000 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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