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Compare Laos (2005) - Rwanda (2003)

Compare Laos (2005) z Rwanda (2003)

 Laos (2005)Rwanda (2003)
 LaosRwanda
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 12 prefectures (in French - prefectures, singular - prefecture; in Kinyarwanda - plural - NA, singular - prefegitura); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali Rurale, Kigali-ville, Umutara, Ruhengeri
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: 42.5% (male 1,667,128; female 1,651,422)


15-64 years: 54.8% (male 2,128,495; female 2,148,694)


65 years and over: 2.7% (male 85,576; female 128,741) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice, water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock
Airports 44 (2004 est.) 9 (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: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 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: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 3 (2002)
Area total: 236,800 sq km


land: 230,800 sq km


water: 6,000 sq km
total: 26,338 sq km


land: 24,948 sq km


water: 1,390 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Utah slightly smaller than Maryland
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. In 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, the majority ethnic group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years, thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with several political and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions, culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire. Since then, most of the refugees have returned to Rwanda. Despite substantial international assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first local elections in March 1999 - the country continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output and to foster reconciliation. A series of massive population displacements, a nagging Hutu extremist insurgency, and Rwandan involvement in two wars over the past four years in the neighboring DROC continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts.
Birth rate 35.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 40.1 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $284.3 million


expenditures: $416.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $199.3 million


expenditures: $445 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Capital Vientiane Kigali
Climate tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution promulgated 14 August 1991 on 5 May 1995, the Transitional National Assembly adopted as Fundamental Law the constitution of 18 June 1991, provisions of the 1993 Arusha peace accord, the July 1994 Declaration by the Rwanda Patriotic Front, and the November 1994 multiparty protocol of understanding
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: Rwandese Republic


conventional short form: Rwanda


local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda


local short form: Rwanda


former: Ruanda
Currency - Rwandan franc (RWF)
Death rate 11.83 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 21.72 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $2.49 billion (2001) $1.3 billion (2000 est.)
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 Margaret K. McMILLION


embassy: #337 Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali


mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali


telephone: [250] 50 56 01 through 03


FAX: [250] 57 2128
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 Zac NSENGA


chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882


FAX: [1] (202) 232-4544
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 Tutsi, Hutu, and other conflicting ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces continue fighting in Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda to gain control over populated areas and natural resources - government heads pledge to end conflicts, but localized violence continues despite UN peacekeeping efforts
Economic aid - recipient $243 million (2001 est.) $372.9 million (1999)
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. Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the most densely populated country in Africa; landlocked with few natural resources and minimal industry. Primary foreign exchange earners are coffee and tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base, severely impoverished the population, particularly women, and eroded the country's ability to attract private and external investment. However, Rwanda has made substantial progress in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy to pre-1994 levels, although poverty levels are higher now. GDP has rebounded, and inflation has been curbed. Export earnings, however, have been hindered by low beverage prices, depriving the country of much needed hard currency. Attempts to diversify into non-traditional agriculture exports such as flowers and vegetables have been stymied by a lack of adequate transportation infrastructure. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with population growth, requiring food to be imported. Rwanda continues to receive substantial amounts of aid money and was approved for IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in late 2000. But Kigali's high defense expenditures cause tension between the government and international donors and lending agencies.
Electricity - consumption 3.036 billion kWh (2002) 140 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 400 million kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 125 million kWh (2002) 50 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 3.56 billion kWh (2002) 96.78 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 2.3%


hydro: 97.7%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Mekong River 70 m


highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m


highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m
Environment - current issues unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching
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, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1% Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1%
Exchange rates kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001), 7,887.6 (2000) Rwandan francs per US dollar - 475.37 (2002), 442.99 (2001), 389.7 (2000), 333.94 (1999), 312.31 (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 Siphadon elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA%
chief of state: President Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME (FPR) (since 22 April 2000)


head of government: Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March 2000)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: last held 25 August 2003 (next to be held NA 2008)


election results: Paul KAGAME elected president in first direct popular vote; Paul KAGAME (RPF) 95.05%, Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU 3.62%, Jean-Nepomuscene NAYINZIRA 1.33%
Exports NA NA (2001)
Exports - commodities garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin coffee, tea, hides, tin ore
Exports - partners Thailand 19.3%, Vietnam 13.4%, France 8%, Germany 5.3%, UK 5% (2004) Indonesia 30.8%, Germany 14.6%, Hong Kong 9%, South Africa 5.5% (2002)
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 three horizontal bands of sky blue (top, double width), yellow, and green, with a golden sun with 24 rays near the fly end of the blue band
GDP - purchasing power parity - $8.92 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 49.5%


industry: 27.5%


services: 23% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 45%


industry: 20%


services: 35% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6% (2004 est.) 9.7% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 00 N, 105 00 E 2 00 S, 30 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; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural
Highways total: 21,716 km


paved: 9,664 km


unpaved: 12,052 km (1999 est.)
total: 12,000 km


paved: 996 km


unpaved: 11,004 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3.2%


highest 10%: 30.6% (1997)
lowest 10%: 4.2%


highest 10%: 24.2% (1985)
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) -
Imports NA NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material
Imports - partners Thailand 60.5%, China 10.3%, Vietnam 7.1%, Singapore 4% (2004) Kenya 21.8%, Germany 8.4%, Belgium 7.9%, Israel 4.3% (2002)
Independence 19 July 1949 (from France) 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)
Industrial production growth rate 9.7% (2001 est.) 7% (2001 est.)
Industries tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes
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.)
total: 102.61 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 107.66 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 97.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 12.3% (2004 est.) 5.5% (2002 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, AfDB, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 2 (2002)
Irrigated land 1,640 sq km


note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)
40 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) Supreme Court; communal courts; appeals courts
Labor force 2.6 million (2001 est.) 4.6 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 80% (1997 est.) agriculture 90%
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: 893 km


border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km
Land use arable land: 3.8%


permanent crops: 0.35%


other: 95.85% (2001)
arable land: 32.43%


permanent crops: 10.13%


other: 57.44% (1998 est.)
Languages Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers
Legal system based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; 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
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (53 seats; members elected by direct vote)


elections: last held 29 September 2003 (next to be held NA)


election results: seats by party under the Arusha peace accord - FPR 40, PSD 7, PL 6
Life expectancy at birth total population: 55.08 years


male: 53.07 years


female: 57.17 years (2005 est.)
total population: 39.33 years


male: 38.51 years


female: 40.18 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: 70.4%


male: 76.3%


female: 64.7% (2003 est.)
Location Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Map references Southeast Asia Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT


by type: cargo 1 (2005)
-
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 Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie
Military expenditures - dollar figure $10.7 million (2004) $59.57 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.5% (2004) 3% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 1,932,637 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 982,909 (2003 est.)
National holiday Republic Day, 2 December (1975) Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Nationality noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)


adjective: Lao or Laotian
noun: Rwandan(s)


adjective: Rwandan
Natural hazards floods, droughts periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Natural resources timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
People - note - Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa
Pipelines refined products 540 km (2004) -
Political parties and leaders Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphadon, party president]; other parties proscribed Centrist Democratic Party or PDC [Jean-Nipomuscene NAYINZIRA]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [J. Damascene NTAWUKURIRYAYO]; Democratic Popular Union of Rwanda or UDPR [leader NA]; Democratic Republican Movement or MDR [Celestin KABANDA]; Islamic Democratic Party or PDI [Andre BUMAYA]; Liberal Party or PL [Pie MUGABO]; Party for Democratic Renewal (officially banned) [Pasteur BIZIMUNGU and Charles NTAKARUTINKA]; Rwanda Patriotic Front or FPR [Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME]; Rwandan Socialist Party or PSR [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 IBUKA - association of genocide survivors
Population 6,217,141 (July 2005 est.) 7,810,056


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.) 60% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 2.42% (2005 est.) 1.84% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors - Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye
Radio broadcast stations AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 0, FM 3 (two main FM programs are broadcast through a system of repeaters and the third FM program is a 24 hour BBC program), shortwave 1 (2002)
Railways - 0 km
Religions Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%) Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001)
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: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female


total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal adult
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: telephone system primarily serves business and government


domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the prefectures by microwave radio relay and, recently, by cellular telephone service; much of the network depends on wire and HF radiotelephone


international: international connections employ microwave radio relay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to more distant countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service)
Telephones - main lines in use 61,900 (2002) 600,000 note - 90% in Kigali (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 55,200 (2002) 81,000 (2001)


note: Rwanda has mobile cellular service between Kigali and several prefecture capitals (2002)
Television broadcast stations 4 (1999) NA
Terrain mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east
Total fertility rate 4.77 children born/woman (2005 est.) 5.6 children born/woman (2003 est.)
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)
note: Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft
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