Compare Laos (2005) - Turks and Caicos Islands (2004)

Compare Laos (2005) z Turks and Caicos Islands (2004)

	Laos (2005)	Turks and Caicos Islands (2004)

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	none (overseas territory of the UK)
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: 32.5% (male 3,301; female 3,184) 15-64 years: 63.8% (male 6,696; female 6,036) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 327; female 412) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice, water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry	corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish
Airports	44 (2004 est.)	8 (2003 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: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (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: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 236,800 sq km land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km	total: 430 sq km land: 430 sq km water: 0 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 islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands remain a British overseas territory.
Birth rate	35.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	22.85 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $284.3 million expenditures: $416.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)	revenues: $47 million expenditures: $33.6 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997-98 est.)
Capital	Vientiane	Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
Climate	tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)	tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	389 km
Constitution	promulgated 14 August 1991	introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised 5 March 1988
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: Turks and Caicos Islands
Currency	-	US dollar (USD)
Death rate	11.83 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	4.26 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$2.49 billion (2001)	NA (2002 est.)
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK
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 (overseas territory of the UK)
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 (overseas territory of the UK)
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	have received Haitians fleeing economic collapse and civil unrest
Economic aid - recipient	$243 million (2001 est.)	$4.1 million (1997)
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 Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, fishing, and offshore financial services. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than half of the 93,000 visitors in the late 1990s. Major sources of government revenue include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts. Tourism fell by 6% in 2002.
Electricity - consumption	3.036 billion kWh (2002)	4.65 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	400 million kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	125 million kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	3.56 billion kWh (2002)	5 million kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Mekong River 70 m highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Hills 49 m
Environment - current issues	unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water	limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater
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	-
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 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10%
Exchange rates	kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001), 7,887.6 (2000)	the US dollar is used
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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1953), represented by Governor Jim POSTON (since 16 December 2002) head of government: Chief Minister Michael Eugene MISICK (since 15 August 2003) cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex officio members and five appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed chief minister by the governor
Exports	NA	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin	lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells
Exports - partners	Thailand 19.3%, Vietnam 13.4%, France 8%, Germany 5.3%, UK 5% (2004)	US, UK
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	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $231 million (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 49.5% industry: 27.5% services: 23% (2004 est.)	agriculture: NA industry: NA services: NA (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2004 est.)	purchasing power parity - $9,600 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	6% (2004 est.)	4.9% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates	18 00 N, 105 00 E	21 45 N, 71 35 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	about 40 islands (eight inhabited)
Highways	total: 21,716 km paved: 9,664 km unpaved: 12,052 km (1999 est.)	total: 121 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 97 km (2000)
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 South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe
Imports	NA	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods	food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials
Imports - partners	Thailand 60.5%, China 10.3%, Vietnam 7.1%, Singapore 4% (2004)	US, UK
Independence	19 July 1949 (from France)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	9.7% (2001 est.)	NA
Industries	tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism	tourism, offshore financial services
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: 16.27 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.79 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	12.3% (2004 est.)	4% (1995)
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)	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU
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)	Supreme Court
Labor force	2.6 million (2001 est.)	4,848 (1990 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 80% (1997 est.)	about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services
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: 2.33% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.67% (2001)
Languages	Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages	English (official)
Legal system	based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice	based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas
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 Legislative Council (19 seats of which 13 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 24 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 53.8%, PNP 46.2%; seats by party - PDM 7, PNP 6; note - in by-elections held 7 August 2003, the PNP gained two seats for a majority of 8 seats; PDM now has 5
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 55.08 years male: 53.07 years female: 57.17 years (2005 est.)	total population: 74.25 years male: 72.05 years female: 76.57 years (2004 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: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1970 est.)
Location	Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam	Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti
Map references	Southeast Asia	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2005)	none
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)	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force	-
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$10.7 million (2004)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	0.5% (2004)	-
National holiday	Republic Day, 2 December (1975)	Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)
Nationality	noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian	noun: none adjective: none
Natural hazards	floods, droughts	frequent hurricanes
Natural resources	timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones	spiny lobster, conch
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	11.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
People - note	-	destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, and US
Pipelines	refined products 540 km (2004)	-
Political parties and leaders	Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphadon, party president]; other parties proscribed	People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Wendal SWANN]
Political pressure groups and leaders	noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975	NA
Population	6,217,141 (July 2005 est.)	19,956 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	40% (2002 est.)	NA
Population growth rate	2.42% (2005 est.)	3.03% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Grand Turk, Providenciales
Radio broadcast stations	AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)	AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions	Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%)	Baptist 40%, Methodist 16%, Anglican 18%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990)
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: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2004 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: fair cable and radiotelephone services domestic: NA international: country code - 1-649; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	61,900 (2002)	5,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	55,200 (2002)	1,700 (1999)
Television broadcast stations	4 (1999)	0 (broadcasts from The Bahamas are received; 2 cable television networks) (2004)
Terrain	mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus	low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps
Total fertility rate	4.77 children born/woman (2005 est.)	3.11 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	5.7% (1997 est.)	10% (1997 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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