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Compare Laos (2005) - United Kingdom (2005)

Compare Laos (2005) z United Kingdom (2005)

 Laos (2005)United Kingdom (2005)
 LaosUnited Kingdom
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 England - 47 boroughs, 36 counties, 29 London boroughs, 12 cities and boroughs, 10 districts, 12 cities, 3 royal boroughs

boroughs: Barnsley, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Bury, Calderdale, Darlington, Doncaster, Dudley, Gateshead, Halton, Hartlepool, Kirklees, Knowsley, Luton, Medway, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, North Tyneside, Oldham, Poole, Reading, Redcar and Cleveland, Rochdale, Rotherham, Sandwell, Sefton, Slough, Solihull, Southend-on-Sea, South Tyneside, St. Helens, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees, Swindon, Tameside, Thurrock, Torbay, Trafford, Walsall, Warrington, Wigan, Wirral, Wolverhampton

counties: Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, Durham, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Sussex, Wiltshire, Worcestershire

London boroughs: Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth

cities and boroughs: Birmingham, Bradford, Coventry, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Salford, Sheffield, Sunderland, Wakefield, Westminster

districts: Bath and North East Somerset, East Riding of Yorkshire, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset, Rutland, South Gloucestershire, Telford and Wrekin, West Berkshire, Wokingham

cities: City of Bristol, Derby, City of Kingston upon Hull, Leicester, City of London, Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, York

royal boroughs: Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Windsor and Maidenhead

Northern Ireland - 24 districts, 2 cities, 6 counties

districts: Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane

cities: Belfast, Derry

counties: County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fermanagh, County Londonderry, County Tyrone

Scotland - 32 council areas: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, The Scottish Borders, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), West Lothian;

Wales - 11 county boroughs, 9 counties, 2 cities and counties

county boroughs: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Conwy, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Torfaen, Wrexham

counties: Isle of Anglesey, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire, Powys, The Vale of Glamorgan

cities and counties: Cardiff, Swansea
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: 17.7% (male 5,490,592/female 5,229,691)


15-64 years: 66.5% (male 20,329,272/female 19,855,862)


65 years and over: 15.8% (male 4,063,357/female 5,472,683) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice, water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish
Airports 44 (2004 est.) 471 (2004 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: 334


over 3,047 m: 8


2,438 to 3,047 m: 33


1,524 to 2,437 m: 150


914 to 1,523 m: 86


under 914 m: 57 (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: 137


2438 to 3047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 23


under 914 m: 112 (2004 est.)
Area total: 236,800 sq km


land: 230,800 sq km


water: 6,000 sq km
total: 244,820 sq km


land: 241,590 sq km


water: 3,230 sq km


note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
Area - comparative slightly larger than Utah slightly smaller than Oregon
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. Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter is suspended due to bickering over the peace process.
Birth rate 35.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 10.78 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $284.3 million


expenditures: $416.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $834.9 billion


expenditures: $896.7 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital Vientiane London
Climate tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 12,429 km
Constitution promulgated 14 August 1991 unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
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: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note - Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales


conventional short form: United Kingdom


abbreviation: UK
Death rate 11.83 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 10.18 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $2.49 billion (2001) $4.71 trillion (2003)
Dependent areas - Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena and Ascension, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires David T. JOHNSON


embassy: 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 1AE


mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040


telephone: [44] (0) 20 7499-9000


FAX: [44] (0) 20 7629-9124


consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh
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 David G. MANNING


chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500


FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco


consulate(s): Dallas, Denver, Miami, and Seattle
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 in 2003, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to remain a British colony and against a "total shared sovereignty" arrangement while demanding participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants since their eviction in 1965; most Chagosians reside in Mauritius, and in 2001 were granted UK citizenship but no right to patriation in the UK; UK rejects sovereignty talks requested by Argentina, which still claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm
Economic aid - donor - ODA, $4.2 billion (2004)
Economic aid - recipient $243 million (2001 est.) -
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 UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is one of the quartet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the past two decades the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with less than 2% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance. GDP growth slipped in 2001-03 as the global downturn, the high value of the pound, and the bursting of the "new economy" bubble hurt manufacturing and exports. Output recovered in 2004, to 3.2% growth. The economy is one of the strongest in Europe; inflation, interest rates, and unemployment remain low. The relatively good economic performance has complicated the BLAIR government's efforts to make a case for Britain to join the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Critics point out that the economy is doing well outside of EMU, and they cite public opinion polls that continue to show a majority of Britons opposed to the euro. Meantime, the government has been speeding up the improvement of education, transport, and health services, at a cost in higher taxes.
Electricity - consumption 3.036 billion kWh (2002) 337.4 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 400 million kWh (2002) 2.959 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 125 million kWh (2002) 5.119 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 3.56 billion kWh (2002) 395.9 billion kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Mekong River 70 m


highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
lowest point: The Fens -4 m


highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
Environment - current issues unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and intends to meet the legally binding target and move towards a domestic goal of a 20% cut in emissions by 2010); by 2005 the government aims to reduce the amount of industrial and commercial waste disposed of in landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and to recycle or compost at least 25% of household waste, increasing to 33% by 2015; between 1998-99 and 1999-2000, household recycling increased from 8.8% to 10.3%
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: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Ethnic groups Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1% white (English 83.6%, Scottish 8.6%, Welsh 4.9%, Northern Irish 2.9%) 92.1%, black 2%, Indian 1.8%, Pakistani 1.3%, mixed 1.2%, other 1.6% (2001 census)
Exchange rates kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001), 7,887.6 (2000) British pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000)
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 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948)


head of government: Prime Minister Anthony (Tony) BLAIR (since 2 May 1997)


cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister


elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister
Exports NA 1.498 million bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco
Exports - partners Thailand 19.3%, Vietnam 13.4%, France 8%, Germany 5.3%, UK 5% (2004) US 15.3%, Germany 10.8%, France 9.2%, Ireland 6.8%, Netherlands 6%, Belgium 5.1%, Spain 4.5%, Italy 4.2% (2004)
Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September 6 April - 5 April
Flag description three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly called the Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, as well as British overseas territories
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 49.5%


industry: 27.5%


services: 23% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 1%


industry: 26.3%


services: 72.7% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $29,600 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6% (2004 est.) 3.2% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 00 N, 105 00 E 54 00 N, 2 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 lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and now linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters
Heliports - 11 (2004 est.)
Highways total: 21,716 km


paved: 9,664 km


unpaved: 12,052 km (1999 est.)
total: 392,931 km


paved: 392,931 km (including 3,431 km of expressways)


unpaved: 0 km (2003)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3.2%


highest 10%: 30.6% (1997)
lowest 10%: 2.1%


highest 10%: 28.5% (1999)
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) producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and synthetic drugs; money-laundering center
Imports NA 1.084 million bbl/day (2003)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs
Imports - partners Thailand 60.5%, China 10.3%, Vietnam 7.1%, Singapore 4% (2004) Germany 13%, US 9.3%, France 7.4%, Netherlands 6.6%, Belgium 4.9%, China 4.3%, Italy 4.3% (2004)
Independence 19 July 1949 (from France) England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales, begun in 1284 with the Statute of Rhuddlan, was not formalized until 1536 with an Act of Union; in another Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanently join as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927
Industrial production growth rate 9.7% (2001 est.) 0.9% (2004 est.)
Industries tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, and other consumer goods
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: 5.16 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 5.76 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 4.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 12.3% (2004 est.) 1.4% (2004 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) AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Irrigated land 1,640 sq km


note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)
1,080 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) House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life); Supreme Courts of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising the Courts of Appeal, the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown Courts); Scotland's Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary
Labor force 2.6 million (2001 est.) 29.78 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 80% (1997 est.) agriculture 1.5%, industry 19.1%, services 79.5% (2004)
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: 360 km


border countries: Ireland 360 km
Land use arable land: 3.8%


permanent crops: 0.35%


other: 95.85% (2001)
arable land: 23.46%


permanent crops: 0.21%


other: 76.33% (2001)
Languages Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Legal system based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; has judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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 comprised of House of Lords (consists of approximately 500 life peers, 92 hereditary peers and 26 clergy) and House of Commons (646 seats since 2005 elections; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier)


elections: House of Lords - no elections (note - in 1999, as provided by the House of Lords Act, elections were held in the House of Lords to determine the 92 hereditary peers who would remain there; pending further reforms, elections are held only as vacancies in the hereditary peerage arise); House of Commons - last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by May 2010)


election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Labor 35.2%, Conservative 32.3%, Liberal Democrats 22%, other 10.5%; seats by party - Labor 356, Conservative 197, Liberal Democrat 62, other 31; note - as of 30 September 2005 the seats by party - Labor 354, Conservative 196, Liberal Democrat 62, other 34


note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Assembly (because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of 1999 and has been suspended four times the latest occurring in October 2002); in 1999 there were elections for a new Scottish Parliament and a new Welsh Assembly
Life expectancy at birth total population: 55.08 years


male: 53.07 years


female: 57.17 years (2005 est.)
total population: 78.38 years


male: 75.94 years


female: 80.96 years (2005 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 completed five or more years of schooling


total population: 99% (2000 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France
Map references Southeast Asia Europe
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries
Merchant marine total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT


by type: cargo 1 (2005)
total: 429 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 9,181,284 GRT/9,566,275 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 18, cargo 55, chemical tanker 48, container 134, liquefied gas 11, passenger 12, passenger/cargo 64, petroleum tanker 40, refrigerated cargo 19, roll on/roll off 25, vehicle carrier 3


foreign-owned: 202 (Australia 3, Canada 15, Denmark 38, Finland 2, Germany 56, Greece 4, Ireland 1, Italy 9, Netherlands 12, Norway 28, South Africa 4, Sweden 15, Taiwan 7, United States 8)


registered in other countries: 446 (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, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $10.7 million (2004) $42,836.5 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.5% (2004) 2.4% (2003)
National holiday Republic Day, 2 December (1975) the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday
Nationality noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)


adjective: Lao or Laotian
noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural)


adjective: British
Natural hazards floods, droughts winter windstorms; floods
Natural resources timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines refined products 540 km (2004) condensate 370 km; gas 21,446 km; liquid petroleum gas 59 km; oil 6,420 km; oil/gas/water 63 km; refined products 4,474 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphadon, party president]; other parties proscribed Conservative and Unionist Party [Michael HOWARD]; Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev. Ian PAISLEY]; Labor Party [Anthony (Tony) BLAIR]; Liberal Democrats [Charles KENNEDY]; Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Dafydd IWAN]; Scottish National Party or SNP [Alex SALMOND]; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Mark DURKAN]; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Sir Reg EMPEY]
Political pressure groups and leaders noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress
Population 6,217,141 (July 2005 est.) 60,441,457 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 40% (2002 est.) 17% (2002 est.)
Population growth rate 2.42% (2005 est.) 0.28% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors - Hound Point, Immingham, Milford Haven, Liverpool, London, Southampton, Sullom Voe, Teesport
Radio broadcast stations AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998)
Railways - total: 17,274 km


standard gauge: 16,814 km 1.435-m gauge (5,296 km electrified)


broad gauge: 460 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland) (2004)
Religions Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%) Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1% (2001 census)
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: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 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: technologically advanced domestic and international system


domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems


international: country code - 44; 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers
Telephones - main lines in use 61,900 (2002) 34.898 million (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 55,200 (2002) 49.677 million (2002)
Television broadcast stations 4 (1999) 228 (plus 3,523 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast
Total fertility rate 4.77 children born/woman (2005 est.) 1.66 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 5.7% (1997 est.) 4.8% (2004 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)
3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2004)
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