Compare Laos (2006) - Grenada (2003)

Compare Laos (2006) z Grenada (2003)

	Laos (2006)	Grenada (2003)

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	6 parishes and 1 dependency; Carriacou and Petit Martinique, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick
Age structure	0-14 years: 41.4% (male 1,324,207/female 1,313,454) 15-64 years: 55.4% (male 1,744,206/female 1,786,139) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 89,451/female 111,024) (2006 est.)	0-14 years: 35.1% (male 15,840; female 15,492) 15-64 years: 61.3% (male 28,941; female 25,735) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 1,502; female 1,748) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry	bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables
Airports	44 (2006)	3 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006)	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 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 (2006)	-
Area	total: 236,800 sq km land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km	total: 344 sq km land: 344 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than Utah	twice the size of Washington, DC
Background	Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th Century under King FA NGUM. For three hundred years Lan Xang included large parts of present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came 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 and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1986. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997.	One of the smallest independent countries in the western hemisphere, Grenada was seized by a Marxist military council on 19 October 1983. Six days later the island was invaded by US forces and those of six other Caribbean nations, which quickly captured the ringleaders and their hundreds of Cuban advisers. Free elections were reinstituted the following year.
Birth rate	35.49 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	22.87 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	revenues: $319.3 million expenditures: $434.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)	revenues: $85.8 million expenditures: $102.1 million, including capital expenditures of $28 million (1997)
Capital	name: Vientiane geographic coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 36 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	Saint George's
Climate	tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)	tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	121 km
Constitution	promulgated 14 August 1991	19 December 1973
Country name	conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic conventional short form: Laos PDR or Laos local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao local short form: none	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Grenada
Currency	-	East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Death rate	11.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	7.46 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	$2.49 billion (2001)	$196 million (2000)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia M. HASLACH embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, That Dam Road, Vientiane mailing address: American Embassy Vientiane, Box V, APO AP 96546 telephone: [856] 21-26 7000 FAX: [856] 21-26 7074	chief of mission: the ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada embassy: Point Salines, Saint George's mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint George's, Grenada, West Indies telephone: [1] (473) 444-1173 through 1176 FAX: [1] (473) 444-4820
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 Denis G. ANTOINE chancery: 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 265-2561 FAX: [1] (202) 265-2468 consulate(s) general: New York
Disputes - international	Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over several areas along Mekong River and Thai squatters; 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.)	$8.3 million (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, though the government is sponsoring major improvements in the road system with possible support from Japan. Electricity is available in only a few urban areas. Subsistence agriculture, dominated by rice, accounts for about half of GDP and provides 80% of total employment. The economy will continue to benefit from aid by the IMF and other international sources and from new foreign investment in food processing and mining. Construction will be another strong economic driver, especially as hydroelectric dam and road projects gain steam. In late 2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US, allowing Laos-based producers to face lower tariffs on exports. This new status may help spur growth. In addition, the European Union has agreed to provide $1 million to the Lao Government for technical assistance in preparations for WTO membership. If the avian flu worsens and spreads in the region, however, prospects for tourism could dim.	Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign exchange, especially since the construction of an international airport in 1985. Strong performances in construction and manufacturing, together with the development of an offshore financial industry, have also contributed to growth in national output.
Electricity - consumption	3.298 billion kWh (2003)	128.3 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	435 million kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	230 million kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	3.767 billion kWh (2003)	138 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Mekong River 70 m highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 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, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, 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 82%, mixed black and European 13%, European and East Indian 5% , and trace of Arawak/Carib Amerindian
Exchange rates	kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001)	East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999), 2.7 (1998)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 8 June 2006) and Vice President BOUN-GNANG Volachit (since 8 June 2006) head of government: Prime Minister BOUASONE Bouphavanh (since 8 June 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May 2002), Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. DOUANGCHAI Phichit [since 8 June 2006], Deputy Prime Minister SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998), and Deputy Prime Minister THONGLOUN Sisolit (since 27 March 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the National Assembly elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 8 June 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term election results: CHOUMMALI Saignason elected president; BOUN-GNANG Volachit elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100%; BOUASONE Bouphavanh elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote - 97%	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Daniel WILLIAMS (since 9 August 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Keith MITCHELL (since 22 June 1995) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general
Exports	NA bbl/day	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin	bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace
Exports - partners	Thailand 29.6%, Vietnam 12%, France 6.1%, Germany 4.6% (2005)	Germany 14%, US 13.6%, Bangladesh 9.7%, Netherlands 8.6%, Saint Lucia 6.4%, Antigua and Barbuda 4.3%, France 4.1% (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	a rectangle divided diagonally into yellow triangles (top and bottom) and green triangles (hoist side and outer side), with a red border around the flag; there are seven yellow, five-pointed stars with three centered in the top red border, three centered in the bottom red border, and one on a red disk superimposed at the center of the flag; there is also a symbolic nutmeg pod on the hoist-side triangle (Grenada is the world's second-largest producer of nutmeg, after Indonesia); the seven stars represent the seven administrative divisions
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $440 million (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 45.5% industry: 28.7% services: 25.8% (2005 est.)	agriculture: 7.7% industry: 23.9% services: 68.4% (2000)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	7.3% (2005 est.)	2.5% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	18 00 N, 105 00 E	12 07 N, 61 40 W
Geography - note	landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand	the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada
Highways	-	total: 1,040 km paved: 638 km unpaved: 402 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 30.6% (1997)	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	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)	small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for marijuana and cocaine to US
Imports	NA bbl/day	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods	food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel
Imports - partners	Thailand 66.1%, China 9%, Vietnam 6.7% (2005)	US 30.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 27.3%, UK 4.4% (2002)
Independence	19 July 1949 (from France)	7 February 1974 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	13% (2005 est.)	0.7% (1997 est.)
Industries	copper, tin, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement	food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction
Infant mortality rate	total: 83.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 92.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 73.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)	total: 14.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 14.18 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	7% (2005 est.)	2.8% (2001 est.)
International organization participation	ACCT, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)	ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	14 (2000)
Irrigated land	1,750 sq km (2003)	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)	West Indies Associate States Supreme Court (an associate judge resides in Grenada)
Labor force	2.8 million (2002 est.)	42,300 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (1997 est.)	services 62%, agriculture 24%, industry 14% (1999 est.)
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: 4.01% permanent crops: 0.34% other: 95.65% (2005)	arable land: 5.88% permanent crops: 26.47% other: 67.65% (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 (115 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 30 April 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LPRP 113, independents 2	bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 13-member body, 10 appointed by the government and three by the leader of the opposition) and the House of Representatives (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 27 November 2003 (next to be held by NA November 2008) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NNP 8, NDC 7
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 55.49 years male: 53.45 years female: 57.61 years (2006 est.)	total population: 64.52 years male: 62.74 years female: 66.31 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: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.)
Location	Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam	Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Map references	Southeast Asia	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2006)	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	Royal Grenada Police Force, Coast Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$11.04 million (2005 est.)	$NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	0.4% (2005 est.)	NA%
National holiday	Republic Day, 2 December (1975)	Independence Day, 7 February (1974)
Nationality	noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian	noun: Grenadian(s) adjective: Grenadian
Natural hazards	floods, droughts	lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November
Natural resources	timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones	timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	-14.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines	refined products 540 km (2006)	-
Political parties and leaders	Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALY Sayasone]; other parties proscribed	Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Herbert PREUDHOMME]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [leader vacant]; New National Party or NNP [George McGUIRE]; People Labor Movement or PLM [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders	noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975	NA
Population	6,368,481 (July 2006 est.)	89,258 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	34% (2005 est.)	32% (2000)
Population growth rate	2.39% (2006 est.)	0.08% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Grenville, Saint George's
Radio broadcast stations	AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006)	AM 2, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways	-	0 km
Religions	Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%)	Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%
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: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)	at birth: 1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: service to general public is poor but improving; 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: automatic, islandwide telephone system domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links international: new SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad
Telephones - main lines in use	90,067 (2006)	27,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular	520,546 (2006)	976 (1997)
Television broadcast stations	7; note - including one station relaying Vietnam Television from Hanoi (2006)	2 (1997)
Terrain	mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus	volcanic in origin with central mountains
Total fertility rate	4.68 children born/woman (2006 est.)	2.45 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	2.4% (2005 est.)	12.5% (2000)
Waterways	4,600 km note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2005)	none

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