Compare Laos (2006) - Jersey (2003)

Compare Laos (2006) z Jersey (2003)

	Laos (2006)	Jersey (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	none (British crown dependency)
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: 17.8% (male 8,292; female 7,744) 15-64 years: 67.2% (male 30,178; female 30,410) 65 years and over: 15% (male 5,858; female 7,674) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry	potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products
Airports	44 (2006)	1 (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: 1 1,524 to 2,437 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: 116 sq km land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than Utah	about 0.7 times 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.	The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II.
Birth rate	35.49 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	10.44 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	revenues: $319.3 million expenditures: $434.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)	revenues: $601 million expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.)
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 Helier
Climate	tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)	temperate; mild winters and cool summers
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	70 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 PDR or Laos local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao local short form: none	conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey conventional short form: Jersey
Currency	-	British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound
Death rate	11.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	9.17 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	$2.49 billion (2001)	none
Dependency status	-	British crown dependency
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	none (British crown dependency)
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 (British crown dependency)
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.)	none
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.	The economy is based largely on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven.
Electricity - consumption	3.298 billion kWh (2003)	-
Electricity - exports	435 million kWh (2003)	-
Electricity - imports	230 million kWh (2003)	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France
Electricity - production	3.767 billion kWh (2003)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Mekong River 70 m highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 143 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	-
Ethnic groups	Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%	UK and Norman-French descent
Exchange rates	kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001)	Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound
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) head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch
Exports	NA bbl/day	$NA
Exports - commodities	garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin	light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles
Exports - partners	Thailand 29.6%, Vietnam 12%, France 6.1%, Germany 4.6% (2005)	UK
Fiscal year	1 October - 30 September	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band	white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag and in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield holding the three lions of England in yellow
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $2.2 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 45.5% industry: 28.7% services: 25.8% (2005 est.)	agriculture: 5% industry: 2% services: 93% (1996)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $24,800 (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	7.3% (2005 est.)	NA%
Geographic coordinates	18 00 N, 105 00 E	49 15 N, 2 10 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	largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier
Highways	-	total: 577 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km
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)	-
Imports	NA bbl/day	$NA
Imports - commodities	machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods	machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners	Thailand 66.1%, China 9%, Vietnam 6.7% (2005)	UK
Independence	19 July 1949 (from France)	none (British crown dependency)
Industrial production growth rate	13% (2005 est.)	NA%
Industries	copper, tin, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement	tourism, banking and finance, dairy
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: 5.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	7% (2005 est.)	4.7% (1998)
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)	-
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	NA
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)	Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff)
Labor force	2.8 million (2002 est.)	57,050 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (1997 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: NEGL% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)
Languages	Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages	English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts
Legal system	based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice	English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court
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	unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators (elected for 6-year terms), 12 constables or heads of parishes (elected for 3-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for 3-year terms); the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch) elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 52
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 55.49 years male: 53.45 years female: 57.61 years (2006 est.)	total population: 78.93 years male: 76.48 years female: 81.57 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: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%
Location	Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam	Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France
Map references	Southeast Asia	Europe
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM territorial sea: 3 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)	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force	-
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$11.04 million (2005 est.)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	0.4% (2005 est.)	-
National holiday	Republic Day, 2 December (1975)	Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)
Nationality	noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian	noun: Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander
Natural hazards	floods, droughts	NA
Natural resources	timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones	arable land
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	2.77 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	none; all independents
Political pressure groups and leaders	noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975	none
Population	6,368,481 (July 2006 est.)	90,156 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	34% (2005 est.)	NA%
Population growth rate	2.39% (2006 est.)	0.4% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier
Radio broadcast stations	AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006)	AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways	-	0 km
Religions	Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%)	Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian
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: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	NA years of age; universal adult
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: NA domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables
Telephones - main lines in use	90,067 (2006)	65,500 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular	520,546 (2006)	4,400 (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	gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast
Total fertility rate	4.68 children born/woman (2006 est.)	1.57 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	2.4% (2005 est.)	0.7% (1998 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 (2005)	none

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