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Compare Laos (2006) - Libya (2004)

Compare Laos (2006) z Libya (2004)

 Laos (2006)Libya (2004)
 LaosLibya
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 25 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al 'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jufrah, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati', Awbari, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah, Murzuq, Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan; note - the 25 municipalities may have been replaced by 13 regions
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: 34.2% (male 983,050; female 941,603)


15-64 years: 61.7% (male 1,794,396; female 1,679,828)


65 years and over: 4.1% (male 113,391; female 119,317) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle
Airports 44 (2006) 140 (2003 est.)
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: 59


over 3,047 m: 23


2,438 to 3,047 m: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 23


914 to 1,523 m: 5


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 (2006)
total: 80


over 3,047 m: 5


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 14


914 to 1,523 m: 41


under 914 m: 18 (2004 est.)
Area total: 236,800 sq km


land: 230,800 sq km


water: 6,000 sq km
total: 1,759,540 sq km


land: 1,759,540 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Utah slightly larger than Alaska
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. From the earliest days of his rule following his 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI has espoused his own political system, the Third Universal Theory. The system is a combination of socialism and Islam derived in part from tribal practices and is supposed to be implemented by the Libyan people themselves in a unique form of "direct democracy." QADHAFI has always seen himself as a revolutionary and visionary leader. He used oil funds during the 1970s and 1980s to promote his ideology outside Libya, supporting subversives and terrorists abroad to hasten the end of Marxism and capitalism. In addition, beginning in 1973, he engaged in military operations in northern Chad's Aozou Strip - to gain access to minerals and to use as a base of influence in Chadian politics - but was forced to retreat in 1987. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated QADHAFI politically following the downing of Pan AM Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Libyan support for terrorism appears to have decreased after the sanction imposition. During the 1990s, QADHAFI also began to rebuild his relationships with Europe. UN sanctions were suspended in April 1999 and finally lifted in September 2003 after Libya resolved the Lockerbie case. In December 2003, Libya announced that it had agreed to reveal and end its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction, and QADHAFI has made significant strides in normalizing relations with western nations since then. He has received various Western European leaders as well as many working-level and commercial delegations, and made his first trip to Western Europe in 15 years when he traveled to Brussels in April 2004. QADHAFI also finally resolved in 2004 several outstanding cases against his government for terrorist activities in the 1980s by paying compensation to the families of victims of the UTA and La Belle disco bombings.
Birth rate 35.49 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 27.17 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $319.3 million


expenditures: $434.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues: $10.28 billion


expenditures: $7.86 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 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)
Tripoli
Climate tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 1,770 km
Constitution promulgated 14 August 1991 11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977
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: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya


conventional short form: Libya


local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma


local short form: none
Currency - Libyan dinar (LYD)
Death rate 11.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 3.48 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $2.49 billion (2001) $4.194 billion (2003 est.)
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
the US suspended all embassy activities in Tripoli in May 1980, resumed embassy activities in February 2004 under the protective power of the US interests section of the Belgian Embassy in Tripoli, then opened a Liaison Office in Tripoli in June 2004
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
Libya does not have an embassy in the US but maintains an interest section under the protective power of the United Arab Emirates Embassy in the US
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 Libya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern Algeria and about 25,000 sq km in Niger in currently dormant disputes; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya
Economic aid - recipient $243 million (2001 est.) $15 million (2000)
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 Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contribute practically all export earnings and about one-quarter of GDP. These oil revenues and a small population give Libya one of the highest per capita GDPs in Africa, but little of this income flows down to the lower orders of society. Libyan officials in the past three years have made progress on economic reforms as part of a broader campaign to reintegrate the country into the international fold. This effort picked up steam after UN sanctions were lifted in September 2003 and as Libya announced in December 2003 that it would abandon programs to build weapons of mass destruction. Libya faces a long road ahead in liberalizing the socialist-oriented economy, but initial steps - including applying for WTO membership, reducing some subsidies, and announcing plans for privatization - are laying the groundwork for a transition to a more market-based economy. The non-oil manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for about 20% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include the production of petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit agricultural output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food.
Electricity - consumption 3.298 billion kWh (2003) 18.77 billion 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) 20.18 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Mekong River 70 m


highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m


highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m
Environment - current issues unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water desertification; very limited natural fresh water resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, is being built to bring water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities
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, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, 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% Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians
Exchange rates kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001) Libyan dinars per US dollar - 1.2929 (2003), 1.2707 (2002), 0.6051 (2001), 0.4994 (2000), 0.3936 (1999)
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: Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); note - holds no official title, but is de facto chief of state


head of government: Secretary of the General People's Committee (Prime Minister) Shukri Muhammad GHANIM (since 14 June 2003)


cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General People's Congress


elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of people's committees; head of government elected by the General People's Congress; election last held 2 March 2000 (next to be held NA)


election results: NA
Exports NA bbl/day NA (2001)
Exports - commodities garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin crude oil, refined petroleum products (1999)
Exports - partners Thailand 29.6%, Vietnam 12%, France 6.1%, Germany 4.6% (2005) Italy 38.8%, Spain 13.4%, Germany 13.4%, Turkey 7.1%, France 6.1% (2003)
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 plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)
GDP - purchasing power parity - $35 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 45.5%


industry: 28.7%


services: 25.8% (2005 est.)
agriculture: 8.6%


industry: 46.1%


services: 45.3% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $6,400 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 7.3% (2005 est.) 3.2% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 00 N, 105 00 E 25 00 N, 17 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 more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert
Heliports - 1 (2003 est.)
Highways - total: 83,200 km


paved: 47,590 km


unpaved: 35,610 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) -
Imports NA bbl/day NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods (1999)
Imports - partners Thailand 66.1%, China 9%, Vietnam 6.7% (2005) Italy 27.8%, Germany 10.5%, Tunisia 7.6%, UK 7.1%, France 6%, Turkey 4.6% (2003)
Independence 19 July 1949 (from France) 24 December 1951 (from Italy)
Industrial production growth rate 13% (2005 est.) NA
Industries copper, tin, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
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: 25.7 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 28.04 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 23.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7% (2005 est.) 2.8% (2003 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) ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), WToO
Irrigated land 1,750 sq km (2003) 4,700 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
Labor force 2.8 million (2002 est.) 1.51 million (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 80%


industry and services: 20% (1997 est.)
agriculture 17%, industry 29%, services 54% (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
total: 4,348 km


border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,115 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km
Land use arable land: 4.01%


permanent crops: 0.34%


other: 95.65% (2005)
arable land: 1.03%


permanent crops: 0.19%


other: 98.78% (2001)
Languages Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities
Legal system based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law; separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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 General People's Congress (NA seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees)
Life expectancy at birth total population: 55.49 years


male: 53.45 years


female: 57.61 years (2006 est.)
total population: 76.28 years


male: 74.1 years


female: 78.58 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 can read and write


total population: 82.6%


male: 92.4%


female: 72% (2003 est.)
Location Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia
Map references Southeast Asia Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north
Merchant marine total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT


by type: cargo 1 (2006)
total: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 129,627 GRT/105,110 DWT


by type: cargo 8, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea/passenger 4


foreign-owned: Algeria 1, Kuwait 1 (2004 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 Armed Peoples on Duty (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
Military expenditures - dollar figure $11.04 million (2005 est.) $1.3 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.4% (2005 est.) 3.9% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 1,588,533 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 938,196 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 61,828 (2004 est.)
National holiday Republic Day, 2 December (1975) Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
Nationality noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)


adjective: Lao or Laotian
noun: Libyan(s)


adjective: Libyan
Natural hazards floods, droughts hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones petroleum, natural gas, gypsum
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines refined products 540 km (2006) condensate 225 km; gas 3,611 km; oil 7,252 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALY Sayasone]; other parties proscribed none
Political pressure groups and leaders noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 various Arab nationalist movements with almost negligible memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements; an anti-QADHAFI Libyan exile movement exists, primarily based in London, but has little influence
Population 6,368,481 (July 2006 est.) 5,631,585


note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 34% (2005 est.) NA
Population growth rate 2.39% (2006 est.) 2.37% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors - Al Khums, Banghazi, Darnah, Marsa al Burayqah, Misratah, Ra's Lanuf, Tobruk, Tripoli, Zuwarah
Radio broadcast stations AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006) AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 3 (2002)
Railways - 0 km


note: Libya is working on 7 lines totaling 2,757 km of 1.435-m gauge track; it hopes to open a 191 km line by the end of 2004 (2003)
Religions Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%) Sunni Muslim 97%
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: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female


total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
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: telecommunications system is being modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in 1996


domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations


international: country code - 218; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel (1999)
Telephones - main lines in use 90,067 (2006) 750,000 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 520,546 (2006) 100,000 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 7; note - including one station relaying Vietnam Television from Hanoi (2006) 12 (plus one low-power repeater) (1999)
Terrain mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
Total fertility rate 4.68 children born/woman (2006 est.) 3.42 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 2.4% (2005 est.) 30% (2001)
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)
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