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Compare Laos (2006) - Reunion (2001)
Compare Laos (2006) z Reunion (2001)
| Laos (2006) | Reunion (2001) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural), 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural), and 1 special zone** (khetphiset, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun**, Xekong, Xiangkhoang | none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons |
| 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:
32.07% (male 120,259; female 114,669) 15-64 years: 62.25% (male 224,347; female 231,698) 65 years and over: 5.68% (male 16,892; female 24,705) (2001 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry | sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn |
| Airports | 44 (2006) | 2 (2000 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:
2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 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) |
- |
| Area | total: 236,800 sq km
land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km |
total:
2,512 sq km land: 2,502 sq km water: 10 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than Utah | slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
| 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 Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route. |
| Birth rate | 35.49 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 21.26 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $319.3 million
expenditures: $434.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) |
revenues:
NA expenditures: NA |
| 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-Denis |
| Climate | tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) | tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 207 km |
| Constitution | promulgated 14 August 1991 | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) |
| 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:
Department of Reunion conventional short form: Reunion local long form: none local short form: Ile de la Reunion former: Bourbon Island |
| Currency | - | French franc (FRF); euro (EUR) |
| Death rate | 11.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 5.52 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Debt - external | $2.49 billion (2001) | $NA |
| Dependency status | - | overseas department of France |
| 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 (overseas department of France) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador PHANTHONG Phommahaxay
chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416 FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923 |
none (overseas department of France) |
| 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.) | $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France |
| 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 has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to more than 40% of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France. |
| Electricity - consumption | 3.298 billion kWh (2003) | 1.023 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - exports | 435 million kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - imports | 230 million kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production | 3.767 billion kWh (2003) | 1.1 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
54.55% hydro: 45.45% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Mekong River 70 m
highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m |
lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 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% | French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian |
| Exchange rates | kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001) | euros per US dollar - 1.06594 (January 2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996) |
| 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:
President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Robert POMMIES (since NA 1996) head of government: President of the General Council Jean-Luc POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils |
| Exports | NA bbl/day | $214 million (f.o.b., 1997) |
| Exports - commodities | garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin | sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993) |
| Exports - partners | Thailand 29.6%, Vietnam 12%, France 6.1%, Germany 4.6% (2005) | France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (1994) |
| 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 | the flag of France is used |
| GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $3.4 billion (1998 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 45.5%
industry: 28.7% services: 25.8% (2005 est.) |
agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
| GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $4,800 (1998 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 7.3% (2005 est.) | 3.8% (1998 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 18 00 N, 105 00 E | 21 06 S, 55 36 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 | - |
| Highways | - | total:
2,724 km paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road) unpaved: 1,424 km note: 370 km of road are maintained by national authorities, 754 km by departmental authorities and 1600 km by local authorities (1994) |
| 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 | $2.5 billion (c.i.f., 1997) |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods | manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products |
| Imports - partners | Thailand 66.1%, China 9%, Vietnam 6.7% (2005) | France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (1994) |
| Independence | 19 July 1949 (from France) | none (overseas department of France) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 13% (2005 est.) | NA% |
| Industries | copper, tin, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement | sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction |
| 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.) |
8.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 7% (2005 est.) | NA% |
| 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) | FZ, InOC, WFTU |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | 1,750 sq km (2003) | 60 sq km (1993 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) | Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel |
| Labor force | 2.8 million (2002 est.) | 261,000 (1995) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 80%
industry and services: 20% (1997 est.) |
agriculture 8%, industry 19%, services 73% (1990) |
| 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:
17% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland: 35% other: 41% (1993 est.) |
| Languages | Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages | French (official), Creole widely used |
| Legal system | based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice | French 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 |
unicameral General Council (47 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held NA March 1994 (next to be held NA 2000); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 12, PS 12, UDF 11, RPR 5, others 7; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 7, UDF 8, PS 6, RPR 4, various right-wing candidates 15, various left-wing candidates 5 note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held 14 April 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR 1, PCR 2; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 25 May and 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 3, PS 1, and RPR-UDF 1 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 55.49 years
male: 53.45 years female: 57.61 years (2006 est.) |
total population:
72.93 years male: 69.53 years female: 76.49 years (2001 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: 79% male: 76% female: 80% (1982 est.) |
| Location | Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam | Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar |
| Map references | Southeast Asia | World |
| 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) |
total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,264 GRT/44,885 DWT ships by type: chemical tanker 1 (2000 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 France |
| Military branches | Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force | French forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $11.04 million (2005 est.) | - |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.4% (2005 est.) | - |
| Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
190,846 (2001 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
97,497 (2001 est.) |
| Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
6,243 (2001 est.) |
| National holiday | Republic Day, 2 December (1975) | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
| Nationality | noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)
adjective: Lao or Laotian |
noun:
Reunionese (singular and plural) adjective: Reunionese |
| Natural hazards | floods, droughts | periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano |
| Natural resources | timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones | fish, arable land, hydropower |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Pipelines | refined products 540 km (2006) | - |
| Political parties and leaders | Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALY Sayasone]; other parties proscribed | Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD] |
| 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.) | 732,570 (July 2001 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | 34% (2005 est.) | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 2.39% (2006 est.) | 1.57% (2001 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | - | Le Port, Pointe des Galets |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006) | AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios | - | 173,000 (1997) |
| Railways | - | 0 km |
| Religions | Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%) | Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) |
| 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: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 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:
adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis domestic: modern open wire and microwave radio relay network international: radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 90,067 (2006) | 236,500 (1997) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 520,546 (2006) | 85,000 (1999) |
| Television broadcast stations | 7; note - including one station relaying Vietnam Television from Hanoi (2006) | 22 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (1997) |
| Terrain | mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus | mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast |
| Total fertility rate | 4.68 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 2.58 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 2.4% (2005 est.) | 42.8% (1998) |
| 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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