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Compare Laos (2006) - Ukraine (2004)

Compare Laos (2006) z Ukraine (2004)

 Laos (2006)Ukraine (2004)
 LaosUkraine
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 24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular - misto) with oblast status**; Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Crimea or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Dnipropetrovs'k, Donets'k, Ivano-Frankivs'k, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmel'nyts'kyy, Kirovohrad, Kiev (Kyyiv)**, Kyyiv, Luhans'k, L'viv, Mykolayiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol'**, Sumy, Ternopil', Vinnytsya, Volyn' (Luts'k), Zakarpattya (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr


note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
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: 15.9% (male 3,883,485; female 3,715,668)


15-64 years: 68.7% (male 15,692,388; female 17,096,611)


65 years and over: 15.4% (male 2,472,023; female 4,871,904) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk
Airports 44 (2006) 702 (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: 174


over 3,047 m: 13


2,438 to 3,047 m: 57


1,524 to 2,437 m: 30


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 70 (2003 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: 528


over 3,047 m: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 17


914 to 1,523 m: 35


under 914 m: 469 (2003 est.)
Area total: 236,800 sq km


land: 230,800 sq km


water: 6,000 sq km
total: 603,700 sq km


land: 603,700 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Utah slightly smaller than Texas
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. Ukraine was the center of the first Slavic state, Kievan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kievan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kievan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine was able to bring about a short-lived period of independence (1917-1920), but was reconquered and forced to endure a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although final independence for Ukraine was achieved in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy remained elusive as the legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass protest "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the authorites to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. The new government presents its citizens with hope that the country may at last attain true freedom and prosperity.
Birth rate 35.49 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 10.21 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $319.3 million


expenditures: $434.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues: $14.1 billion


expenditures: $14.19 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)
Kiev (Kyyiv)
Climate tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across the greater part of the country, hot in the south
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 2,782 km
Constitution promulgated 14 August 1991 adopted 28 June 1996
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: Ukraine


local long form: none


local short form: Ukrayina


former: Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Currency - hryvnia (UAH)
Death rate 11.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 16.41 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $2.49 billion (2001) $16.13 billion (2003)
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: Ambassador John E. HERBST


embassy: 10 Yuriia Kotsiubynskoho Street, 04053 Kiev


mailing address: 5850 Kiev Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850


telephone: [380] (44) 490-4000


FAX: [380] (44) 490-4085
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 Mykhailo B. REZNIK


chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007


telephone: [1] (202) 349-2920


FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817


consulate(s) general: Chicago and 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 1997 boundary treaty with Belarus remains unratified due to unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and reducing border security; delimitation of land boundary with Russia is complete but boundary through the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait remains unresolved despite a December 2003 framework agreement and on-going expert-level discussions; Ukraine protests Russia's construction of a causeway in the direction of Ukrainian-administered Tuzla Island in the Kerch Strait; difficulties with Moldova's Transnistria region complicate controlling border crossing and customs regimes despite concordance on the 2003 delimitation and customs protocols and OSCE assistance; has not resolved Romanian claims to Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary despite ongoing talks based on 1997 friendship treaty to find a solution in two years; ongoing dispute between Ukraine and Romania over the Danube River delta
Economic aid - recipient $243 million (2001 est.) $637.7 million (1995); IMF Extended Funds Facility $2.2 billion (1998)
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. After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise, its diversified heavy industry supplied the unique equipment (for example, large diameter pipes) and raw materials to industrial and mining sites (vertical drilling apparatus) in other regions of the former USSR. Ukraine depends on imports of energy, especially natural gas, to meet some 85% of its annual energy requirements. Shortly after independence in December 1991, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for privatization, but widespread resistance to reform within the government and the legislature soon stalled reform efforts and led to some backtracking. Output by 1999 had fallen to less than 40% of the 1991 level. Loose monetary policies pushed inflation to hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Ukraine's dependence on Russia for energy supplies and the lack of significant structural reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. President KUCHMA had pledged to reduce the number of government agencies, streamline the regulatory process, create a legal environment to encourage entrepreneurs, and enact a comprehensive tax overhaul. Reforms in the more politically sensitive areas of structural reform and land privatization are still lagging. Outside institutions - particularly the IMF - have encouraged Ukraine to quicken the pace and scope of reforms. GDP in 2000 showed strong export-based growth of 6% - the first growth since independence - and industrial production grew 12.9%. The economy continued to expand in 2001 as real GDP rose 9% and industrial output grew by over 14%. Growth of 4.6% in 2002 was more moderate, in part a reflection of faltering growth in the developed world. In general, growth has been undergirded by strong domestic demand, low inflation, and solid consumer and investor confidence. Growth was a sturdy 9.3% in 2003 and a remarkable 12% in 2004, despite a loss of momentum in needed economic reforms.
Electricity - consumption 3.298 billion kWh (2003) 152.4 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 435 million kWh (2003) 800 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 230 million kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 3.767 billion kWh (2003) 164.7 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Mekong River 70 m


highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m


highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m
Environment - current issues unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant
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 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds
Ethnic groups Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1% Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%, Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%, Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001)
Exchange rates kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001) hryvnia per US dollar - 5.3327 (2003), 5.3266 (2002), 5.3722 (2001), 5.4402 (2000), 4.1304 (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: President Viktor A. YUSHCHENKO (since 23 January 2005)


head of government: Prime Minister Yuliya TYMOSHENKO (since 4 February 2005); First Deputy Prime Minister - Anatoliy KINAKH (since 4 February 2005)


cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council


note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council, but significantly revamped and strengthened under former-President KUCHMA; the NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president; a Presidential Administration that helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president; and a Council of Regions that serves as an advisory body


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; note - a special repeat runoff presidential election between Viktor YUSHCHENKO and Viktor YANUKOVYCH took place on 26 December 2004 after the earlier 21 November 2004 contest - won by Mr. YANUKOVYCH - was invalidated by the Ukrainian Supreme Court because of widespread and significant violations; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council


election results: Viktor YUSHCHENKO elected president; percent of vote - Viktor YUSHCHENKO 51.99%, Viktor YANUKOVYCH 44.2%
Exports NA bbl/day NA (2001)
Exports - commodities garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products
Exports - partners Thailand 29.6%, Vietnam 12%, France 6.1%, Germany 4.6% (2005) Russia 17.8%, Germany 5.9%, Italy 5.3%, China 4.1% (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 two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grainfields under a blue sky
GDP - purchasing power parity - $260.4 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 45.5%


industry: 28.7%


services: 25.8% (2005 est.)
agriculture: 18.8%


industry: 44.8%


services: 36.4% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $5,400 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 7.3% (2005 est.) 9.4% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 00 N, 105 00 E 49 00 N, 32 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 strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe
Heliports - 8 (2003 est.)
Highways - total: 169,491 km


paved: 163,898 km


unpaved: 5,593 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3.2%


highest 10%: 30.6% (1997)
lowest 10%: 3.7%


highest 10%: 23.2% (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) limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to the West; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin America, and Turkey to Europe and Russia; Ukraine has improved anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in February 2004; Ukraine's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be monitored by FATF
Imports NA bbl/day NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners Thailand 66.1%, China 9%, Vietnam 6.7% (2005) Russia 35.9%, Germany 9.4%, Turkmenistan 7.2% (2003)
Independence 19 July 1949 (from France) 24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate 13% (2005 est.) 15.8% (2003 est.)
Industries copper, tin, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing (especially sugar)
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: 20.61 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.87 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 19.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7% (2005 est.) 5.2% (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) BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer), ZC
Irrigated land 1,750 sq km (2003) 24,540 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; Constitutional Court
Labor force 2.8 million (2002 est.) 21.29 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 80%


industry and services: 20% (1997 est.)
agriculture 24%, industry 32%, services 44% (1996)
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: 4,663 km


border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km, Poland 526 km, Romania (south) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 97 km
Land use arable land: 4.01%


permanent crops: 0.34%


other: 95.65% (2005)
arable land: 56.21%


permanent crops: 1.61%


other: 42.18% (2001)
Languages Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian
Legal system based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
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 Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; under recent amendments to Ukraine's election law, the Rada's seats are allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 3% or more of the national electoral vote; members serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 31 March 2002 (next to be held March 2006)


election results: percent of vote by party/bloc - Our Ukraine 24%, CPU 20%, United Ukraine 12%, SPU 7%, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 7%, United Social Democratic Party 6%, other 24%; seats by party/bloc - Our Ukraine 101, Regions of Ukraine 61, CPU 59, Working Ukraine 14, United Social Democratic Party 33, Agrarian Party 22, SPU 20, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 19, United Ukraine 19, People's Democratic Party-Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs 16, Center Group 15, Democratic Initiatives 14, unaffiliated 57 (December 2004)


note: following the election, United Ukraine splintered into the Agrarian Party, European Choice, People's Choice, People's Democratic Party, Regions of Ukraine, and Working Ukraine-Industrialists and Entrepreneurs; these factions have since undergone a number of changes
Life expectancy at birth total population: 55.49 years


male: 53.45 years


female: 57.61 years (2006 est.)
total population: 66.68 years


male: 61.35 years


female: 72.27 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: 99.7%


male: 99.8%


female: 99.6% (2003 est.)
Location Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east
Map references Southeast Asia Asia, Europe
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200-m or to the depth of exploitation
Merchant marine total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT


by type: cargo 1 (2006)
total: 140 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 675,904 GRT/709,802 DWT


by type: bulk 7, cargo 92, container 7, liquefied gas 2, passenger 11, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 10, rail car carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 3, short-sea/passenger 1


foreign-owned: Belize 2, Canada 1, Cyprus 1, Hungary 2, Italy 1, Russia 4, Turkey 3


registered in other countries: 87 (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 Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVS) Troops, Border Troops
Military expenditures - dollar figure $11.04 million (2005 est.) $617.9 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.4% (2005 est.) 1.4% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 12,196,319 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 9,565,088 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 386,945 (2004 est.)
National holiday Republic Day, 2 December (1975) Independence Day, 24 August (1991); the date of 22 January (1918), the day Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet Russia), is now celebrated as Unity Day
Nationality noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)


adjective: Lao or Laotian
noun: Ukrainian(s)


adjective: Ukrainian
Natural hazards floods, droughts NA
Natural resources timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) -0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
People - note - the sex trafficking of Ukrainian women is a serious problem that has only recently been addressed
Pipelines refined products 540 km (2006) gas 20,069 km; oil 4,540 km; refined products 4,169 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALY Sayasone]; other parties proscribed Agrarian Party [Volodymyr LYTVYN]; Communist Party of Ukraine or CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; Democratic Initiatives [Stepan HAVRYSH]; Industrialists and Entrepreneurs [Anatoliy KINAKH]; Our Ukraine bloc (comprised of several parties the most prominent of which are Rukh, the Ukrainian People's Party, Reforms and Order, and Solidarity) [Viktor YUSHCHENKO]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Valeriy PUSTOVOYTENKO]; Regions of Ukraine [Viktor YANUKOVYCH]; Socialist Party of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman]; United Social Democratic Party [Viktor MEDVEDCHUK]; Working Ukraine [Serhiy TYHYPKO]; Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc [Yuliya TYMOSHENKO]


note: as well as numerous smaller parties; United Ukraine and Center Group are not actual political parties, but rather deputy groups (factions not based on a party)
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.) 47,732,079 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 34% (2005 est.) 29% (2003 est.)
Population growth rate 2.39% (2006 est.) -0.66% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors - Berdyans'k, Feodosiya, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch, Kherson, Kiev (Kyyiv), Kiliya, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni, Sevastopol', Yalta, Yuzhnyy
Radio broadcast stations AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006) AM 134, FM 289, shortwave 4 (1998)
Railways - total: 22,473 km


broad gauge: 22,473 km 1.524-m gauge (9,250 km electrified) (2003)
Religions Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%) Ukrainian Orthodox - Kiev Patriarchate 19%, Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate 9%, Ukrainian Greek Catholic 6%, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox 1.7%, Protestant, Jewish, none 38% (2004 est.)
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: 0.92 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.51 male(s)/female


total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2004 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: Ukraine's telecommunication development plan, running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines, international connections, and the mobile cellular system


domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair; more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be satisfied; telephone density is now rising slowly and the domestic trunk system is being improved; the mobile cellular telephone system is expanding at a high rate


international: country code - 380; two new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries; additional international service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and by earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems
Telephones - main lines in use 90,067 (2006) 10,833,300 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 520,546 (2006) 4.2 million (2002)
Television broadcast stations 7; note - including one station relaying Vietnam Television from Hanoi (2006) at least 33 (plus 21 repeaters that relay broadcasts from Russia) (1997)
Terrain mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south
Total fertility rate 4.68 children born/woman (2006 est.) 1.37 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 2.4% (2005 est.) 3.7% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers (2003)
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)
1,672 km (most on Dnieper River) (2004)
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