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Compare Laos (2007) - Montenegro (2008)

Compare Laos (2007) z Montenegro (2008)

 Laos (2007)Montenegro (2008)
 LaosMontenegro
Administrative divisions 15 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural), 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xekong, Xiangkhoang 21 municipalities (opstine, singular - opstina); Andrijevica, Bar, Berana, Bijelo Polje, Budva, Cetinje, Danilovgrad, Herceg Novi, Kolasin, Kotor, Mojkovac, Niksic, Plav, Pljevlja, Pluzine, Podgorica, Rozaje, Savnik, Tivat, Ulcinj, Zabljak
Age structure 0-14 years: 41.2% (male 1,349,352/female 1,338,252)


15-64 years: 55.7% (male 1,795,029/female 1,835,168)


65 years and over: 3.1% (male 90,188/female 114,009) (2007 est.)
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Agriculture - products sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry grains, tobacco, potatoes, citrus fruits, olives, grapes; sheepherding; commercial fishing negligible
Airports 42 (2007) 5 (2007)
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 (2007)
total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 33


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 9


under 914 m: 23 (2007)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Area total: 236,800 sq km


land: 230,800 sq km


water: 6,000 sq km
total: 14,026 sq km


land: 13,812 sq km


water: 214 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Utah slightly smaller than Connecticut
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 use of the name Montenegro began in the 15th century when the Crnojevic dynasty began to rule the Serbian principality of Zeta; over subsequent centuries Montenegro was able to maintain its independence from the Ottoman Empire. From the 16th to 19th centuries, Montenegro became a theocracy ruled by a series of bishop princes; in 1852, it was transformed into a secular principality. After World War I, Montenegro was absorbed by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929; at the conclusion of World War II, it became a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. When the latter dissolved in 1992, Montenegro federated with Serbia, first as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and, after 2003, in a looser union of Serbia and Montenegro. In May 2006, Montenegro invoked its right under the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro to hold a referendum on independence from the state union. The vote for severing ties with Serbia exceeded 55% - the threshold set by the EU - allowing Montenegro to formally declare its independence on 3 June 2006.
Birth rate 34.98 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 11.18 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $392.3 million


expenditures: $541.3 million (2006 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)
name: Podgorica


geographic coordinates: 42 26 N, 19 16 E


time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1 hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Climate tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) Mediterranean climate, hot dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfalls inland
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 293.5 km
Constitution promulgated 14 August 1991 19 October 2007 (was approved by the Assembly)
Country name conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic


conventional short form: Laos


local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao


local short form: none
conventional long form: Republic of Montenegro


conventional short form: Montenegro


local long form: Republika Crna Gora


local short form: Crna Gora


former: People's Republic of Montenegro, Socialist Republic of Montenegro
Death rate 11.28 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 8.39 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $3.179 billion (2006) $650 million (2006)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Ravic R. HUSO


embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, That Dam Road, Vientiane


mailing address: American Embassy Vientiane, APO AP 96546


telephone: [856] 21-26-7000


FAX: [856] 21-26-7190
chief of mission: Ambassador Roderick W. MOORE


embassy: Ljubljanska bb, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [382] 81 225 417


FAX: [382] 81 241 358
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador PHIANE Philakone


chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416


FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923
chief of mission: Ambassador Miodrag VLAHOVIC


chancery: 1610 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 234-6108


FAX: [1] (202) 234-6109


consulate(s) general: New York
Disputes - international Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over islands in the Mekong River; concern among Mekong Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels none
Economic aid - recipient $379 million (2006 est.) $NA
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% per year in 1988-2006 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 hydropower and mining. Construction will be another strong economic driver, especially as hydroelectric dam and road projects gain steam. Several policy changes since 2004 may help spur growth. In late 2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US, allowing Laos-based producers to benefit from lower tariffs on exports. Laos is taking steps to join the World Trade Organization in the next few years; the resulting trade policy reforms will improve the business environment. On the fiscal side, a value-added tax (VAT) regime, slated to begin in 2008, will streamline the government's inefficient tax system. The republic of Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era and maintained its own central bank, used the euro instead of the Yugoslav dinar as official currency, collected customs tariffs, and managed its own budget. The dissolution of the loose political union between Serbia and Montenegro in 2006 led to separate membership in several international financial institutions, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. On 18 January 2007, Montenegro joined the World Bank and IMF. Montenegro is pursuing its own membership in the World Trade Organization as well as negotiating a Stabilization and Association agreement with the European Union in anticipation of eventual membership. Severe unemployment remains a key political and economic problem for this entire region. Montenegro has privatized its large aluminum complex - the dominant industry - as well as most of its financial sector, and has begun to attract foreign direct investment in the tourism sector.
Electricity - consumption 1.193 billion kWh (2005) 18.6 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 728 million kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 326 million kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 1.715 billion kWh (2005) 2.864 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Mekong River 70 m


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


highest point: Bobotov Kuk 2,522 m
Environment - current issues unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets, especially in tourist-related areas such as Kotor
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: Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ship Pollution
Ethnic groups Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1% Montenegrin 43%, Serbian 32%, Bosniak 8%, Albanian 5%, other (Muslims, Croats, Roma (Gypsy)) 12%
Exchange rates kips per US dollar - 10,235 (2006), 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002) euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8089 (2004), 0.886 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state: President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 8 June 2006); Vice President BOUN-GNANG Volachit (since 8 June 2006)


head of government: Prime Minister BOUASONE Bouphavanh (since 8 June 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May 2002), Maj. Gen. DOUANGCHAI Phichit (since 8 June 2006), SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998), and THONGLOUN Sisoulit (since 27 March 2001)


cabinet: Ministers appointed by president, approved by National Assembly


elections: president and vice president elected by National Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 8 June 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister nominated by president and elected by National Assembly for 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 Filip VUJANOVIC (since 11 May 2003)


head of government: Prime Minister Milo DJUKANOVIC (since 29 February 2008)


cabinet: Ministries act as cabinet


elections: president elected by direct vote for five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 May 2003 (next to be held in 2008); prime minister proposed by president, accepted by Assembly


election results: Filip VUJANOVIC elected on the third round; Filip VUJANOVIC 63.3%, Miodrag ZIVKOVIC 30.8%
Exports NA bbl/day $171.3 million (2003)
Exports - commodities garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin -
Exports - partners Thailand 41%, Vietnam 9.7%, China 4.1%, Malaysia 4% (2006) Switzerland 83.9%, Italy 6.1%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.3% (2006)
Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September calendar year
Flag description three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band a red field bordered by a narrow golden-yellow stripe with the Montenegrin coat of arms centered
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 42.7%


industry: 31%


services: 26.2% (2006 est.)
agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
GDP - real growth rate 8.3% (2006 est.) 6% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 00 N, 105 00 E 42 30 N, 19 18 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 location along the Adriatic coast
Heliports - 1 (2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3.4%


highest 10%: 28.5% (2002)
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Illicit drugs estimated opium poppy cultivation in 2005 was 5,600 hectares, about a 45% decrease from 2004; estimated potential opium production in 2005 was 28 metric tons, a significant decrease from 200 metric tons in 2003; unsubstantiated reports of domestic methamphetamine production; growing domestic methamphetamine problem -
Imports NA bbl/day $601.7 million (2003)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods -
Imports - partners Thailand 68.8%, China 11.3%, Vietnam 5.5% (2006) Greece 10.2%, Italy 10.2%, Germany 9.6%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.2% (2006)
Independence 19 July 1949 (from France) 3 June 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro)
Industrial production growth rate 15.7% (2006 est.) -
Industries copper, tin, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement steelmaking, aluminum, agricultural processing, consumer goods, tourism
Infant mortality rate total: 81.44 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 90.91 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 71.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices) 6.8% (2006 est.) 3.4% (2004)
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, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Irrigated land 1,750 sq km (2003) NA
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) Constitutional Court (five judges with nine-year terms); Supreme Court (judges have life tenure)
Labor force 2.1 million (2006 est.) 259,100 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 80%


industry and services: 20% (2005 est.)
agriculture: 2%


industry: 30%


services: 68% (2004 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: 625 km


border countries: Albania 172 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 225 km, Croatia 25 km, Serbia 203 km
Land use arable land: 4.01%


permanent crops: 0.34%


other: 95.65% (2005)
arable land: 13.7%


permanent crops: 1%


other: 85.3%
Languages Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages Serbian (official; Ijekavian dialect), Bosnian, Albanian, Croatian
Legal system based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on civil law system; 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 Assembly (81 seats; members elected by direct vote for four-year terms; changed from 74 seats in 2006)


elections: last held 10 September 2006 (next to be held 2010)


election results: percent of vote by party - Coalition for European Montenegro 47.7%, Serbian List 14.4%, Coalition SNP-NS-DSS 13.8%, PZP 12.9%, Liberals and Bosniaks 3.7%, other (including Albanian minority parties) 7.5%; seats by party - Coalition for European Montenegro 41, Serbian List 12, Coalition SNP/NS/DSS 11, PZP 11, Liberals and Bosniaks 3, Albanian minority parties 3
Life expectancy at birth total population: 55.89 years


male: 53.82 years


female: 58.04 years (2007 est.)
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Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 68.7%


male: 77%


female: 60.9% (2001 est.)
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Location Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia
Map references Southeast Asia Europe
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


continental shelf: defined by treaty
Merchant marine total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT


by type: cargo 1 (2007)
total: 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 9,458 GRT/10,172 DWT


by type: cargo 4


registered in other countries: 3 (Bahamas 2, St Vincent and The Grenadines 1) (2007)
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) Montenegrin plans call for the establishment of a fully professional armed forces
Military branches Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.5% (2006) -
National holiday Republic Day, 2 December (1975) National Day, 13 July (1878)
Nationality noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)


adjective: Lao or Laotian
noun: Montenegrin(s)


adjective: Montenegrin
Natural hazards floods, droughts destructive earthquakes
Natural resources timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones bauxite, hydroelectricity
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -
Pipelines refined products 540 km (2006) -
Political parties and leaders Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALI Saignason]; other parties proscribed Albanian Alternative or AA [Vesel SINISHTAJ]; Coalition for European Montenegro or DPS-SDP (bloc) [Milo DUKANOVIC] (includes Democratic Party of Socialists or DPS [Milo DUKANOVIC] and Social Democratic Party of SDP [Ranko KRIVOKAPIC]); Coalition SNP-NS-DSS (bloc) (includes Socialist People's Party or SNP [Srdjan MILIC], People's Party of Montenegro or NS [Predrag POPOVIC], and Democratic Serbian Party of Montenegro or DSS [Ranko KADIC]); Democratic League-Party of Democratic Prosperity or SPP [Mehmet BARHDI]; Democratic Union of Albanians or DUA [Ferhat DINOSA]; Liberals and the Bosniak Party (bloc) [Miodrag ZIVKOVIC] (includes Liberal Party of Montenegro or LP [Miodrag ZIVKOVIC] and Bosniak Party or BS [Rafet HUSOVIC]); Movement for Changes or PZP [Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC]; Serbian List (bloc) [Andrija MANDIC] (includes Party of Serb Radicals or SSR [Dusko SEKULIC], People's Socialist Party or NSS [Emilo LABUDOVIC], and Serbian People's Party of Montenegro or SNS [Andrija MANDIC])
Political pressure groups and leaders noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 -
Population 6,521,998 (July 2007 est.) 684,736 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 30.7% (2005 est.) 7% (2007 est.)
Population growth rate 2.37% (2007 est.) -1% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 7, FM 14, shortwave 2 (2006) 31 (station types NA) (2004)
Railways - total: 250 km


standard gauge: 250 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified 169 km) (2006)
Religions Buddhist 65%, animist 32.9%, Christian 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.8% (1995 census) Orthodox, Muslim, Roman Catholic
Sex ratio at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.008 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.978 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.791 male(s)/female


total population: 0.984 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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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: multiple service providers; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership about 10 per 100 persons


international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
general assessment: modern telecommunications system with access to European satellites


domestic: GSM wireless service, available through 2 providers with national coverage, is growing rapidly


international: country code - 382; 2 international switches connect the national system
Telephones - main lines in use 90,067 (2006) 353,300 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 638,200 (2006) 821,800 (2006)
Television broadcast stations 7 (includes 1 station relaying Vietnam Television from Hanoi) (2006) 13 (2004)
Terrain mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus highly indented coastline with narrow coastal plain backed by rugged high limestone mountains and plateaus
Total fertility rate 4.59 children born/woman (2007 est.) -
Unemployment rate 2.4% (2005 est.) 14.7% (2007 est.)
Waterways 4,600 km


note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,900 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2007)
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