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Compare Laos (2007) - Nauru (2003)

Compare Laos (2007) z Nauru (2003)

 Laos (2007)Nauru (2003)
 LaosNauru
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 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
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.)
0-14 years: 38.9% (male 2,517; female 2,368)


15-64 years: 59.3% (male 3,681; female 3,779)


65 years and over: 1.8% (male 116; female 109) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry coconuts
Airports 42 (2007) 1 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 9


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)
total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 33


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 9


under 914 m: 23 (2007)
-
Area total: 236,800 sq km


land: 230,800 sq km


water: 6,000 sq km
total: 21 sq km


land: 21 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Utah about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th Century under King FA NGUM. For three hundred years Lan Xang included large parts of present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the control of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the Communist Pathet Lao took control of the government ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1986. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997. Nauru's phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium; the island was occupied by Australian forces in World War I. Nauru achieved independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999. Nauru is the world's smallest independent republic.
Birth rate 34.98 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 26.09 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $392.3 million


expenditures: $541.3 million (2006 est.)
revenues: $23.4 million


expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY 95/96)
Capital name: Vientiane


geographic coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 36 E


time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
no official capital; government offices in Yaren District
Climate tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) tropical; monsoonal; rainy season (November to February)
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 30 km
Constitution promulgated 14 August 1991 29 January 1968
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 Nauru


conventional short form: Nauru


former: Pleasant Island
Currency - Australian dollar (AUD)
Death rate 11.28 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 7.08 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $3.179 billion (2006) $33.3 million
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
the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru
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
Nauru does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a UN office at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, New York 10017; telephone: (212) 937-0074


consulate(s): Hagatna (Guam)
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.) $2.25 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.)
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. Revenues of this tiny island have come from exports of phosphates, but reserves are expected to be exhausted within a few years. Phosphate production has declined since 1989, as demand has fallen in traditional markets and as the marginal cost of extracting the remaining phosphate increases, making it less internationally competitive. While phosphates have given Nauruans one of the highest per capita incomes in the Third World, few other resources exist with most necessities being imported, including fresh water from Australia. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. In anticipation of the exhaustion of Nauru's phosphate deposits, substantial amounts of phosphate income have been invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition and provide for Nauru's economic future. The government has been borrowing heavily from the trusts to finance fiscal deficits. To cut costs the government has called for a freeze on wages, a reduction of over-staffed public service departments, privatization of numerous government agencies, and closure of some overseas consulates. In recent years Nauru has encouraged the registration of offshore banks and corporations. Tens of billions of dollars have been channeled through their accounts. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's GDP varying widely.
Electricity - consumption 1.193 billion kWh (2005) 27.9 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 728 million kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 326 million kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 1.715 billion kWh (2005) 30 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Mekong River 70 m


highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m
Environment - current issues unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks collect rainwater, but mostly dependent on a single, aging desalination plant; intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 years - mainly by a UK, Australia, and NZ consortium - has left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, 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% Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%
Exchange rates kips per US dollar - 10,235 (2006), 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002) Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.2641 (2002) 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998)
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 Rene HARRIS (since 8 August 2003) note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Rene HARRIS (since 8 August 2003) note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of Parliament


elections: president elected by Parliament for a three-year term; election last held 29 May 2003 (next to be held NA 2006)


election results: Ludwig SCOTTY elected president 29 May 2003; Ludwig SCOTTY 10 parliamentary votes, Kinza CLODUMAR 7


note: Ludwig SCOTTY was removed from the presidency in a no-confidence vote 8 August 2003; Rene HARRIS became president
Exports NA bbl/day NA (2001)
Exports - commodities garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin phosphates
Exports - partners Thailand 41%, Vietnam 9.7%, China 4.1%, Malaysia 4% (2006) India 46.1%, South Korea 18.3%, Australia 10.6%, New Zealand 7.8%, Netherlands 5.6% (2002)
Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September 1 July - 30 June
Flag description three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; the star indicates the country's location in relation to the Equator (the yellow stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru
GDP - purchasing power parity - $60 million (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 42.7%


industry: 31%


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


industry: NA%


services: NA%
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 8.3% (2006 est.) NA%
Geographic coordinates 18 00 N, 105 00 E 0 32 S, 166 55 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 Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia; only 53 km south of Equator
Highways - total: 30 km


paved: 24 km


unpaved: 6 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3.4%


highest 10%: 28.5% (2002)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
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 broad-based money-laundering center
Imports NA bbl/day NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery
Imports - partners Thailand 68.8%, China 11.3%, Vietnam 5.5% (2006) Australia 59.3%, US 10.1%, Ireland 7.6%, Malaysia 6% (2002)
Independence 19 July 1949 (from France) 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)
Industrial production growth rate 15.7% (2006 est.) NA%
Industries copper, tin, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products
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.)
total: 10.33 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 13 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 7.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 6.8% (2006 est.) -3.6% (1993)
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) ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 1,750 sq km (2003) NA sq km
Judicial branch People's Supreme Court (the president of the People's Supreme Court is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the National Assembly Standing Committee; the vice president of the People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National Assembly Standing Committee) Supreme Court
Labor force 2.1 million (2006 est.) -
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 80%


industry and services: 20% (2005 est.)
employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation
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: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (1998 est.)
Languages Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes
Legal system based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common 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 Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)


elections: last held 3 May 2003 (next to be held not later than May 2006)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - Nauru First Party 3, independents 15
Life expectancy at birth total population: 55.89 years


male: 53.82 years


female: 58.04 years (2007 est.)
total population: 61.95 years


male: 58.41 years


female: 65.66 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 68.7%


male: 77%


female: 60.9% (2001 est.)
definition: NA


total population: NA%


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands
Map references Southeast Asia Oceania
Maritime claims none (landlocked) contiguous zone: 24 NM


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 (2007)
none (2002 est.)
Military - note Laos is one of the world's least developed countries; the Lao People's Armed Forces are small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced; there is little political will to allocate sparse funding to the military, and the armed forces' gradual degradation is likely to continue; the massive drug production and trafficking industry centered in the Golden Triangle makes Laos an important narcotics transit country, and armed Wa and Chinese smugglers are active on the Lao-Burma border (2005) Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia
Military branches Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.5% (2006) NA%
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 3,190 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 1,762 (2003 est.)
National holiday Republic Day, 2 December (1975) Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
Nationality noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)


adjective: Lao or Laotian
noun: Nauruan(s)


adjective: Nauruan
Natural hazards floods, droughts periodic droughts
Natural resources timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones phosphates, fish
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines refined products 540 km (2006) -
Political parties and leaders Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALI Saignason]; other parties proscribed loose multiparty system; Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal) [leader NA]; Naoero Amo (Nauru First) Party [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 NA
Population 6,521,998 (July 2007 est.) 12,570 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 30.7% (2005 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.37% (2007 est.) 1.9% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors - Nauru
Radio broadcast stations AM 7, FM 14, shortwave 2 (2006) AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways - total: 5 km


note: gauge unknown; used to haul phosphates from the center of the island to processing facilities on the southwest coast (2001)
Religions Buddhist 65%, animist 32.9%, Christian 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.8% (1995 census) Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third 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.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female


total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 20 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: 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: adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities


domestic: NA


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 90,067 (2006) 2,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular 638,200 (2006) 450 (1994)
Television broadcast stations 7 (includes 1 station relaying Vietnam Television from Hanoi) (2006) 1 (1997)
Terrain mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center
Total fertility rate 4.59 children born/woman (2007 est.) 3.4 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 2.4% (2005 est.) 0%
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)
none
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