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Compare Samoa (2006) - Laos (2001)
Compare Samoa (2006) z Laos (2001)
| Samoa (2006) | Laos (2001) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano | 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, Louangphabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun**, Xekong, Xiangkhoang |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 26.1% (male 23,492/female 22,653)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 74,202/female 44,894) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 5,299/female 6,368) (2006 est.) |
0-14 years:
42.75% (male 1,212,577; female 1,196,795) 15-64 years: 53.94% (male 1,494,927; female 1,544,851) 65 years and over: 3.31% (male 85,632; female 101,185) (2001 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa | sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry |
| Airports | 4 (2006) | 51 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006) |
total:
8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2006) |
total:
43 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 25 (2000 est.) |
| Area | total: 2,944 sq km
land: 2,934 sq km water: 10 sq km |
total:
236,800 sq km land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Rhode Island | slightly larger than Utah |
| Background | New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997. | In 1975 the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government, ending a six-century-old monarchy. Initial closer ties to Vietnam and socialization were replaced with a gradual return to private enterprise, an easing of foreign investment laws, and the admission into ASEAN in 1997. |
| Birth rate | 16.43 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 37.84 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $171.3 million
expenditures: $78.1 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2001-02) |
revenues:
$211 million expenditures: $462 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est.) |
| Capital | name: Apia
geographic coordinates: 13 50 S, 171 45W time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Vientiane |
| Climate | tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October) | tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) |
| Coastline | 403 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Constitution | 1 January 1962 | promulgated 14 August 1991 |
| Country name | conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa
conventional short form: Samoa local long form: Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa local short form: Samoa former: Western Samoa |
conventional long form:
Lao People's Democratic Republic conventional short form: Laos local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao local short form: none |
| Currency | - | kip (LAK) |
| Death rate | 6.62 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 13.02 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Debt - external | $177 million (2004) | $2.46 billion (1998 est.) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa
embassy: Accident Compensation Board (ACB) Building, 5th Floor, Beach Road, Apia mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Apia, 0815 telephone: [685] 21436/21452/21631/22696 FAX: [685] 22030 |
chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affairs Karen Brevard STEWART embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, B. P. 114, Vientiane mailing address: American Embassy, Box V, APO AP 96546 telephone: [856] (21) 212581, 212582, 212585 FAX: [856] (21) 212584 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197 FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797 |
chief of mission:
Ambassador VANG Rattanavong chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416 FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923 |
| Disputes - international | none | parts of the border with Thailand are indefinite |
| Economic aid - recipient | $30.8 million (2004) | $345 million (1999 est.) |
| Economy - overview | The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid, family remittances from overseas, agriculture, and fishing. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms. Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force, and furnishes 90% of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. The decline of fish stocks in the area is a continuing problem. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for 25% of GDP; about 88,000 tourists visited the islands in 2001. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs 3,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly plant in Australia. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline, while at the same time protecting the environment. Observers point to the flexibility of the labor market as a basic strength for future economic advances. Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy state, the external debt is stable, and inflation is low. | 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 7% during 1988-97. Reform efforts subsequently slowed, and GDP growth dropped an average of 3 percentage points. Because Laos depends heavily on its trade with Thailand, it was damaged by the regional financial crisis beginning in 1997. Government mismanagement deepened the crisis, and from June 1997 to June 1999 the Lao kip lost 87% of its value. Laos' foreign exchange problems peaked in September 1999 when the kip fell from 3,500 kip to the dollar to 9,000 kip to the dollar in a matter of weeks. Now that the currency has stabilized, however, the government seems content to let the current situation persist, despite limited government revenue and foreign exchange reserves. A landlocked country with a primitive infrastructure, Laos has no railroads, a rudimentary road system, and limited external and internal telecommunications. Electricity is available in only a few urban areas. Subsistence agriculture accounts for half of GDP and provides 80% of total employment. For the foreseeable future the economy will continue to depend on aid from the IMF and other international sources; Japan is currently the largest bilateral aid donor; aid from the former USSR/Eastern Europe has been cut sharply. |
| Electricity - consumption | 107.9 million kWh (2003) | 173.6 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2003) | 705 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2003) | 142 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production | 116 million kWh (2003) | 792 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
2.78% hydro: 97.22% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mauga Silisili (Savaii) 1,857 m |
lowest point:
Mekong River 70 m highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m |
| Environment - current issues | soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing | unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Ethnic groups | Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4% | Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong ("Meo") and the Yao (Mien) 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1% |
| Exchange rates | tala per US dollar - 2.7103 (2005), 2.7807 (2004), 2.9732 (2003), 3.3763 (2002), 3.478 (2001) | kips per US dollar - 7,578.00 (December 2000), 7,102.03 (1999), 3,298.33 (1998), 1,259.98 (1997), 921.02 (1996) |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Chief Tanumafili II MALIETOA (cochief of state from 1 January 1962 until becoming sole chief of state 5 April 1963)
head of government: Prime Minister Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA (since 1996); note - TUILA'EPA served as deputy prime minister from 1992 and assumed the duties of acting prime minister in 1996, when former Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana resigned in poor health; TUILA'EPA was confirmed as prime minister (November 1998) after TOFILAU died; Deputy Prime Minister MISA Telefoni (since 2001) cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 members, appointed by the chief of state on the prime minister's advice elections: upon the death of Chief Tanumafili II MALIETOA, a new chief of state will be elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a five-year term (no term limits); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state with the approval of the Legislative Assembly |
chief of state:
President Gen. KHAMTAI Siphandon (since 26 February 1998) and Vice President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since NA March 2001) head of government: Prime Minister BOUNGNANG Volachit (since NA March 2001); Deputy Prime Ministers THONGLOUN Sisolit (since NA March 2001), SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the National Assembly elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 21 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); prime minister appointed by the president with the approval of the National Assembly for a five-year term election results: KHAMTAI Siphandon elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA% |
| Exports | NA bbl/day | $323 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports - commodities | fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts, garments, beer | wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin |
| Exports - partners | Australia 75.9%, American Samoa 13.6%, US 6.5% (2005) | Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, France, Belgium |
| Fiscal year | June 1 - May 31 | 1 October - 30 September |
| Flag description | red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation | three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band |
| GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $9 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 11.4%
industry: 58.4% services: 30.2% (2001 est.) |
agriculture:
51% industry: 22% services: 27% (1999 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 5.5% (2005 est.) | 4% (2000 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 13 35 S, 172 20 W | 18 00 N, 105 00 E |
| Geography - note | occupies an almost central position within Polynesia | landlocked |
| Highways | - | total:
14,000 km paved: 3,360 km unpaved: 10,640 km (1991) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
4.2% highest 10%: 26.4% (1992) |
| Illicit drugs | - | world's third-largest illicit opium producer (estimated cultivation in 1999 - 21,800 hectares, a 16% decrease over 1998; estimated potential production in 1999 - 140 metric tons, about the same as in 1998); potential heroin producer; transshipment point for heroin and methamphetamine produced in Burma; illicit producer of cannabis |
| Imports | NA bbl/day | $540 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs | machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel |
| Imports - partners | NZ 31%, Australia 22.6%, US 13.5%, Japan 7.5%, Fiji 6%, China 4.6% (2005) | Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Hong Kong |
| Independence | 1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship) | 19 July 1949 (from France) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 2.8% (2000) | 7.5% (1999 est.) |
| Industries | food processing, building materials, auto parts | tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 26.85 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 31.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
92.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.3% (2005) | 33% (2000 est.) |
| International organization participation | ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) | ACCT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | NA | 1,250 sq km (1993 est.)
note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Judicial branch | Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; District Court; Land and Titles Court | 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) |
| Labor force | 90,000 (2000 est.) | 1 million - 1.5 million |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture 80% (1997 est.) |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | total:
5,083 km border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km |
| Land use | arable land: 21.13%
permanent crops: 24.3% other: 54.57% (2005) |
arable land:
3% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 3% forests and woodland: 54% other: 40% (1993 est.) |
| Languages | Samoan (Polynesian), English | Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages |
| Legal system | based on English common law and local customs; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and Socialist practice |
| Legislative branch | unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats - 47 elected by voters affiliated with traditional village-based electoral districts, 2 elected by independent, mostly non-Samoan or part-Samoan, voters who cannot, (or choose not to) establish a village affiliation; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to the Fono from the 47 village-based electorates; members serve five-year terms)
elections: election last held 31 March 2006 (next election to be held not later than March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - HRPP 35, SDUP 10, independents 4 |
unicameral National Assembly (99 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - by presidential decree, on 27 October 1997, the number of seats increased from 85 to 99)
elections: last held 21 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - LPRP or LPRP-approved (independent, non-party members) 99 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 71 years
male: 68.2 years female: 73.94 years (2006 est.) |
total population:
53.48 years male: 51.58 years female: 55.44 years (2001 est.) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.7% male: 99.6% female: 99.7% (2003 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57% male: 70% female: 44% (1999 est.) |
| Location | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand | Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam |
| Map references | Oceania | Southeast Asia |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
none (landlocked) |
| Merchant marine | total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 7,091 GRT/8,127 DWT
by type: cargo 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Germany 1) (2006) |
total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,370 GRT/3,000 DWT ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military - note | Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces; informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship | - |
| Military branches | no regular military forces; Samoa Police Force (2005) | Lao People's Army (LPA; includes riverine element), Air Force, National Police Department |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | NA | $55 million (FY98) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | 4.2% (FY96/97) |
| Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
1,319,537 (2001 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
710,627 (2001 est.) |
| Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
64,437 (2001 est.) |
| National holiday | Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note - 1 January 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship, 1 June 1962 is the date that independence is celebrated | Republic Day, 2 December (1975) |
| Nationality | noun: Samoan(s)
adjective: Samoan |
noun:
Lao(s) or Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian |
| Natural hazards | occasional typhoons; active volcanism | floods, droughts, and blight |
| Natural resources | hardwood forests, fish, hydropower | timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones |
| Net migration rate | -11.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Pipelines | - | petroleum products 136 km |
| Political parties and leaders | Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA]; Samoa Christian Party or TCP [Tuala Tiresa MALIETOA]; Samoa Democratic United Party or SDUP [LE MAMEA Ropati]; Samoa Party or SP [Su'a Rimoni Ah CHONG]; Samoa Progressive Political Party or SPPP [Toeolesulusulu SIUEVA] | Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphandon, party president]; other parties proscribed |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 |
| Population | 176,908 (July 2006 est.) | 5,635,967 (July 2001 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | 46.1% (1993 est.) |
| Population growth rate | -0.2% (2006 est.) | 2.48% (2001 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | - | none |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998) |
| Radios | - | 730,000 (1997) |
| Railways | - | 0 km |
| Religions | Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman Catholic 19.6%, Methodist 15%, Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.5%, other Christian 4.5%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other 1.7%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census) | Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.65 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.39 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Suffrage | 21 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA international: country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
general assessment:
service to general public is poor but improving, with over 20,000 telephones currently in service and an additional 48,000 expected by 2001; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas domestic: radiotelephone communications international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 13,300 (2003) | 25,000 (1997) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 24,000 (2005) | 4,915 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations | 2 (2002) | 4 (1999) |
| Terrain | two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior | mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus |
| Total fertility rate | 2.94 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 5.12 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | NA% | 5.7% (1997 est.) |
| Waterways | - | 4,587 km approximately
note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m |
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