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Compare Togo (2008) - Laos (2008)

Compare Togo (2008) z Laos (2008)

 Togo (2008)Laos (2008)
 TogoLaos
Administrative divisions 5 regions (regions, singular - region); Centrale, Kara, Maritime, Plateaux, Savanes 16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural) and 1 capital city* (nakhon luang, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xekong, Xiangkhoang
Age structure 0-14 years: 42% (male 1,201,840/female 1,193,416)


15-64 years: 55.3% (male 1,535,855/female 1,617,631)


65 years and over: 2.7% (male 61,658/female 91,179) (2007 est.)
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.)
Agriculture - products coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (tapioca), corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum; livestock; fish sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry
Airports 9 (2007) 42 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2007)
total: 9


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 7


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2007)
total: 33


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 9


under 914 m: 23 (2007)
Area total: 56,785 sq km


land: 54,385 sq km


water: 2,400 sq km
total: 236,800 sq km


land: 230,800 sq km


water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than West Virginia slightly larger than Utah
Background French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, ruled Togo with a heavy hand for almost four decades. Despite the facade of multiparty elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government was largely dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party has maintained power almost continually since 1967 and maintains a majority of seats in today's legislature. Upon EYADEMA's death in February 2005, the military installed the president's son, Faure GNASSINGBE, and then engineered his formal election two months later. Democratic gains since then allowed Togo to hold its first relatively free and fair legislative elections in October 2007. After years of political unrest and fire from international organizations for human rights abuses, Togo is finally being re-welcomed into the international community. 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 had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination 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.
Birth rate 36.83 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 34.98 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $478.1 million


expenditures: $554.1 million (2007 est.)
revenues: $470.4 million


expenditures: $643.5 million (2007 est.)
Capital name: Lome


geographic coordinates: 6 08 N, 1 13 E


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Vientiane


geographic coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 36 E


time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
Coastline 56 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the Republic 1 July 1992, adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992 promulgated 14 August 1991
Country name conventional long form: Togolese Republic


conventional short form: Togo


local long form: Republique togolaise


local short form: none


former: French Togoland
conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic


conventional short form: Laos


local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao


local short form: none
Death rate 9.65 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 11.28 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $2 billion (2005) $3.179 billion (2006)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador David B. DUNN


embassy: 4332 Blvd. Gnassingbe Eyadema, Cite OUA, Lome


mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome


telephone: [228] 261-5470


FAX: [228] 261-5501
chief of mission: Ambassador Ravic R. HUSO


embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, That Dam, Vientiane


mailing address: American Embassy Vientiane, APO AP 96546


telephone: [856] 21-26-7000


FAX: [856] 21-26-7190
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lorempo LANDJERGUE


chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 234-4212


FAX: [1] (202) 232-3190
chief of mission: Ambassador PHIANE Philakone


chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416


FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923
Disputes - international in 2001, Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint commission continues to resurvey the boundary; in 2006 14,000 Togolese refugees remain in Benin and Ghana out of the 40,000 who fled there in 2005 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
Economic aid - recipient ODA, $86.71 million (2005 est.) $379 million (2006 est.)
Economy - overview This small, sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment for 65% of the labor force. Some basic foodstuffs must still be imported. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton generate about 40% of export earnings with cotton being the most important cash crop. Togo is the world's fourth-largest producer of phosphate. The government's decade-long effort, supported by the World Bank and the IMF, to implement economic reform measures, encourage foreign investment, and bring revenues in line with expenditures has moved slowly. Progress depends on follow through on privatization, increased openness in government financial operations, progress toward legislative elections, and continued support from foreign donors. Togo is working with donors to write a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) that could eventually lead to a debt reduction plan. Economic growth remains marginal due to declining cotton production, underinvestment in phosphate mining, and strained relations with donors. The government of Laos, one of the few remaining one-party 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 1988-2007 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 underdeveloped infrastructure, particularly in rural areas. 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 support from Japan and China. Electricity is available in urban areas and in most rural districts. Subsistence agriculture, dominated by rice, accounts for about 40% of GDP and provides 80% of total employment. The economy will continue to benefit from aid from international donors and from 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, should help streamline the government's inefficient tax system.
Electricity - consumption 576 million kWh (2005) 1.193 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 728 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 486 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by Ghana (2005) 326 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 176 million kWh (2005) 1.715 billion kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Agou 986 m
lowest point: Mekong River 70 m


highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
Environment - current issues deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; water pollution presents health hazards and hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban areas unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1% Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 482.71 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) kips per US dollar - 9,658 (2007), 10,235 (2006), 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state: President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 4 May 2005); note - Gnassingbe EYADEMA died on 5 February 2005 and was succeeded by his son, Faure GNASSINGBE, with the support of the military following international condemnation for the unconstitutional move he then stepped aside pending elections, and Abass BONFOH served as interim president; Faure GNASSINGBE later won popular elections in April 2005


head of government: Prime Minister Komlan MALLY (since 3 December 2007)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the prime minister


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held by 2010); prime minister appointed by the president


election results: Faure GNASSINGBE elected president; percent of vote - Faure GNASSINGBE 60.2%, Emmanuel Akitani BOB 38.3%, Nicolas LAWSON 1%, Harry OLYMPIO 0.5%
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%
Exports 0 bbl/day (2004) 0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities reexports, cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa wood products, coffee, electricity, tin, copper, gold
Exports - partners Ghana 16.7%, Burkina Faso 14.4%, Benin 9.1%, Belgium 6.1%, Mali 5.8%, Germany 5.4%, India 4.6%, Netherlands 4.6% (2006) Thailand 42.1%, Vietnam 9.5%, China 4% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 October - 30 September
Flag description five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow; there is a white five-pointed star on a red square in the upper hoist-side corner; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 40%


industry: 25%


services: 35% (2003 est.)
agriculture: 41.2%


industry: 32.5%


services: 26.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.5% (2007 est.) 7% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 8 00 N, 1 10 E 18 00 N, 105 00 E
Geography - note the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 3.4%


highest 10%: 28.5% (2002)
Illicit drugs transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers; money laundering not a significant problem 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 15,130 bbl/day (2004) 2,898 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods
Imports - partners China 29.8%, UK 10.9%, France 8.9%, Netherlands 6%, Belgium 5.8%, US 4.6%, Estonia 4.2% (2006) Thailand 68.8%, China 11.3%, Vietnam 5.6% (2006)
Independence 27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship) 19 July 1949 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 3% (2007 est.) 12% (2007 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement, handicrafts, textiles, beverages copper, tin, gold, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement
Infant mortality rate total: 59.12 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 66.56 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 51.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2007 est.) 5% (2007 est.)
International organization participation ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ACCT, ADB, APT, ARF, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Irrigated land 70 sq km (2003) 1,750 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme 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 1.302 million (1998) 2.1 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 65%


industry: 5%


services: 30% (1998 est.)
agriculture: 80%


industry and services: 20% (2005 est.)
Land boundaries total: 1,647 km


border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 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: 44.2%


permanent crops: 2.11%


other: 53.69% (2005)
arable land: 4.01%


permanent crops: 0.34%


other: 95.65% (2005)
Languages French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north) Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Legal system French-based court system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held on 14 October 2007 (next to be held in 2012)


election results: percent of vote by party - RPT 39.4%, UFC 37.0%, CAR 8.2%, independents 2.5%, other 12.9%; seats by party - RPT 50, UFC 27, CAR 4
unicameral National Assembly (115 seats; members elected by popular vote from a list of candidates selected by the Lao People's Revolutionary Party 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
Life expectancy at birth total population: 57.86 years


male: 55.81 years


female: 59.96 years (2007 est.)
total population: 55.89 years


male: 53.82 years


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


total population: 60.9%


male: 75.4%


female: 46.9% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 68.7%


male: 77%


female: 60.9% (2001 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Map references Africa Southeast Asia
Maritime claims territorial sea: 30 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,918 GRT/3,852 DWT


by type: cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1 (2007)
total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT


by type: cargo 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)
Military branches Togolese Armed Forces (FAT): Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie (2005) Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF): Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force (2008)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.6% (2005 est.) 0.5% (2006)
National holiday Independence Day, 27 April (1960) Republic Day, 2 December (1975)
Nationality noun: Togolese (singular and plural)


adjective: Togolese
noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)


adjective: Lao or Laotian
Natural hazards hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts floods, droughts
Natural resources phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines - refined products 540 km (2007)
Political parties and leaders Action Committee for Renewal or CAR [Yawovi AGBOYIBO]; Democratic Convention of African Peoples or CDPA; Democratic Party for Renewal or PDR; Juvento [Monsilia DJATO]; Movement of the Believers of Peace and Equality or MOCEP; Pan-African Patriotic Convergence or CPP; Rally for the Support for Development and Democracy or RSDD [Harry OLYMPIO]; Rally of the Togolese People or RPT [Faure GNASSINGBE]; Socialist Pact for Renewal or PSR; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Gagou KOKOU]; Union of Forces for a Change or UFC [Gilchrist OLYMPIO] Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALI Saignason]; other parties proscribed
Political pressure groups and leaders NA political parties and groups other than LPRP are proscribed
Population 5,701,579


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)
6,521,998 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 32% (1989 est.) 30.7% (2005 est.)
Population growth rate 2.718% (2007 est.) 2.37% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 7, FM 14, shortwave 2 (2006)
Railways total: 568 km


narrow gauge: 568 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
-
Religions Christian 29%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 51% Buddhist 65%, animist 32.9%, Christian 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.8% (1995 census)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.007 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.949 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.676 male(s)/female


total population: 0.965 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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.)
Suffrage NA years of age; universal (adult) 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: fair system based on a network of microwave radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a mobile cellular system


domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional system; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 15 telephones per 100 persons


international: country code - 228; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Symphonie
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)
Telephones - main lines in use 82,100 (2006) 90,067 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 708,000 (2006) 638,200 (2006)
Television broadcast stations 3 (plus 2 repeaters) (1997) 7 (includes 1 station relaying Vietnam Television from Hanoi) (2006)
Terrain gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Total fertility rate 4.9 children born/woman (2007 est.) 4.59 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 2.4% (2005 est.)
Waterways 50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2005) 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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