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Laos
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 300 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 1988. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997.
Location :
Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Geographic Coordinates Center :
18 00 N, 105 00 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 100.09 |
| North | 22.50 |
| East | 107.70 |
| South | 13.91 |
Map references :
Asia
Area :
| total | 236 800 | square km |
| land | 230 800 | square km |
| water | 6 000 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 5 083 | km |
| Burma | 235 | km |
| Cambodia (kh) | 541 | km |
| China (cn) | 423 | km |
| Thailand (th) | 1 754 | km |
| Vietnam (vn) | 2 130 | km |
Coastline :
0.00 km
Climate :
tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
Terrain :
mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 70 | metres |
| highest point | 2 817 | metres |
Natural resources :
| gemstones | gold |
| gypsum | hydropower |
| timber | tin |
Land use :
| arable land | 4.01 | % |
| permanent crops | 0.34 | % |
| other | 95.65 | % |
Irrigated land :
1 750 square km
Total renewable water resources :
333 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| droughts | floods |
current issues :
unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Environmental Modification |
| Law of the Sea | Ozone Layer Protection |
Population :
6 834 345
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 2.32 | % |
| Birth rate | 33.96 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 4.41 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 10.76 | deaths/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 40.80 | % |
| 15-64 years | 56.20 | % |
| 65 years and over | 3.10 | % |
Median age :
| total | 19.30 | years |
| male | 19.00 | years |
| female | 19.60 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.01 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.98 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.76 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 0.98 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 77.76 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 56.57 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 54.45 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 58.79 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 0.20 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 5 500 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 100 |
Religions :
| Buddhist | 67.00 | % |
| Christian | 1.50 | % |
| other | 31.50 | % |
Languages :
| Lao | |
| French | |
| English |
Literacy :
| total population | 68.70 | % |
| male | 77.00 | % |
| female | 60.90 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Lao People's Democratic Republic |
| conventional short form | Laos |
| local long form | Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao |
| local short form | Pathet Lao |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | LA |
| ISO Numeric | 418 |
| ISO3 | LAO |
| FIPS | LA |
| ccTLD | la |
| English | Laos |
Administrative divisions :
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
Capital :
| name | Vientiane |
| geographic coordinates | 17 58 N, 102 36 E |
| time difference | 7.00 |
International organization participation :
| ADB | APT |
| ARF | ASEAN |
| CP | EAS |
| FAO | G-77 |
| IBRD | ICAO |
| ICRM | IDA |
| IFAD | IFC |
| IFRCS | ILO |
| IMF | IOC |
| IPU | ISO (subscriber) |
| ITU | Interpol |
| MIGA | NAM |
| OIF | OPCW |
| PCA | UN |
| UNCTAD | UNESCO |
| UNIDO | UNWTO |
| UPU | WCO |
| WFTU | WHO |
| WIPO | WMO |
| WTO (observer) |
Independence :
1949-07-19
National holiday :
Republic Day
1975-12-02
Executive branch :
| President CHOUMMALI Saignason | Prime Minister BOUASONE Bouphavanh |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 14 610 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 5 721 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 3.00 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 2 100 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 39.20 | % |
| industry | 33.90 | % |
| services | 26.90 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 80.00 | % |
| services | 20.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 2 100 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 2.40 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 26.00 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 34.60 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.60 | % |
| Current account balance | - 23 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 715 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 3 179 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 0.50 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 3.40 | % |
| highest 10% | 28.50 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 937 100 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 1 123 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| cattle | coffee |
| corn | cotton |
| peanuts | pigs |
| poultry | rice |
| sugarcane | sweet potatoes |
| tea | tobacco |
| vegetables | water buffalo |
Industries :
| agricultural processing | cement |
| construction | copper |
| electric power | garments |
| gold | gypsum mining |
| timber | tin |
| tourism |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 3 075 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 3 068 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Exports | 268 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Imports | 475 900 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 3 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 3 080 | bbl/day |
Value :
1 104 000 000 $
Partners :
| Thailand (th) | 35.40 | % |
| Vietnam (vn) | 15.50 | % |
| China (cn) | 8.50 | % |
Commodities :
| coffee | copper |
| electricity | gold |
| tin | wood products |
Value :
1 308 000 000 $
Partners :
| Thailand (th) | 68.30 | % |
| China (cn) | 10.40 | % |
| Vietnam (vn) | 5.80 | % |
Commodities :
| consumer products | fuels |
| machinery and equipment | vehicles |
Currency-code :
LAK
Currency-name :
kip
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 97 600 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 1 822 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 14 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 7 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | la | |
| Internet Hosts | 1 661 | |
| Internet Users | 130 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 9 | |
| Pipelines - refined products | 540 | km |
| Roadways - total | 29 811 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 4 010 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 25 801 | km |
| Waterways | 4 600 | km |
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