Laos

§1. Laos Introduction

Background:
  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.

§2. Laos Geography

Location:
  Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam

Geographic coordinates:
  18 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references:
  Southeast Asia

Area:
  total: 236,800 kmē
  land: 230,800 kmē
  water: 6,000 kmē

Area - comparative:
  slightly larger than Utah

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

Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
  none (landlocked)

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: Mekong River 70 m highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m

Natural resources:
  timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones

Land use:
  arable land: 3%
  permanent crops: 0%
  permanent pastures: 3%
  forests and woodland: 54%
  other: 40% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  1,250 kmē (1993 est.) note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 kmē; dry season
    irrigation - 750 kmē (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
  floods, droughts, and blight

Environment - current issues:
  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, Desertification, Environmental
    Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
  signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
  landlocked

§3. Laos People

Population:
  5,635,967 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  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.)

Population growth rate:
  2.48% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  37.84 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  13.02 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:
  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.)

Infant mortality rate:
  92.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 53.48 years male: 51.58 years
  female: 55.44 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  5.12 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.05% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  1,400 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  130 (1999 est.)

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

Ethnic groups:
  Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland)
  including the Hmong ("Meo") and the Yao (Mien) 9%, ethnic
  Vietnamese/Chinese 1%

Religions:
  Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40%

Languages:
  Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 57%
  male: 70%
  female: 44% (1999 est.)

§4. Laos Government

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

Government type:
  Communist state

Capital:
  Vientiane

Administrative divisions:
  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

Independence:
  19 July 1949 (from France)

National holiday:
  Republic Day, 2 December (1975)

Constitution:
  promulgated 14 August 1991

Legal system:
  based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and
  Socialist practice

Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
  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%

Legislative branch:
  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

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)

Political parties and leaders:
  Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphandon, party
  president]; other parties proscribed

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the
  country in 1975

International organization participation:
  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)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador VANG Rattanavong chancery: 2222 S Street NW,
    Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416
  FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  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

Flag description:
  three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a
  large white disk centered in the blue band

§5. Laos Economy

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 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.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $9 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  4% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 51% industry: 22%
  services: 27% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  46.1% (1993 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 4.2% highest 10%: 26.4% (1992)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  33% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
  1 million - 1.5 million

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 80% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  5.7% (1997 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $211 million
  expenditures: $462 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99
    est.)

Industries:
  tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing,
  construction, garments, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
  7.5% (1999 est.)

Electricity - production:
  792 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 2.78% hydro: 97.22%
  nuclear: 0%
  other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  173.6 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  705 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  142 million kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:
  sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea,
  peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry

Exports:
  $323 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin

Exports - partners:
  Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, France, Belgium

Imports:
  $540 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel

Imports - partners:
  Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Hong Kong

Debt - external:
  $2.46 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $345 million (1999 est.)

Currency:
  kip (LAK)

Currency code:
  LAK

Exchange rates:
  kips per US dollar - 7,578.00 (December 2000), 7,102.03 (1999), 3,298.33
  (1998), 1,259.98 (1997), 921.02 (1996)

Fiscal year:
  1 October - 30 September

§6. Laos Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  25,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  4,915 (1997)

Telephone system:
  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)

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
  730,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
  4 (1999)

Televisions:
  52,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
  .la

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  1 (2000)

Internet users:
  2,000 (2000)

§7. Laos Transportation

Railways:
  0 km

Highways:
  total: 14,000 km
  paved: 3,360 km
  unpaved: 10,640 km (1991)

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

Pipelines:
  petroleum products 136 km

Ports and harbors:
  none

Merchant marine:
  total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,370 GRT/3,000 DWT
  ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.)

Airports:
  51 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  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: 43 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 17
  under 914 m: 25 (2000 est.)

§8. Laos Military

Military branches:
  Lao People's Army (LPA; includes riverine element), Air Force, National
  Police Department

Military manpower - military age:
  18 years of age

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 - reaching military age annually:
  males: 64,437 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $55 million (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  4.2% (FY96/97)

§9. Laos Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  parts of the border with Thailand are indefinite

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
