Found 3 hits - Term: laos, Database: *, Strategy: exact
- [1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
laos \laos\ prop. n.
a country in southeast asia.
wordnet 1.5
- [2] : WordNet (r) 2.0
laos
n : a mountainous landlocked communist state in southeastern
asia; achieved independence from france in 1949 syn: lao
people's democratic republic
see also:
lao people's democratic republic
- [3] : CIA World Factbook 2002
laos
introduction laos
-----------------
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.
geography laos
--------------
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 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
land: 230,800 sq km
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: 3.47
permanent crops: 0.23
other: 96.31 1998 est.
irrigated land: 1,640 sq km
note: rainy season irrigation -
2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation -
750 sq km 1998 est.
natural hazards: floods, droughts
environment - current issues: unexploded ordnance; deforestation;
soil erosion; a majority of the
population does not have access to
potable water
environment - international party to: biodiversity, climate
agreements: 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; most of the country is
mountainous and thickly forested;
the mekong forms a large part of the
western boundary with thailand
people laos
-----------
population: 5,777,180 july 2002 est.
age structure: 0-14 years: 42.5 male 1,233,659;
female 1,219,872
15-64 years: 54.2 male 1,543,246;
female 1,591,419
65 years and over: 3.3 male
86,375; female 102,609 2002 est.
population growth rate: 2.47 2002 est.
birth rate: 37.39 births/1,000 population 2002
est.
death rate: 12.71 deaths/1,000 population 2002
est.
net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population 2002
est.
sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 males/female
under 15 years: 1.01 males/female
15-64 years: 0.97 males/female
65 years and over: 0.84 males/
female
total population: 0.98 males/
female 2002 est.
infant mortality rate: 90.98 deaths/1,000 live births 2002
est.
life expectancy at birth: total population: 53.88 years
female: 55.87 years 2002 est.
male: 51.95 years
total fertility rate: 5.03 children born/woman 2002 est.
hiv/aids - adult prevalence rate: 0.05 1999 est.
hiv/aids - people living with hiv/ 1,400 1999 est.
aids:
hiv/aids - deaths: 130 1999 est.
nationality: noun: laos or laotians
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
including various christian
denominations 1.5
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.
government laos
---------------
country name: conventional long form: lao people's
democratic republic
conventional short form: laos
local short form: none
local long form: sathalanalat
paxathipatai paxaxon lao
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 27 march
2001
head of government: prime minister
boungnang volachit since 27 march
2001; first deputy prime minister
maj. gen. asang laoli since na may
2002, deputy prime minister
thongloun sisolit since 27 march
2001, and deputy prime minister
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 24 february
2002 next to be held na 2007;
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 109
seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms; note
- total number of seats increased
from 99 to 109 for the 2002
election
elections: last held 24 february
2002 next to be held na 2007
election results: percent of vote by
party - na; seats by party - lprp
or lprp-approved independent, non-
party members 109
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 noncommunist political groups
leaders: proscribed; most opposition leaders
fled the country in 1975
international organization acct, arf, asdb, asean, cp, escap,
participation: fao, g-77, ibrd, icao, icrm, ida,
ifad, ifc, ifrcs, ilo, imf,
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
fax: 1 202 332-4923
telephone: 1 202 332-6416
chancery: 2222 s street nw,
washington, dc 20008
diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: ambassador douglas
us: a. hartwick
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
economy laos
------------
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
in 1988-2001 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. electricity is
available in only a few urban areas.
subsistence agriculture accounts for
half of gdp and provides 80 of
total employment. the economy will
continue to benefit from aid from
the imf and other international
sources and from new foreign
investment in food-processing and
mining.
gdp: purchasing power parity - $9.2
billion 2001 est.
gdp - real growth rate: 5 2001 est.
gdp - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,630
2001 est.
gdp - composition by sector: agriculture: 53
industry: 22
services: 25 2000 est.
population below poverty line: 40 2001 est.
household income or consumption by lowest 10: 3.2
percentage share: highest 10: 30.6 1997
distribution of family income - gini 37 1997
index:
inflation rate consumer prices: 10 2001 est.
labor force: 2.4 million 1999
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: 1.02 billion kwh 2000
electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 1.96
hydro: 98.04
other: 0 2000
nuclear: 0
electricity - consumption: 690.6 million kwh 2000
electricity - exports: 400 million kwh 2000
electricity - imports: 142 million kwh 2000
agriculture - products: sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn,
coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton;
tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo,
pigs, cattle, poultry
exports: $325 million 2001 est.
exports - commodities: wood products, garments,
electricity, coffee, tin
exports - partners: thailand 20, france 7.5, germany
5.9, uk 4.1, belgium 4 2000
imports: $540 million f.o.b., 2000 est.
imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles,
fuel
imports - partners: thailand 52, singapore 3.9, japan
1.6, hong kong 1.5, china 0.8
2000
debt - external: $2.53 billion 1999
economic aid - recipient: $345 million 1999 est.
currency: kip lak
currency code: lak
exchange rates: kips per us dollar - 9,467.00
december 2001, 8,954.58 2001,
7,887.64 2000, 7,102.03 1999,
3,298.33 1998, 1,259.98 1997
fiscal year: 1 october - 30 september
communications laos
-------------------
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: 6,000 2001
transportation laos
-------------------
railways: 0 km 2001
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/3,110 dwt
ships by type: cargo 1 2002 est.
airports: 51 2001
airports - with paved runways: total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3 2001
airports - with unpaved runways: total: 42
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 26 2001
military laos
-------------
military branches: lao people's army lpa; including
riverine force, air force, national
police department
military manpower - military age: 18 years of age 2002 est.
military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,365,027 2002
est.
military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 734,945 2002 est.
service:
military manpower - reaching males: 64,437 2002 est.
military age annually:
military expenditures - dollar $55 million fy98
figure:
military expenditures - percent of 4.2 fy96/97
gdp:
transnational issues laos
-------------------------
disputes - international: demarcation of boundaries with
cambodia, thailand, and vietnam is
nearing completion, but with
thailand, several areas including
mekong river islets, remain in
dispute; ongoing disputes with
thailand and vietnam over squatters
illicit drugs: world's third-largest illicit opium
producer estimated cultivation in
2001 - 22,000 hectares, a 5
decrease over 2000; estimated
potential production in 2001 - 200
metric tons, about the same as in
2000; potential heroin producer;
transshipment point for heroin and
methamphetamine produced in burma;
illicit producer of cannabis;
growing methamphetamine abuse
problem
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