| GEOGRAPHY |
| 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 |
| Capital: |
Vientiane |
| Location: |
Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
18 00 N, 105 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 236,800 sq km
land: 230,800 sq km
water: 6,000 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: |
| Terrain: |
mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Mekong River 70 m
highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
Communist state |
| Administratives
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, Louangphrabang, 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 Siphadon (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 Bouasone BOUPHAVANH (since 3 October 2003) Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since 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 in 2007); prime minister appointed by the president with the approval of the National Assembly for a five-year term
election results: KHAMTAI Siphadon 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 in 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 Siphadon, party president]; other parties proscribed |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
6,217,141 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 41.6% (male 1,300,094/female 1,289,227)
15-64 years: 55.2% (male 1,693,494/female 1,737,196)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 88,744/female 108,386) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 18.74 years
male: 18.42 years
female: 19.08 years (2005 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 and the Yao 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 |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
61,900 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
55,200 (2002) |
| 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: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
4 (1999) |
| Internet country
code: |
.la |
| Internet hosts: |
937 (2003) |
| Internet users: |
15,000 (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
|
| Highways: |
total: 21,716 km
paved: 9,664 km
unpaved: 12,052 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
4,600 km
note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2003) |
| Pipelines: |
refined products 540 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: |
none |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2005) |
| Airports: |
44 (2004 est.) |
| 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 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 35
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
