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3 definitions found
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Laos \Laos\ prop. n.
a country in Southeast Asia.
[WordNet 1.5]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
Laos
n : a mountainous landlocked communist state in southeastern
Asia; achieved independence from France in 1949 [syn: {Lao
People's Democratic Republic}]
From CIA World Factbook 2002 [world02]:
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 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
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: 0.84 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/
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: 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%
(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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