Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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Laos was under the control 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. Initial closer ties to Vietnam and socialization were replaced with a gradual return to private enterprise, a liberalization of foreign investment laws, and the admission into ASEAN in 1997.
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Location:
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Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
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Geographic coordinates:
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18 00 N, 105 00 E
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Map references:
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Southeast Asia
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Area:
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total: 236,800 sq km
land: 230,800 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than Utah
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Land boundaries:
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total: 5,083 km
border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked)
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Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked)
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Climate:
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tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
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Terrain:
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mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Mekong River 70 m
highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
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Natural resources:
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timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
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Land use:
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arable land: 3.8%
permanent crops: 0.35%
other: 95.85% (2001)
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Irrigated land:
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1,640 sq km
note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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floods, droughts
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Environment - current issues:
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unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand
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Population:
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6,068,117 (July 2004 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 41.9% (male 1,277,152; female 1,265,761)
15-64 years: 54.9% (male 1,642,895; female 1,688,175)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 87,995; female 106,139) (2004 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 18.6 years
male: 18.3 years
female: 19 years (2004 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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2.44% (2004 est.)
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Birth rate:
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36.47 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Death rate:
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12.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 87.06 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 97.05 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 76.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 54.69 years
male: 52.71 years
female: 56.75 years (2004 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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4.86 children born/woman (2004 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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1,700 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 200 (2003 est.)
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Major infectious diseases:
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typhoid fever, dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis
overall degree of risk: very high (2004)
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Nationality:
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noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)
adjective: Lao or Laotian
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Ethnic groups:
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Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%
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Religions:
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Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%)
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Languages:
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Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 66.4%
male: 77.4%
female: 55.5% (2002)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic
conventional short form: Laos
local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao
local short form: none
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Government type:
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Communist state
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Capital:
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Vientiane
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Administrative divisions:
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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
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Independence:
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19 July 1949 (from France)
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National holiday:
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Republic Day, 2 December (1975)
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Constitution:
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promulgated 14 August 1991
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Legal system:
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based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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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 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 Siphandon elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA%
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Legislative branch:
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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
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Judicial branch:
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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)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphandon, party president]; other parties proscribed
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975
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International organization participation:
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ACCT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, 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)
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador PHANTHONG Phommahaxay
chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416
FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia M. HASLACH
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
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Flag description:
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three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band
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Economy - overview:
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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.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $10.32 billion (2004 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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5.5% (2004 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2004 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 49.4%
industry: 24.5%
services: 26.1% (2004 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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40% (2002 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 30.6% (1997)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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37 (1997)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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15.3% (2004 est.)
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Labor force:
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2.6 million (2001 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 80% (1997 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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5.7% (1997 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $298.5 million
expenditures: $429.9 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
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sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice, water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry
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Industries:
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tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism
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Industrial production growth rate:
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9.7% (2001 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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1.317 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - consumption:
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824.7 million kWh (2001)
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Electricity - exports:
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400 million kWh (2001)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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2,750 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001)
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001)
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Current account balance:
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$-58 million (2004 est.)
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Exports:
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$332 million (2004 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin
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Exports - partners:
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Thailand 20.7%, Vietnam 15.9%, France 7.3%, Germany 5.3%, Belgium 4% (2003)
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Imports:
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$492 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods
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Imports - partners:
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Thailand 59.4%, China 12.8%, Vietnam 10.2% (2003)
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
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$201 million (2004 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$2.49 billion (2001)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$243 million (2001 est.)
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Currency:
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kip (LAK)
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Currency code:
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LAK
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Exchange rates:
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kips per US dollar - 10,443 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.58 (2001), 7,887.64 (2000), 7,102.02 (1999)
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Fiscal year:
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1 October - 30 September
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Highways:
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total: 21,716 km
paved: 9,664 km
unpaved: 12,052 km (1999 est.)
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Waterways:
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4,600 km
note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2003)
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Pipelines:
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refined products 540 km (2003)
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Ports and harbors:
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none
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Merchant marine:
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total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2003 est.)
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Airports:
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46 (2003 est.)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2003 est.)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 37
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 23 (2003 est.)
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This page was last updated on 30 November, 2004
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