Op deze pagina zal ik informatie verzamelen over Laos; weblinks, een overzicht van demografische en geografische informatie, het weer, nieuws en meer.

bron: CIA – The World Factbook

Navigatie:

Introductie
Geografie
Bevolking
Regering
Economie
Communicatie
Transport
Leger
Transnationale Problemen
Het weer

Introductie

Achtergrond:

• Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th Century under King FA NGUM. For three hundred years Lan Xang included large parts of present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came 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 and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1986. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997.

Geografie

Location:

• Zuid-oostazie, ten noord-oosten van Thailand, ten westen van Vietnam

Geografische coordinaten:

• 18 00 N, 105 00 O

Area:

• totaal: 236,800 km2
• vland: 230,800 km2
• water: 6,000 sq km

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: 4.01%
• permanent crops: 0.34%
• other: 95.65% (2005)

Irrigated land:

• 1,750 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:

• floods, droughts

Environment – current issues:

• unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water

Geography – note:

• landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand

Bevolking

Population:

• 6,368,481 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:

• 0-14 years: 41.4% (male 1,324,207/female 1,313,454)
• 15-64 years: 55.4% (male 1,744,206/female 1,786,139)
• 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 89,451/female 111,024) (2006 est.)

Median age:

• total: 18.9 years
• male: 18.6 years
• female: 19.2 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:

• 2.39% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:

• 35.49 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:

• 11.55 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:

• 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:

• at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
• under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
• 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
• 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
• total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

• total: 83.31 deaths/1,000 live births
• male: 92.95 deaths/1,000 live births
• female: 73.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

• total population: 55.49 years
• male: 53.45 years
• female: 57.61 years (2006 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

Literacy:

• definition: age 15 and over can read and write
• total population: 66.4%
• male: 77.4%
• female: 55.5% (2002)

Regering

Country name:

• conventional long form: Lao People’s Democratic Republic
• conventional short form: Laos PDR or 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, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*, 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 Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALY Sayasone (since 8 June 2006) and Vice President BOUNGNANG Volachit (since 8 June 2006)
• head of government: Prime Minister Bouasone BOUPHAVANH (since 8 June 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May 2002), Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. DOUANGCHAI Phichit [since 8 June 2006], Deputy Prime Minister SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998), and Deputy Prime Minister THONGLOUN Sisolit (since 27 March 2001)
• 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 8 May 2006); 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 (115 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
• elections: last held 30 April 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
• election results: percent of vote by party – NA; seats by party – LPRP 113, independents 2

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 [CHOUMMALY Sayasone]; other parties proscribed

Flag description:

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

Economie

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 6% in 1988-2004 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, though the government is sponsoring major improvements in the road system with possible support from Japan. Electricity is available in only a few urban areas. Subsistence agriculture, dominated by rice, accounts for about half of GDP and provides 80% of total employment. The economy will continue to benefit from aid by the IMF and other international sources and from new foreign investment in food processing and mining. Construction will be another strong economic driver, especially as hydroelectric dam and road projects gain steam. In late 2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US, allowing Laos-based producers to face lower tariffs on exports. This new status may help spur growth. In addition, the European Union has agreed to provide $1 million to the Lao Government for technical assistance in preparations for WTO membership. If the avian flu worsens and spreads in the region, however, prospects for tourism could dim.

GDP – composition by sector:

• agriculture: 48.6%
• industry: 25.9%
• services: 25.5% (2005 est.)

Labor force – by occupation:

• agriculture: 80%
• industry and services: 20% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:

• 2.4% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line:

• 34% (2002 est.)

Agriculture – products:

• sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry

Industries:

• copper, tin, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement

Exports – commodities:

• garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin

Exports – partners:

• Thailand 19.3%, Vietnam 13.4%, France 8%, Germany 5.3%, UK 5% (2004)

Currency (code):

• kip (LAK)

Exchange rates:

• kips per US dollar – 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001)

Communicatie

Telephones – main lines in use:

• 90,067 (2006)

Telephones – mobile cellular:

• 520,546 (2006)

Internet country code:

• .la

Internet users:

• 20,900 (2005)

Transport

Airports:

• 44 (2005)

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 (2005)

Roadways:

• total: 32,620 km
• paved: 4,590 km
• unpaved: 28,030 km (2002)

Waterways:

• 4,600 km
• note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2005)

Leger

Military branches:

• Lao People’s Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force

Military service age and obligation:

• 15 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation – minimum 18 months (2004)

Military expenditures – dollar figure:

• $11.04 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures – percent of GDP:

• 0.4% (2005 est.)

Military – note:

• Laos is one of the world’s least developed countries; the Lao People’s Armed Forces are small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced; there is little political will to allocate sparse funding to the military, and the armed forces’ gradual degradation is likely to continue; the massive drug production and trafficking industry centered in the Golden Triangle makes Laos an important narcotics transit country, and armed Wa and Chinese smugglers are active on the Lao-Burma border (2005)

Transnationale Problemen

Disputes – international:

• Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over several areas along Mekong River and Thai squatters; concern among Mekong Commission members that China’s construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels

Illicit drugs:

• estimated cultivation in 2004 – 10,000 hectares, a 45% decrease from 2003; estimated potential production in 2004 – 49 metric tons, a significant decrease from 200 metric tons in 2003 (2005)

Het weer in Vientiane, Laos

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