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| Laos |  |
 |
| Introduction |
| 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. |
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| Geography |
| 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 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: | 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% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 3% forests and woodland: 54% other: 40% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated land: |
1,250 sq km (1993 est.) note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural hazards: | floods, droughts, and blight |
| Environment - current issues: | unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water |
| Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate 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 |
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| People |
| Population: | 5,635,967 (July 2001 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 42.75% (male 1,212,577; female 1,196,795) 15-64 years: 53.94% (male 1,494,927; female 1,544,851) 65 years and over: 3.31% (male 85,632; female 101,185) (2001 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.48% (2001 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 37.84 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death rate: | 13.02 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 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: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | 92.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 53.48 years male: 51.58 years female: 55.44 years (2001 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 5.12 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.05% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 1,400 (1999 est.) |
| 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% |
| 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.) |
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