Laos

• tropical monsoon;
• rainy season (May to November);
• dry season (December to April)

total:

3 cu km/yr (4%/6%/90%)

per capita:

507 cu m/yr (2000)

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

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

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

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:

0.75 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever and malaria

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008) (2009)

noun:

Lao(s) or Laotian(s)

adjective:

Lao or Laotian

conventional long form:

Lao People's Democratic Republic

conventional short form:

Laos

local long form:

Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao

local short form:

Pathet Lao (unofficial)

name:

Vientiane (Viangchan)

geographic coordinates:

17 58 N, 102 36 E

time difference:

UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

• 16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural) and 1 capital city* (nakhon luang, singular and plural);
• Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xekong, Xiangkhoang

chief of state:

President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 8 June 2006); Vice President BOUN-GNANG Volachit (since 8 June 2006)

head of government:

Prime Minister THONGSING Thammavong (since 24 December 2010); Deputy Prime Ministers Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May 2002), Lt. Gen. DOUANGCHAI Phichit (since 8 June 2006), SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998), and THONGLOUN Sisoulit (since 27 March 2001)

cabinet:

Ministers appointed by president, approved by National Assembly; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president and vice president elected by National Assembly for five-year terms;
• election last held on 8 June 2006 (next to be held in 2011);
• prime minister nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly for five-year term

election results:

• CHOUMMALI Saignason elected president;
• BOUN-GNANG Volachit elected vice president;
• percent of National Assembly vote - 100%;
• BOUASONE Bouphavanh elected prime minister;
• percent of National Assembly vote - 97%

chief of mission:

Ambassador SENG Soukhathivong

chancery:

2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 332-6416

FAX:

[1] (202) 332-4923

chief of mission:

Ambassador Karen B. STEWART

embassy:

19 Rue Bartholonie, That Dam, Vientiane

mailing address:

American Embassy Vientiane, APO AP 96546

telephone:

[856] 21-26-7000

FAX:

[856] 21-26-7190

• three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band;
• the red bands recall the blood shed for liberation;
• the blue band represents the Mekong River and prosperity;
• the white disk symbolizes the full moon against the Mekong River, but also signifies the unity of the people under the Pathet Lao, as well as the country's bright future

name:

"Pheng Xat Lao" (Hymn of the Lao People)

lyrics/music:

SISANA Sisane/THONGDY Sounthonevichit

note: music adopted 1945, lyrics adopted 1975; the anthem's lyrics were changed following the 1975 Communist revolution that overthrew the monarchy

agriculture:

80%

industry and services:

20% (2009 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.4%

highest 10%:

28.5% (2002)

general assessment:

service to general public is poor but improving; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas

domestic:

multiple service providers; mobile cellular usage growing very rapidly

international:

country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and a second to be developed by China (2008)

• 2 television stations operating out of Vientiane - 1 government-operated and the other jointly-owned by the government and a Thai company;
• roughly 15 provincial stations operating with nearly all programming relayed via satellite from the government-operated station in Vientiane;
• relays from Hanoi provide access to a Vietnamese television station;
• broadcasts available from stations in Thailand and Vietnam in border areas;
• multi-channel satellite and cable TV systems provide access to a wide range of foreign stations;
• state-controlled radio with state-operated Lao National Radio (LNR) broadcasting on 5 frequencies - 1 AM, 2 SW, and 2 FM;
• LNR's AM and FM programs are relayed via satellite constituting a large part of the programming schedules of the provincial radio stations;
• Thai radio broadcasts available in border areas and transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are also accessible (2008)

total:

36,831 km

country comparison to the world: 93

paved:

4,811 km

unpaved:

32,020 km (2007)

total:

1

country comparison to the world: 157

by type:

cargo 1 (2008)

males age 16-49:

1,633,725

females age 16-49:

1,654,235 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

1,056,050

females age 16-49:

1,121,640 (2010 est.)

male:

77,910

female:

77,761 (2010 est.)

• serving one of the world's least developed countries, the Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF) is small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced;
• its mission focus is border and internal security, primarily in countering ethnic Hmong insurgent groups;
• together with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the government, the Lao People's Army (LPA) is the third pillar of state machinery, and as such is expected to suppress political and civil unrest and similar national emergencies, but the LPA also has upgraded skills to respond to avian influenza outbreaks;
• there is no perceived external threat to the state and the LPA maintains strong ties with the neighboring Vietnamese military (2008)

• 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 islands in the Mekong River;
• concern among Mekong Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels

• estimated opium poppy cultivation in 2008 was 1,900 hectares, about a 73% increase from 2007;
• estimated potential opium production in 2008 more than tripled to 17 metric tons;
• unsubstantiated reports of domestic methamphetamine production;
• growing domestic methamphetamine problem (2007)