|
Country
|
Kuwait | 
Laos |
|
Leader
|
Emir: Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah
|
President: Choummaly Sayasone
|
|
Population
|
2,646,314
| 6,586,266
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
77.280 years
| 62.770 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Kuwait
| Vientiane (Viangchan)
|
|
Largest city
|
| As Salimiyah (population: 147,649) | Vientiane (population: 196,731) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.912
| 0.608
|
| GDP per capita |
$42,200 US
| $2,700 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
93.3%
| 68.7%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
4.3
| 2
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
3.1%
| 25.2%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
Nasser Al-Kharafi & family ($8.1bn US)
| NA
|
| Unemployment Rate |
2.200%
| 2.500%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Legal
| Abolished in practice
|
| |
|
Political System
|
constitutional emirate
| Communist state
|
|
Independence date
|
19 June 1961 (from UK)
| 19 July 1949 (from France)
|
| Religions |
Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shia 30%), other (includes Christian, Hindu, Parsi) 15%
| Buddhist 67%, Christian 1.5%, other and unspecified 31.5% (2005 census)
|
| Languages |
Arabic (official), English widely spoken
| Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
|
| Exports |
oil and refined products, fertilizers
| wood products, coffee, electricity, tin, copper, gold
|
| External Debt |
$41,730,000,000 $
| $5,953,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US dollar - 0.2679 (2008 est.), 0.2844 (2007), 0.29 (2006), 0.292 (2005), 0.2947 (2004)
| kips (LAK) per US dollar - 8,760.69 (2008 est.), 9,658 (2007), 10,235 (2006), 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
5.300%
| 0.500%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
|
|
| Location |
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
| Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
|
| Area |
17,818 km sq
| 236,800 km sq
|
| Coastline |
499 km
| 0 km
|
| Climate |
dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
| tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
|
|
|
|
