|
Country
|
Laos | 
Australia |
|
Leader
|
President: Choummaly Sayasone
|
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Quentin Bryce Prime minister: Julia Gillard
|
|
Population
|
6,586,266
| 22,015,576
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
62.770 years
| 81.900 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Vientiane (Viangchan)
| Canberra
|
|
Largest city
|
| Vientiane (population: 196,731) | Sydney (population: 4,394,580) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.608
| 0.965
|
| GDP per capita |
$2,700 US
| $40,800 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
68.7%
| 99%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
2
| 8.7
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
25.2%
| 29.6%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
NA
| Frank Lowy & family ($2.7bn US)
|
| Unemployment Rate |
2.500%
| 5.100%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished in practice
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
Communist state
| federal parliamentary democracy
|
|
Independence date
|
19 July 1949 (from France)
| 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
|
| Religions |
Buddhist 67%, Christian 1.5%, other and unspecified 31.5% (2005 census)
| Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none 15.3% (2001 Census)
|
| Languages |
Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
| English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)
|
| Exports |
wood products, coffee, electricity, tin, copper, gold
| coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport equipment
|
| External Debt |
$5,953,000,000 $
| $1,376,000,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
kips (LAK) per US dollar - 8,760.69 (2008 est.), 9,658 (2007), 10,235 (2006), 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004)
| Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2059 (2008 est.), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
0.500%
| 3.000%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
0
| 46
|
| Location |
Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
| Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
|
| Area |
236,800 km sq
| 7,741,220 km sq
|
| Coastline |
0 km
| 25,760 km
|
| Climate |
tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
| generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
|
|
|
|
