|
Country
|
Laos | 
Nicaragua |
|
Leader
|
President: Choummaly Sayasone
|
President: Daniel Ortega
|
|
Population
|
6,586,266
| 5,727,707
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
62.770 years
| 72.180 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Vientiane (Viangchan)
| Managua
|
|
Largest city
|
| Vientiane (population: 196,731) | Managua (population: 973,087) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.608
| 0.699
|
| GDP per capita |
$2,700 US
| $3,200 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
68.7%
| 67.5%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
2
| 2.5
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
25.2%
| 18.5%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
|
|
| Unemployment Rate |
2.500%
| 7.300%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished in practice
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
Communist state
| republic
|
|
Independence date
|
19 July 1949 (from France)
| 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
|
| Religions |
Buddhist 67%, Christian 1.5%, other and unspecified 31.5% (2005 census)
| Roman Catholic 58.5%, Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census)
|
| Languages |
Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
| Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
|
| Exports |
wood products, coffee, electricity, tin, copper, gold
| coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts
|
| External Debt |
$5,953,000,000 $
| $4,073,000,000 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)
| gold cordobas (NIO) per US dollar - 19.374 (2008 est.), 18.457 (2007), 17.582 (2006), 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
0.500%
| 0.600%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
|
|
| Location |
Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
| Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
|
| Area |
236,800 km sq
| 130,370 km sq
|
| Coastline |
0 km
| 910 km
|
| Climate |
tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
| tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
|
|
|
|
