|
Country
|
| 
Laos |
|
Leader
|
President: Manuel Pinto da Costa
|
President: Choummaly Sayasone
|
|
Population
|
183,176
| 6,586,266
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
63.490 years
| 62.770 years
|
|
Capital City
|
| Vientiane (Viangchan)
|
|
Largest city
|
| Sao Tome (population: 53,300) | Vientiane (population: 196,731) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.643
| 0.608
|
| GDP per capita |
| $2,700 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
84.9%
| 68.7%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
2.7
| 2
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
1.8%
| 25.2%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
|
|
| Unemployment Rate |
| 2.500%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished
| Abolished in practice
|
| |
|
Political System
|
republic
| Communist state
|
|
Independence date
|
| 19 July 1949 (from France)
|
| Religions |
Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census)
| Buddhist 67%, Christian 1.5%, other and unspecified 31.5% (2005 census)
|
| Languages |
Portuguese (official)
| Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
|
| Exports |
| wood products, coffee, electricity, tin, copper, gold
|
| External Debt |
| $5,953,000,000 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)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
| 0.500%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
|
|
| Location |
Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon
| Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
|
| Area |
964 km sq
| 236,800 km sq
|
| Coastline |
209 km
| 0 km
|
| Climate |
tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)
| tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
|
|
|
|
