|
Country
|
Tunisia | 
Laos |
|
Leader
|
President: Moncef Marzouki
|
President: Choummaly Sayasone
|
|
Population
|
10,835,873
| 6,695,166
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
75.460 years
| 63.140 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Tunis
| Vientiane (Viangchan)
|
|
Largest city
|
| Tunis (population: 693,210) | Vientiane (population: 196,731) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.762
| 0.608
|
| GDP per capita |
$9,700 US
| $3,000 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
74.3%
| 68.7%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
4.4
| 2
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
19.9%
| 25.2%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
|
|
| Unemployment Rate |
18.800%
| 2.500%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished in practice
| Abolished in practice
|
| |
|
Political System
|
republic
| Communist state
|
|
Independence date
|
20 March 1956 (from France)
| 19 July 1949 (from France)
|
| Religions |
Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%
| Buddhist 67%, Christian 1.5%, other and unspecified 31.5% (2005 census)
|
| Languages |
Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce)
| Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
|
| Exports |
clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons, electrical equipment
| wood products, coffee, electricity, tin, copper, gold
|
| External Debt |
$24,490,000,000 $
| $5,599,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
Tunisian dinars (TND) per US dollar - 1.211 (2008 est.), 1.2776 (2007), 1.331 (2006), 1.2974 (2005), 1.2455 (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 |
1.500%
| 0.200%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
1
| 0
|
| Location |
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya
| Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
|
| Area |
163,610 km sq
| 236,800 km sq
|
| Coastline |
1,148 km
| 0 km
|
| Climate |
temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south
| tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
|
|
|
|
