|
Country
|
Uzbekistan | 
Laos |
|
Leader
|
President: Islam Karimov
|
President: Choummaly Sayasone
|
|
Population
|
28,661,637
| 6,695,166
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
73.030 years
| 63.140 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Tashkent (Toshkent)
| Vientiane (Viangchan)
|
|
Largest city
|
| Tashkent (population: 1,978,030) | Vientiane (population: 196,731) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.701
| 0.608
|
| GDP per capita |
$3,500 US
| $3,000 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
99.3%
| 68.7%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
1.8
| 2
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
16.4%
| 25.2%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
|
|
| Unemployment Rate |
4.800%
| 2.500%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished
| Abolished in practice
|
| |
|
Political System
|
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
| Communist state
|
|
Independence date
|
1 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
| 19 July 1949 (from France)
|
| Religions |
Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%
| Buddhist 67%, Christian 1.5%, other and unspecified 31.5% (2005 census)
|
| Languages |
Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
| Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
|
| Exports |
cotton, gold, energy products, mineral fertilizers, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, textiles, food products, machinery, automobiles
| wood products, coffee, electricity, tin, copper, gold
|
| External Debt |
$10,460,000,000 $
| $5,599,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
Uzbekistani soum (UZS) per US dollar - 1,317 (2008 est.), 1,263.8 (2007), 1,219.8 (2006), 1,020 (2005), 971.265 (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 |
3.500%
| 0.200%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
6
| 0
|
| Location |
Central Asia, north of Afghanistan
| Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
|
| Area |
447,400 km sq
| 236,800 km sq
|
| Coastline |
0 km
| 0 km
|
| Climate |
mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east
| tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
|
|
|
|
