1988 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1988 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Climate
tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to October); dry season (February to May)
Comparative area
slightly larger than Utah
Environment
deforestation; soil erosion; subject to floods
Land boundaries
5,053 km total
Land use
4% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures; 58% forest and woodland; 35% other; includes 1% irrigated
Special notes
landlocked
Terrain
mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Total area
236,800 km2; land area: 230,800 km2
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
48% Lao; 25% Phoutheung (Kha); 14% Tribal Tai; 13% Meo, Yao, and other
Infant mortality rate
159/1,000 (1983)
Labor force
about 1-1.5 million; 80-90% agriculture
Language
Lao (official), French, and English
Life expectancy
men 42, women 45
Literacy
85%
Nationality
noun — Lao (sing., Lao or Laotian); adjective — Lao or Laotian
Organized labor
only labor organization is subordinate to the Communist Party
Population
3,765,887 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.17%
Religion
50% Buddhist, 50% animist and other
Government
Administrative divisions
16 provinces subdivided into districts, cantons, and villages
Branches
President; 37-member Supreme People's Council; Cabinet; Cabinet is totally Communist but Council contains a few nominal neutralists and non-Communists; National Congress of People's Representatives established the current government structure in December
Capital
Vientiane
Elections
elections for National Assembly, originally scheduled for 1 April 1976, have not yet been held Political parties and leaders: Lao People's Revolutionary Party (Communist), Kaysone Phomvihan, party chairman; includes Lao Patriotic Front and Alliance Committee of Patriotic Neutralist Forces; other parties moribund
Government leaders
PHOUMI VONGVICHIT, Acting President (since October 1986); KAYSONE PHOMVIHAN, Chairman (since December 1975)
Legal system
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Member of
ADB, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, Mekong Committee, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
2 December
Official name
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Other political or pressure groups
nonCommunist political groups moribund; most leaders have fled the country
Suffrage
universal over age 18
Type
Communist state
Communications
Airfields
9 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard
Civil air
26 major transport aircraft
Highways
2,600 km total; 2,300 km bituminous; 300 km earth, sand, light gravel
Military budget
operating expenditures for fiscal year ending 30 June 1986, $876 million; 7.5% of central government budget fv \ Phongsali /^ ( f^ Louang N«mth»Sl' ;) Louangphra s J Xiimgkhoang 'VIENTIANE
Military manpower
males 15-49, about 626,000; about 376,000 fit for military service
Pipelines
crude oil, 877 km; refined products, 40 km; natural gas, 140 km
Ports
3 major (Ash Shuwaykh, Ash Shu'aybah, Mln5' al Ahmadl), 6 minor
Railroads
none
Telecommunications
excellent international, adequate domestic facilities; 258,000 telephones (14.6 per 100 popl.); 2 AM, 2 FM, 3 TV stations; 1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT stations, 1 INMARSAT satellite station; 1 ARABSAT station; coaxial cable and radiorelay to Iraq and Saudi Arabia Defense Forces