ly used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Russia
and Western Europe from Southwest Asia

______________________________________________________________________

LAOS

@Laos:Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam

Geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 236,800 sq km
land: 230,800 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km

Area-comparative: slightly larger than Utah

Land boundaries:
total: 5,083 km
border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km,
Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season
(December to April)

Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mekong River 70 m
highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m

Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones

Land use:
arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 54%
other: 40% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,250 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: floods, droughts, and blight

Environment-current issues: unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil
erosion; a majority of the population does not have access to potable
water

Environment-international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental
Modification, Nuclear Test Ban
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography-note: landlocked

@Laos:People

Population: 5,260,842 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 1,205,210; female 1,174,323)
15-64 years: 52% (male 1,318,061; female 1,393,386)
65 years and over: 3% (male 77,388; female 92,474) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.76% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 40.58 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 12.97 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 91.81 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 53.7 years
male: 52.13 years
female: 55.34 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.66 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Lao(s) or Laoti