Irrigated land: 1,554 sq km (1992 est.)

Environment:
current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; a majority of the
population does not have access to potable water
natural hazards: floods, droughts, and blight
international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Environmental
Modification, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Law of the
Sea

Note: landlocked

@Laos:People

Population: 4,837,237 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (female 1,084,615; male 1,111,928)
15-64 years: 51% (female 1,280,142; male 1,199,149)
65 years and over: 4% (female 86,390; male 75,013) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.84% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 42.64 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 14.28 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 99.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 52.2 years
male: 50.66 years
female: 53.81 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.98 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)
adjective: Lao or Laotian

Ethnic divisions: Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao
Soung (highland) including the Hmong ("Meo") and the Yao (Mien) 9%,
ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%

Religions: Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40%

Languages: Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic
languages

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1992)
total population: 50%
male: 65%
female: 35%

Labor force: 1 million-1.5 million
by occupation: agriculture 80% (1992 est.)

@Laos:Government

Names:
conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic
conventional short form: Laos
local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao
local short form: none

Digraph: LA

Type: Communist state

Capital: Vientiane

Administrative divisions: 16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural)
and 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural); Attapu,
Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha,
Louangphabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan*,
Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xekong, Xiangkhoang

Independence: 19 July 1949 (from France)

National holiday: National Day, 2 December (1975) (proclamation of the
Lao People's Democratic Republic)

Constitution: promulgated 14 August 1991

Lega