., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: wood products, garments, electricity, coffee,
tin

Exports - partners: Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, France, Belgium

Imports: $540 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel

Imports - partners: Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Hong
Kong

Debt - external: $2.46 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $345 million (1999 est.)

Currency: kip (LAK)

Currency code: LAK

Exchange rates: kips per US dollar - 7,578.00 (December 2000),
7,102.03 (1999), 3,298.33 (1998), 1,259.98 (1997), 921.02 (1996)

Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September

Laos Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 25,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 4,915 (1997)

Telephone system: general assessment: service to general public is
poor but improving, with over 20,000 telephones currently in service
and an additional 48,000 expected by 2001; the government relies on
a radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas

domestic: radiotelephone communications

international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian
Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios: 730,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 4 (1999)

Televisions: 52,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .la

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)

Internet users: 2,000 (2000)

Laos Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 14,000 km

paved: 3,360 km

unpaved: 10,640 km (1991)

Waterways: 4,587 km approximately

note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are
intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m

Pipelines: petroleum products 136 km

Ports and harbors: none

Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,370
GRT/3,000 DWT

ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.)

Airports: 51 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 8

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 43

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 17

under 914 m: 25 (2000 est.)

Laos Military

Military branches: Lao People's Army (LPA; includes riverine
element), Air Force, National Police Department

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,319,537 (2001
est.)

Military m