uge (1990)

Highways:
total: 18,560 km
paved: 16,890 km (including 140 km of expressways)
unpaved : 1,670 km (1995 est.)

Waterways: 600 km (1990)

Pipelines: natural gas 200 km

Ports and harbors: Balykchy (Ysyk-Kol or Rybach'ye)

Airports: 54 (1994 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 14
over 3,047 m : 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
under 914 m: 1 (1994 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 40
1,524 to 2,437 m : 4
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 32 (1994 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, National Guard, Security Forces (internal and
border troops), Civil Defense

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,109,139 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 900,105 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 44,447 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: 151 million soms (1995); note -
conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current
exchange rate could produce misleading results

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: territorial dispute with Tajikistan on
southwestern boundary in Isfara Valley area

Illicit drugs: limited illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy,
mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication program;
increasingly used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Russia
and Western Europe from Southwest Asia
______________________________________________________________________

LAOS

@Laos:Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand

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 pas