tures: 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: 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: 5,116,959 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 1,174,029; female 1,144,634)
15-64 years: 52% (male 1,277,175; female 1,354,220)
65 years and over: 3% (male 76,544; female 90,357) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.78% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 41.25 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 13.4 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over : 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 94.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population : 53.19 years
male: 51.63 years
female: 54.83 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.76 children born/woman (1997 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: 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:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 56.6%
male: 69.4%
female : 44.4% (1995 est.)

@Laos:Government

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

Data code: LA

Government type: Communist state

National capital: Vientiane

Administrative divisions: 16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural),
1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural), and 1 special
zone** (khetphiset, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai,
Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphabang, Oudomxa