mmunications
--------------

Telephones: 342,000 (1991 est.)

Telephone system: poorly developed; about 100,000 unsatisfied
applications for household telephones
domestic: principally microwave radio relay
international: connections with other CIS countries by landline or
microwave radio relay and with other countries by leased connections
with Moscow international gateway switch and by satellite; satellite
earth stations - 1 Intersputnik and 1 Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note -1
state-run radio broadcast station

Radios: 825,000 (radio receiver systems with multiple speakers for
program diffusion 748,000)

Television broadcast stations: 1
note: receives Turkish broadcasts

Televisions: 875,000

Defense
-------

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

Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 1,096,985
males fit for military service: 890,901
males reach military age (18) annually: 44,159 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures: 151 million soms, NA% of GDP (1995); note -
conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current
exchange rate could produce misleading results

======================================================================

@Laos
----

Map
---

Location: 18 00 N, 105 00 E -- Southeastern Asia, northeast of
Thailand

Flag
----

Description: three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double
width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band

Geography
---------

Location: Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand

Geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area:
total area: 236,800 sq km
land area: 230,800 sq km
comparative area: 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)

International disputes: boundary dispute with Thailand

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

Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
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: 4%
perm