million (f.o.b., 1994)
commodities: electricity, wood products, coffee, tin, garments
partners: Thailand, Japan, France, Germany, Netherlands

Imports: $486 million (c.i.f., 1994)
commodities: food, fuel oil, consumer goods, manufactures
partners: Thailand, China, Japan, France, US

External debt: $2 billion (1995 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency: 1 new kip (NK) = 100 at

Exchange rates: new kips (NK) per US$1 - 920 (1995), 717 (1994
est.), 720 (July 1993), 710 (May 1992), 710 (December 1991), 700
(September 1990), 576 (1989)

Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September

Transportation
--------------

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 14,130 km
paved: 2,261 km
unpaved: 11,869 km (1992 est.)

Waterways: about 4,587 km, primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897
additional kilometers are sectionally navigable by craft drawing
less than 0.5 m

Pipelines: petroleum products 136 km

Ports: none

Merchant marine:
total: 1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,370 GRT/3,000 DWT
(1995 est.)

Airports:
total: 39
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 1
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 5
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 3
with paved runways under 914 m: 16
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 13 (1995 est.)

Communications
--------------

Telephones: 6,600 (1991 est.)

Telephone system: service to general public very poor;
radiotelephone communications network provides generally erratic
service to government users
domestic: radiotelephone communications
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian
Ocean Region)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios: 560,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 2

Televisions: 32,000 (1993 est.)

Defense
-------

Branches: Lao People's Army (LPA; includes riverine naval and
militia elements), Air Force, National Police Department

Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 1,087,264
males fit for military service: 586,664
males reach military age (18) annually: 53,250 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $105 million,
8.1% of GDP (FY92/93)

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

@Latvia
------

Map
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Location: 57 00 N, 25 00 E -- Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic
Sea, between Estoni