ly managed from London and Kuwaiti cargo and
container ships are managed from Dubai

_#_Civil air: 19 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 7 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
none with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: excellent international, adequate domestic
facilities; 258,000 telephones; stations--3 AM, 2 FM, 3 TV; satellite
earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT; 1
INMARSAT, 1 ARABSAT; coaxial cable and radio relay to Iraq and Saudi
Arabia

_*_Defense Forces
_#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National
Guard

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 738,812; 441,611 fit for
military service; 19,452 reach military age (18) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $1.1 billion, 4.8% of GDP (1990)
_%_
_@_Laos
_*_Geography
_#_Total area: 236,800 km2; land area: 230,800 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Utah

_#_Land boundaries: 5,083 km total; Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km,
China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km

_#_Coastline: none--landlocked

_#_Maritime claims: none--landlocked

_#_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

_#_Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold,
gemstones

_#_Land use: arable land 4%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
pastures 3%; forest and woodland 58%; other 35%; includes irrigated 1%

_#_Environment: deforestation; soil erosion; subject to floods

_#_Note: landlocked

_*_People
_#_Population: 4,113,223 (July 1991), growth rate 2.2% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 124 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 52 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 5.0 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Lao (sing., Lao or Laotian); adjective--Lao
or Laotian

_#_Ethnic divisions: Lao 50%, Phoutheung (Kha) 15%, tribal Thai 20%,
Meo, Hmong, Yao, and other 15%

_#_Religion: Buddhist 85%, animist and other 15%

_#_Language: Lao (official), French, and English

_#_Li