tem: service to general public is poor but improving,
with over 19,000 telephones currently in service and 86,000 expected
to be installed by 2000; the government relies on a radiotelephone
network to communicate with remote areas
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.)

@Laos:Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 22,321 km
paved: 3,502 km
unpaved: 18,819 km (1997 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 and harbors: none

Merchant marine:
total: 1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,370 GRT/3,000 DWT
(1997 est.)

Airports: 52 (1997 est.)

Airports-with paved runways:
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (1997 est.)

Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 43
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 25 (1997 est.)

@Laos:Military

Military branches: Lao People's Army (LPA; includes militia element),
Lao People's Navy (LPN; includes riverine element), Air Force,
National Police Department

Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 1,161,497 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 626,880 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-reaching military age annually:
males: 55,903 (1998 est.)

Military expenditures-dollar figure: $105 million (FY92/93)

Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 8.1% (FY92/93)

@Laos:Transnational Issues

Disputes-international: parts of the border with Thailand are
indefinite

Illicit drugs: world's third largest opium producer (cultivation in
1997-28,150 hectares, an 11% increase over 1996; potential
production-210 metric tons, a 5% increase over 1996); heroin producer;
transshipment point for heroin and amphetamines produced in Burma;
illicit producer of cannabis

______________________________________________________________________

LATVIA

@Latvia:Geography

Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia
and Lithuania

Geographic coordinates: 57 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references: Europe

Area:
total: 64,100 sq km
land: 64,