KUWAIT (Continued)
Highways: 2,545 km total; 2,255 km bituminous; 290 km earth, sand, light gravel
Pipelines: crude oil, 877 km; refined products, 40 km; natural gas, 121 km
Ports: 3 major (Ash Shuwaikh, Ash Shuaybah, Mina al Ahmadi), 4 minor
Civil air: 19 major transport aircraft, including 2 leased in
Airfields: 10 total, 6 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent international and adequate domestic telecommunication facilities; 153,000 telephones (12.0 per 100 popl.); 3 AM, 1 FM, and 3 TV stations; 1 satellite station with Indian and Atlantic Ocean antennas
DEFENSE FORCES
Military manpower: males 15-49, about 383,000; about 232,000 fit for military service
Military budget: for fiscal year ending 30 June 1981, $1,104 million; 6% of central government budget
LAOS
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| (See reference map IX) |
LAND
236,804 km2; 8% agricultural, 60% forests, 32% urban, waste, and other; except in very limited areas, soil is very poor; most of forested area is not exploitable
Land boundaries: 5,053 km
PEOPLE
Population: 3,577,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 1.7%
Nationality: noun—Lao or Laotian (sing.); Laotians (pl.); adjective—Lao or Laotian
Ethnic divisions: 48% Lao; 25% Phoutheung (Kha); 14% Tribal Tai; 13% Meo, Yao, and other
Religion: 50% Buddhist, 50% animist and other
Language: Lao official, French predominant foreign language
Literacy: about 15%
Labor force: about 1-1.5 million; 80%-90% agriculture
Organized labor: only labor organization is subordinate to the Communist Party
GOVERNMENT
Official name: Lao People's Democratic Republic
Type: Communist state
Capital: Vientiane
Political subdivisions: 13 provinces subdivided into districts, cantons, and villages
Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: 2 December
Branches: President; 40-member Supreme People's Council; Cabinet; Cabinet is totally Communist but Council contains a few nominal neutralists and non-Communists; National Congress of People's Representatives established the current government structure in December 1975
Government leaders: President SOUPHANOUVONG; Prime Minister KAYSON PHOMVIHAN; Deputy Prime
