Part 48

Overview: Kyrgyzstan's small economy (less than 1% of the total for the former Soviet Union) is oriented toward agriculture, producing mainly livestock such as goats and sheep, as well as cotton, grain, and tobacco. Industry, concentrated around Bishkek, produces small quantities of electric motors, livestock feeding equipment, washing machines, furniture, cement, paper, and bricks. Mineral extraction is small, the most important minerals being rare earth metals and gold. Kyrgyzstan is a net importer of most types of food and fuel but is a net exporter of electricity. By early 1991, the Kirghiz leadership had accelerated reform, primarily by privatizing business and granting life-long tenure to farmers. In 1991 overall industrial and livestock output declined substantially. GDP: purchasing power equivalent - $NA billion, per capita $NA; real growth rate -5% (1991) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 88% (1991) Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues $NA million; expenditures $NA million Exports: $115 million (1990) commodities: wool, chemicals, cotton, ferrous and nonferrous metals, shoes, machinery, tobacco partners: Russia 70%, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and others Imports: $1.5 million (c.i.f., 1990) commodities: lumber, industrial products, ferrous metals, fuel, machinery, textiles, footwear External debt: $650 million (1991) Industrial production: growth rate 0.1% (1991) Electricity: NA kW capacity; 13,900 million kWh produced, 3,232 kWh per capita (1991) Industries: small machinery, textiles, food-processing industries, cement, shoes, sawn logs, steel, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, and rare earth metals Agriculture: wool, tobacco, cotton, livestock (sheep and goats) and cattle, vegetables, meat, grapes, fruits and berries, eggs, milk, potatoes Illicit drugs: poppy cultivation legal Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $NA billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-86), $NA million; Communist countries (1971-86), $NA million Currency: as of May 1992, retaining ruble as currency Fiscal year: calendar year

:Kyrgyzstan Communications

Railroads: 370 km; does not include industrial lines (1990) Highways: 30,300 km total; 22,600 km paved or graveled, 7,700 km earth(1990) Inland waterways: NA km perennially navigable Pipelines: NA Ports: none - landlocked Civil air: NA Airports: NA Telecommunications: poorly developed; connections with other CIS countries by landline or microwave and with other countries by leased connections with Moscow international gateway switch; satellite earth stations - Orbita and INTELSAT (TV receive only)

:Kyrgyzstan Defense Forces

Branches: Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops); National Guard, Civil Defense; CIS Forces (Ground, Air, and Air Defense) Manpower availability: males 15-49, NA fit for military service; NA reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP

:Laos Geography

Total area: 236,800 km2 Land area: 230,800 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than Utah Land boundaries: 5,083 km; 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

:Laos People

Population: 4,440,213 (July 1992), growth rate 2.9% (1992) Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 107 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 52 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 6.3 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - Lao(s) or Laotian(s); adjective - Lao or Laotian Ethnic divisions: Lao 50%, Phoutheung (Kha) 15%, tribal Thai 20%, Meo, Hmong, Yao, and other 15% Religions: Buddhist 85%, animist and other 15% Languages: Lao (official), French, and English Literacy: 84% (male 92%, female 76%) age 15 to 45 can read and write (1985 est.) Labor force: 1-1.5 million; 85-90% in agriculture (est.) Organized labor: Lao Federation of Trade Unions is subordinate to the Communist party

:Laos Government

Long-form name: Lao People's Democratic Republic Type: Communist state Capital: Vientiane Administrative divisions: 16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural) and 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamsai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louang Namtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Saravan, Savannakhet, Sekong, Vientiane, Vientiane*, Xaignabouri, Xiangkhoang Independence: 19 July 1949 (from France) Constitution: promulgated August 1991 Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: National Day (proclamation of the Lao People's Democratic Republic), 2 December (1975) Executive branch: president, chairman and two vice chairmen of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet) Legislative branch: Supreme People's Assembly Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State: President KAYSONE PHOMVIHAN (since 15 August 1991) Head of Government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Gen. KHAMTAI SIPHANDON (since 15 August 1991) Political parties and leaders: Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), KAYSONE PHOMVIHAN, party chairman; includes Lao Patriotic Front and Alliance Committee of Patriotic Neutralist Forces; other parties moribund Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: Supreme People's Assembly: last held on 26 March 1989 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (79 total) number of seats by party NA Other political or pressure groups: non-Communist political groups moribund; most leaders have fled the country Member of: ACCT (associate), AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Charge d'Affaires LINTHONG PHETSAVAN; Chancery at 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-6416 or 6417 US: Charge d'Affaires Charles B. SALMON, Jr.; Embassy at Rue Bartholonie, Vientiane (mailing address is B. P. 114, Vientiane, or AMEMB, Box V, APO AP 96546); telephone (856) 2220, 2357, 2384; FAX (856) 4675

:Laos Government

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

:Laos Economy

Overview: One of the world's poorest nations, Laos has had a Communist centrally planned economy with government ownership and control of productive enterprises of any size. In recent years, however, the government has been decentralizing control and encouraging private enterprise. Laos is a landlocked country with a primitive infrastructure; that is, it has no railroads, a rudimentary road system, limited external and internal telecommunications, and electricity available in only a limited area. Subsistence agriculture is the main occupation, accounting for over 60% of GDP and providing about 85-90% of total employment. The predominant crop is rice. For the foreseeable future the economy will continue to depend for its survival on foreign aid from the IMF and other international sources; aid from the former USSR and Eastern Europe has been cut sharply. GDP: exchange rate conversion - $800 million, per capita $200; real growth rate 4% (1991) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.4% (December 1991) Unemployment rate: 21% (1989 est.) Budget: revenues $83 million; expenditures $188.5 million, including capital expenditures of $94 million (1990 est.) Exports: $72 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.) commodities: electricity, wood products, coffee, tin partners: Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, USSR, US, China Imports: $238 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.) commodities: food, fuel oil, consumer goods, manufactures partners: Thailand, USSR, Japan, France, Vietnam, China External debt: $1.1 billion (1990 est.) Industrial production: growth rate 12% (1991 est.); accounts for about 18% of GDP (1991 est.) Electricity: 226,000 kW capacity; 1,100 million kWh produced, 270 kWh per capita (1991) Industries: tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction Agriculture: accounts for 60% of GDP and employs most of the work force; subsistence farming predominates; normally self-sufficient in nondrought years; principal crops - rice (80% of cultivated land), sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, cotton; livestock - buffaloes, hogs, cattle, chicken Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis, opium poppy for the international drug trade, third-largest opium producer Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $276 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $605 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $995 million Currency: new kip (plural - kips); 1 new kip (NK) = 100 at

:Laos Economy

Exchange rates: new kips (NK) per US$1 - 710 (May 1992), 710 (December 1991), 700 (September 1990), 576 (1989), 385 (1988), 200 (1987) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

:Laos Communications

Railroads: none Highways: about 27,527 km total; 1,856 km bituminous or bituminous treated; 7,451 km gravel, crushed stone, or improved earth; 18,220 km unimproved earth and often impassable during rainy season mid-May to mid-September Inland 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 Airports: 57 total, 47 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 14 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: service to general public considered poor; radio communications network provides generally erratic service to government users; 7,390 telephones (1986); broadcast stations - 10 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 satellite earth station

:Laos Defense Forces

Branches: Lao People's Army (LPA; including naval, aviation, and militia elements), Air Force, National Police Department Manpower availability: males 15-49, 946,289; 509,931 fit for military service; 45,232 reach military age (18) annually; conscription age NA Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

:Latvia Geography

Total area: 64,100 km2 Land area: 64,100 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia Land boundaries: 1,078 km; Belarus 141 km, Estonia 267 km, Lithuania 453 km, Russia 217 km Coastline: 531 km Maritime claims: Contiguous zone: NA nm Continental shelf: NA meter depth Exclusive fishing zone: NA nm Exclusive economic zone: NA nm Territorial sea: NA nm Disputes: the Abrene section of border ceded by the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic to Russia in 1944 Climate: maritime; wet, moderate winters Terrain: low plain Natural resources: minimal; amber, peat, limestone, dolomite Land use: 27% arable land; NA% permanent crops; 13% meadows and pastures; 39% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes NA% irrigated Environment: heightened levels of air and water pollution because of a lack of waste conversion equipment; Gulf of Riga heavily polluted

:Latvia People

Population: 2,728,937 (July 1992), growth rate 0.6% (1992) Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 12 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: 4 migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 19 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 75 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - Latvian(s);adjective - Latvian Ethnic divisions: Latvian 51.8%, Russian 33.8%, Byelorussian 4.5%, Ukrainian 3.4%, Polish 2.3%, other 4.2% Religions: Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox Languages: Latvian NA% (official), Lithuanian NA%, Russian NA%, other NA% Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write Labor force: 1,407,000; industry and construction 41%, agriculture and forestry 16%, other 43% (1990) Organized labor: NA

:Latvia Government

Long-form name: Republic of Latvia Type: republic Capital: Riga Administrative divisions: none - all districts are under direct republic jurisdiction Independence: 18 November 1918; annexed by the USSR 21 July 1940, the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic declared independence 6 September 1991 from USSR Constitution: April 1978, currently rewriting constitution, but readopted the 1922 Constitution Legal system: based on civil law system National holiday: Independence Day, 18 November (1918) Executive branch: Prime Minister Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State: Chairman, Supreme Council, Anatolijs GORBUNOVS (since October 1988); Chairmen, Andrejs KRASTINS, Valdis BIRKAVS (since NA 1992) Head of Government: Prime Minister Ivars GODMANIS (since May 1990) Political parties and leaders: Democratic Labor Party of Latvia, Juris BOJARS, chairman; Inter-Front of the Working People of Latvia, Igor LOPATIN, chairman; note - Inter-Front was banned after the coup; Latvian National Movement for Independence, Eduards BERKLAVS, chairman; Latvian Social Democratic Party, Janis DINEVICS, chairman; Social Democratic Party of Latvia, Uldis BERZINS, chairman; Latvian People's Front, Romualdas RAZUKAS, chairman; Latvian Liberal Party, Georg LANSMANIS, chairman Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: President: last held October 1988 (next to be held NA; note - elected by Parliament; new elections have not been scheduled; results - percent of vote by party NA Supreme Council: last held 18 March 1990 (next to be held NA); results - undetermined; seats - (234 total) Latvian Communist Party 59, Latvian Democratic Workers Party 31, Social Democratic Party of Latvia 4, Green Party of Latvia 7, Latvian Farmers Union 7, 126 supported by the Latvia Popular Front Congress of Latvia: last held April 1990 (next to be held NA); note - the Congress of Latvia is a quasi-governmental structure; results - percent of vote by party NA%; seats - (231 total) number of seats by party NA Member of: CSCE, IAEA, UN Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Dr. Anatol DINBERGS; Chancery at 4325 17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20011; telephone (202) 726-8213 and 8214

:Latvia Government

US: Ambassador Ints SILINS; (mailing address is APO AE 09862); telephone [358] (49) 306-067 (cellular), (7) (01-32) 325-968/185; FAX [358] (49) 308-326 (cellular), (7) (01-32) 220-502 Flag: two horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (middle, narrower than other two bands) and maroon (bottom)

:Latvia Economy

Overview: Latvia is in the process of reforming the centrally planned economy inherited from the former USSR into a market economy. Prices have been freed, and privatization of shops and farms has begun. Latvia lacks natural resources, aside from its arable land and small forests. Its most valuable economic asset is its work force, which is better educated and disciplined than in most of the former Soviet republics. Industrial production is highly diversified, with products ranging from agricultural machinery to consumer electronics. One conspicuous vulnerability: Latvia produces only 10% of its electric power needs. Latvia in the near term must retain key commercial ties to Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine while moving in the long run toward joint ventures, technological support, and trade ties to the West. Because of the efficiency of its mostly individual farms, Latvians enjoy a diet that is higher in meat, vegetables, and dairy products and lower in grain and potatoes than diets in the 12 non-Baltic republics of the USSR. Good relations with Russia are threatened by animosity between ethnic Russians (34% of the population) and native Latvians. GDP: purchasing power equivalent - $NA; per capital NA; real growth rate - 8% (1991) Inflation rate (consumer prices): approximately 200% (1991) Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991) Exports: $239 million (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: food 14%, railroad cars 13%, chemicals 12% partners: Russia 50%, Ukraine 15%, other former Soviet republics 30%, West 5% Imports: $9.0 billion (c.i.f., 1989) commodities: machinery 35%, petroleum products 13%, chemicals 9% partners: NA External debt: $650 million (1991 est.) Industrial production: growth rate 0% (1991) Electricity: 1,975,000 kW capacity; 6,500 million kWh produced, 2,381 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: employs 33.2% of labor force; highly diversified; dependent on imports for energy, raw materials, and intermediate products; produces buses, vans, street and railroad cars, synthetic fibers, agricultural machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios, electronics, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles Agriculture: employs 23% of labor force; principally dairy farming and livestock feeding; products - meat, milk, eggs, grain, sugar beets, potatoes, and vegetables; fishing and fish packing Illicit drugs: transshipment point for illicit drugs from Central and Southwest Asia to Western Europe

:Latvia Economy

Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $NA billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-86), $NA million; Communist countries (1971-86), $NA million Currency: as of May 1992, retaining ruble as currency but planning early introduction of ``lat'' Exchange rates: NA Fiscal year: calendar year

:Latvia Communications

Railroads: 2,400 km (includes NA km electrified) does not include industrial lines (1990) Highways: 59,500 km total (1990); 33,000 km hard surfaced 26,500 km earth Inland waterways: 300 km perennially navigable Pipelines: crude oil NA km, refined products NA km, natural gas NA km Ports: maritime - Riga, Ventspils, Liepaja; inland - Daugavpils Merchant marine: 96 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 917,979 GRT/1,194,666 DWT; includes 14 cargo, 29 refrigerated cargo, 2 container, 9 roll-on/roll-off, 42 petroleum tanker Civil air: NA major transport aircraft Airports: NA total, NA usable; NA with permanent-surface runways; NA with runways over 3,659 m; NA with runways 2,440-3,659 m; NA with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: broadcast stations - NA; international traffic carried by leased connection to the Moscow international gateway switch and the Finnish cellular net

:Latvia Defense Forces

Branches: Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), National Guard, Russian Forces (Ground, Navy, Air, Air Defense, Border Guard Manpower availability: males 15-49, NA; NA fit for military service; NA reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: NA% of GDP; 3-5% of Latvia's budget (1992)

:Lebanon Geography

Total area: 10,400 km2 Land area: 10,230 km2 Comparative area: about 0.8 times the size of Connecticut Land boundaries: 454 km; Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km Coastline: 225 km Maritime claims: Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; Syrian troops in northern Lebanon since October 1976 Climate: Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers Terrain: narrow coastal plain; Al Biqa` (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains Natural resources: limestone, iron ore, salt; water-surplus state in a water-deficit region Land use: arable land 21%; permanent crops 9%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 8%; other 61%; includes irrigated 7% Environment: rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, ethnicity; deforestation; soil erosion; air and water pollution; desertification Note: Nahr al Litani only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary

:Lebanon People

Population: 3,439,115 (July 1992), growth rate 1.6% (1992) Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: -5 migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 43 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 3.6 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - Lebanese (singular and plural); adjective - Lebanese Ethnic divisions: Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% Religions: Islam 75%, Christian 25%, Judaism NEGL%; 17 legally recognized groups - 5 Islam (Alawite or Nusayri, Druze, Isma`ilite, Shi`a, Sunni); 11 Christian, consisting of 4 Orthodox Christian (Armenian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Nestorean, Syriac Orthodox), 6 Catholic (Armenian Catholic, Caldean, Greek Catholic, Maronite, Roman Catholic, and Syrian Catholic) and the Protestants; 1 Jewish Languages: Arabic and French (both official); Armenian, English Literacy: 80% (male 88%, female 73%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) Labor force: 650,000; industry, commerce, and services 79%, agriculture 11%, government 10% (1985) Organized labor: 250,000 members (est.)

:Lebanon Government