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GeographyLocation: Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand
Area: Land boundaries: total 5,083 km, Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km Coastline: 0 km
PeoplePopulation: 4,837,237 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
Population growth rate: 2.84% (1995 est.) Birth rate: 42.64 births/1,000 population Death rate: 14.28 deaths/1,000 population Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population Infant mortality rate: 99.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
Total fertility rate: 5.98 children born/woman Ethnic divisions: Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong ("Meo") and the Yao (Mien) 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese1% Religions: Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% Languages: Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1992)
Government
Names:
Type: Communist state Capital: Vientiane Independence: 19 July 1949 (from France) Constitution: promulgated 14 August 1991
EconomyNational product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $4 billion National product real growth rate: 8.4% National product per capita: $850 Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.5% Unemployment rate: 21%
Electricity:
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| The Mother Nature was kind to Olympic athletes and spectators. The average high temperature during the Games was 89 degrees with an average low of 72 degrees. Highest temperature registered (20 July) - 99 degrees. Lowest high temperature registered is 79 degrees (28 July). |