Part 467

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 40 1,524 to 2,437 m : 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 32 (1994 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops), Civil Defense

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,109,139 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 900,105 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 44,447 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: 151 million soms (1995); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: territorial dispute with Tajikistan on southwestern boundary in Isfara Valley area

Illicit drugs: limited illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication program; increasingly used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Russia and Western Europe from Southwest Asia ______________________________________________________________________

LAOS

@Laos:Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand

Geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area: total: 236,800 sq km land : 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than Utah

Land boundaries: total: 5,083 km border countries : Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)

Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mekong River 70 m highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m

Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones

Land use: arable land : 3% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 3% forests and woodland: 54% other : 40% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,250 sq km (1993 est.)