Part 470

Exports: total value: $240 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: electricity, wood products, coffee, tin, garments partners : Thailand, Japan, France, Germany, Netherlands

Imports: total value: $570 million (c.i.f., 1996 est.) commodities: food, fuel oil, consumer goods, manufactures partners: Thailand, China, Japan, France, US

Debt - external: $2 billion (1995 est.)

Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency: 1 new kip (NK) = 100 at

Exchange rates: new kips (NK) per US$1 - 961.00 (January 1997), 921.14 (1996), 804.69 (1995), 717.67 (1994), 716.25 (1993), 716.08 (1992) note: as of September 1995, a floating exchange rate policy was adopted

Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September

@Laos:Communications

Telephones: 6,600 (1991 est.)

Telephone system: service to general public very poor; radiotelephone communications network provides generally erratic service to government users 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: 18,153 km paved: 2,505 km unpaved: 15,648 km (1995 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 (1996 est.)

Airports: 39 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 25 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m : 3 under 914 m: 16 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total : 14 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 13 (1996 est.)

Military

Military branches: Lao People's Army (LPA; includes riverine naval and militia elements), Air Force, National Police Department

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,123,934 (1997 est.)