THAILAND

THAILAND
Introduction :: THAILAND
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Geography :: THAILAND
Panel - Expanded
 Location:
Southeastern Asia, bor deri ng t he Andaman Sea and t he Gulf of Thail and, s out heast of Burma
Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 100 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 513, 120 sq km
land: 510,890 sq km
water: 2,230 s q km
country comparison to the world: 5 1
Area - comparative:
about thr ee times the size of Fl orida; slightly mor e than t wice the size of W yoming
Area comparison map:

Land boundaries:
total: 5, 673 km
border countries (4): Bur ma 2, 416 km, Cambodi a 817 km, Laos 1,845 km, Mal aysia 595 km
Coastline:
3,219 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200- m dept h or to t he dept h of exploit ation
Climate:
tropical; r ainy, warm, cloudy southwest mons oon (mi d -May to September); dr y, cool northeast monsoon
(November to mi d-March); sout her n isthmus always hot and humi d
Terrain:
central pl ain; Khorat Plat eau i n the east; mountai ns elsewh ere
Elevation:
mean elevation: 287 m
elevation extremes: l owest point: Gulf of Thail and 0 m
highest poi nt: Doi Int hanon 2,576 m
Natural resources:
tin, rubber, natur al gas, tungst en, t ant alum, timber, l ead, fish, gypsu m, li gnite, f luorit e, ar abl e l and
Land use:
agricultural land: 41.2%
arable l and 30.8%; per manent crops 8. 8%; perman ent pastur e 1.6%
forest: 37.2%
other: 21.6% ( 2011 est.)
Irrigated land:
64, 150 sq km ( 2012)
Total renewable water resources:
438. 6 cu km (2011)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 57.31 cu km/ yr (5%/ 5%/90%)
per capita: 845. 3 cu m/ yr (2007)
Natural hazards:
land subsidenc e in Bangkok area r esulti ng fr om the depl etion of the wat er t abl e; droughts
Environment - current issues:
air polluti on from vehicle emissions; wat er poll ution fr om or ganic and fact ory wastes; def orestati on; soil
erosion; wil dlif e popul ations threat ened by ill egal hunt ing
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Bi odi versity, Cli mate Change, Cli mat e Change -Kyoto Prot ocol, Desert ification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous W astes, Marine Lif e Cons ervation, Ozone Layer Pr otecti on, Tropical Ti mber 83,
Tropical Ti mber 94, W etlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of t he Sea
Geography - note:
controls onl y land route fr om Asia t o Mal aysia and Si ngapore
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People and Society :: THAILAND
Panel - Expanded
 Nationality:
noun: Thai (singular and plural)
adjective: Thai
Ethnic groups:
Thai 95. 9%, Burmese 2%, other 1. 3%, uns pecified 0. 9% (2010 est.)
Languages:
Thai (official) 90. 7%, Burmese 1.3%, other 8%
note: Englis h is a secondary language of the elit e (2010 est.)
Religions:
Buddhist (official) 93. 6%, Muslim 4. 9%, Christian 1. 2%, other 0. 2%, none 0. 1% (2010 est.)
Population:
67, 976, 405
note: estimates f or this countr y explicitly tak e int o ac count the eff ects of exc ess mortalit y d ue to AIDS;
this can r esult in l ower life expectancy, hi gher i nfant mortalit y, hi gher deat h rat es, lower populati on
growth r ates, and changes in the distributi on of popul ation by age and sex than would otherwis e be
expected (July 2015 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17. 41% ( mal e 6,062,868/f emale 5, 774,631)
15-24 years: 14.78% (mal e 5, 119, 387/femal e 4, 927, 250)
25-54 years: 46.69% (mal e 15,675,425/femal e 16,061,864)
55-64 years: 11.26% (mal e 3, 600, 695/femal e 4,053, 977)
65 years and over: 9.86% (male 2,935,703/femal e 3, 764, 605) (2015 est.)
population pyramid:
Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 39.2%
youth dependency ratio: 24. 7%
elderly dependency ratio: 14.6%
potential support ratio: 6.9% (2015 est.)
Median age:
total: 36.7 years
male: 35. 7 years
female: 37.7 years (2015 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.34% ( 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1 6 8
Birth rate:
11. 19 birt hs/1,000 popul ati on ( 2015 est.)
Death rate:
7.8 deat hs/1, 000 popul ati on (2015 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migr ant(s)/1,000 popul ation ( 2015 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 50. 4% of tot al popul ation (2015)

rate of urbanization: 2.97% annual rate of change ( 2010-15 est.)
Major urban areas - population:
BANGKOK (capital) 9.27 million; Samut Prak an 1.814 million (2015)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1. 05 mal e(s)/female
0-14 years: 1. 05 mal e(s)/female
15-24 years: 1. 04 mal e(s)/femal e
65 years and over: 0.78 mal e(s)/femal e
total population: 0. 97 mal e(s)/femal e (2015 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth:
23. 3 (2009 est.)
Maternal mortality rate:
20 deat hs/100, 000 li ve birt hs (2015 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 9. 63 deat hs/1,000 li ve births
male: 10. 59 deat hs/1, 000 l ive births
female: 8. 62 deat hs/1, 000 live births (2015 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.43 years

male: 71.24 years
Total fertility rate:
1.51 chil dren bor n/woman ( 2015 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate:
79. 3% ( 2012)
Health expenditures:
4.6% of GDP ( 2013)
Physicians density:
0.39 physicians/ 1,000 populati on ( 2010)
Hospital bed density:
2.1 beds/1, 000 populati on (2010)
Drinking water source:
improved:
urban: 97.6% of popul ati on
rural: 98% of popul ati on
total: 97. 8% of popul ation
unimproved:
urban: 2. 4% of populati on
rural: 2% of populati on
total: 2.2% of population (2015 est.)
Sanitation facility access:
improved:
rural: 96. 1% of popul ation
total: 93% of populati on
unimproved:
rural: 3. 9% of popul ati on
total: 7% of popul ation (2015 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.13% ( 2014 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
445, 600 (2014 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
19, 400 ( 2014 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: ver y hi gh
food or waterborne diseases: bacteri al di arrhea
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and mal aria

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible
risk with extr emely r are cases possibl e among US citi zens who have close c ont act with bir ds (2013)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
9.2% ( 2014)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
9.2% ( 2012)
Education expenditures:
7.6% of GDP ( 2012)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.7%
male: 96. 6%
female: 96.7% (2015 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2012)
Child labor - children ages 5-14:
total number: 818, 399
percentage: 8% (2006 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
total: 3. 4%
male: 2. 8%
female: 4. 4% (2013 est.)
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Government :: THAILAND
Panel - Expanded
 Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Thailand
conventional short form: Thailand
local long form: Ratcha Anac hak Thai
local short form: Prat het Thai
former: Siam
etymology: "Land of t he Tai [Peopl e]"; the meani ng of "tai" is uncert ain, but may origi nall y have meant
"human bei ngs" or "peopl e"
Government type:
constituti onal monarchy; note - i nterim milit ary-r un government since May 2014
Capital:
name: Bangk ok
geographic coordinates: 13 45 N, 100 31 E
time difference: UTC+7 ( 12 hours ahead of W ashington, DC , duri ng Standar d Time)
Administrative divisions:
76 provi nces (changwat, singul ar and pl ural) and 1 munici palit y* (maha nakhon); Amnat Charoen, Ang
Thong, Bueng Kan, Buriram, Chachoengsao, Chai Nat, Chai yaphum, Chant habur i, Chi ang Mai, Chiang
Rai, Chon Buri, Chumphon, Kalasin, Kamphaeng Phet, Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Krabi, Krung Thep*
(Bangk ok), Lampan g, Lamphun, Loei, Lop Buri, Mae Hong Son, Maha Sar akham, Mukdahan, Nakhon
Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Phanom, Nak hon Ratchasima, Nak hon Sawan, Nakhon Si Thammarat,
Nan, Narat hiwat, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Nont haburi, Pat hum Thani, Patt ani, Phangnga,
Phatthal ung, Phayao, Phet chabun, Phetchaburi, Phichit, Phitsanul ok, Phr a Nakhon Si Ayutt haya, Phrae,
Phuket, Pr achi n Buri, Pr achuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Ratchaburi, Rayong, Roi Et , Sa Kaeo, Sak on
Nakhon, Samut Prak an, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Sar a Buri , Satun, Si ng Buri, Sisaket,
Songk hla, Suk hot hai, Suphan Buri, Sur at Thani, Suri n, Tak, Tr ang, Tr at, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani,
Uthai Thani, Utt aradit, Yal a, Yasot hon
Independence:
1238 (traditi onal f ounding dat e; never col onized)
National holiday:
Birthday of King PHUMIPHON (BHUMI BOL), 5 December ( 1927)
Constitution:
many previ ous; lat est enac ted 22 May 2014, si gned 22 Jul y 2014 (int erim); not e - a draft c onstituti on
compl eted i n April 2015 was rejected by the Nati onal Ref orm Council in Sept ember 20 15, and a s econd
draft was published i n Januar y 2016 ( 2016)
Legal system:
civil law s ystem wit h common l aw i nflu ences
International law organization participation:
has not submitt ed an ICJ jurisdiction declar ation; non -part y state t o the ICCt
Citizenship:
citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent only: at l east one par ent mus t be a citizen of Thail and
dual citizenship recognized: no
residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Suffrage:
18 years of age; uni versal and compulsor y

Executive branch:
chief of state: Ki ng PHUMIPHON Adunyadet, also s pelled BHUMI BOL Adulyadej (since 9 June 1946)
head of government: I nterim Prime Mi nister Gen. PRAYUT Chan -ocha (since 25 August 2014) Deput y
Prime Mi nisters PRAW IT Wongsuwan, Gen. (sinc e 31 August 2014), THANASAK Patimaprako n, Gen.
(since 31 August 2014), W ISSANU Kruea -ngam (since 31 August 2014), SOMKHI T Chat usiphitak (since
20 August 2015), PRACHI N Chantong (since 20 August 2015), NARONG Phi phatthanasai (sinc e 20
August 2015)
cabinet: Council of Minist ers nomi nat ed by the p ri me minister, appoi nt ed by the king; a Privy Council
advises the king
elections/appointments: the monarc hy is heredit ary; prime minister appoint ed by the monarch wit h a
resoluti on of t he Nati onal Legisl ative Assembl y (as stated i n the 2014 i nt erim constit ution)
note: Prime Mi nister YI NGLAK Chinnawat, also s pell ed YINGLUCK Shi nawatra, was removed from
office on 7 May 2014 aft er the Constituti onal Court rul ed s he ill egall y transferred a gover nment official;
Thai army decl ared martial law on 20 May 2014 f oll o wed by a coup on 22 May 2014
Legislative branch:
description: i n transition; following the May 2014 mili ta ry coup, a Nati onal Legis lative Assembl y or
Sapha Niti banyat of no mor e than 220 members repl ac ed t he bicamer al National Assembl y; elections for
a permanent legislati ve body are c urrently unschedul ed and may not occur until mid -2017
elections: Senat e - last held on 30 March 2014; Hous e of Repres ent atives - last hel d on 2 Febr uary
2014, but lat er declar ed i nvali d by t he Constituti onal Court
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Hous e of Repres ent atives
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA
Judicial branch:
highest court(s): Supreme Court of Justice (consist s of court pr esident, 6 vice -presidents, and NA
judges, and organi zed i nt o civil and crimi nal divisi ons) ; Constitutional Court (consists of court president
and 8 judges); Supr eme Administrati ve Court (number of judges det ermined by Judicial Commission of
the Administrati ve Courts)
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges selected by t he J udi cial Commission of the
Courts of Justice and approved by the monarch; judges' terms NA; Constituti onal Court justices - 3
judges drawn fr om the Supreme C ourt, 2 judges dr awn from t he Administrati ve Court, and 4 judge
candidates sel ected by t he Sel ective Committ ee f or Judges of the Constitutional Court and c onfirmed by
the Senate; judges appoint ed by the monarch t o serve singl e 9 - year terms; Supreme Admi nis trati ve
Court judges sel ected by t he J udicial Commission of the Administrati ve Courts and appoint ed by the
monarch; judge tenure NA
subordinate courts: courts of first instance and appeals courts within both the judicial and
administrati ve systems; mil itar y courts
Political parties and leaders:
Chat Pattana Party or CPN (National Devel opment Party) [W ANNARAT Channuk un]
Chat Thai Phatt ana Party or CTP (Thai Nation Devel opment Part y) [THEERA W ongs amut]
Mahac hon Party or Mass Party [APHI RAT Siri nawin]
Matubhum Party (Motherl and Part y) [Gen. SONTHI Bunyaratkali n ]
Phalang Chon Part y (Peopl e Chonburi Power Part y) [SONTHAYA Khunpluem]
Phumjai (Bhumjai) Thai Party or PJT ( Thai Pri de) [ANUTHI N Chanvirakun]
Prachat hipat Party or DP (Democrat Part y) [ABHISI T W echachiwa, also spelled ABHI SIT Vejjaji va]
Prachat hipathai Mai Party ( New Democr acy Party) [ SURATI N Phichan]
Puea Thai Part y (For Thais Part y) or PTP [ acting leader VIROT Paoin]
Rak Pr athet Thai Party (Love Thail and Part y) [CHUW IT Kamonwisit]
Rak Santi Part y (Peac e Conservati on Part y) [Pol. Lt. Gen. THAW IN Surachet p hong]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Multicol or Group
Peopl e's Alli anc e f or Democracy or PAD
Peopl e's Democr atic Ref or m Committee or PDRC
Student and Peopl e Networ k for Thailand's Ref orm or STR
Unit ed Front for Democrac y Agai nst Dictat orshi p or UDD
International organization participation:
ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, BIS, CD, CI CA, CP, EAS, FAO, G -77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC
(nati onal committees), ICRM, ID A, IFAD, I FC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Inter pol, IOC, IOM,
IPU, ISO, I TSO, ITU, I TUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OAS (obser ver), OIC (obser ver) , OIF (obser ver),
OPCW , OSCE (partner), PCA, PI F (partner), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNMOGIP, UNO CI, UNW TO, UPU, W CO, W FTU (NGOs), W HO, W IPO, W MO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador PHISAN Manawaphat (since 23 February 2015)
chancery: 1024 W isconsin Avenue NW , Suite 401, W ashi ngt on, DC 20007
telephone: [ 1] (202) 944-3600
FAX: [ 1] (202) 944-3611
consulate(s) general: Chi cago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Gl yn T. DAVI ES (sinc e 27 November 2015)
embassy: 120- 122 W ireless Road, Bangk ok 10330
mailing address: APO AP 96546
telephone: [ 66] ( 2) 205- 4000
FAX: [ 66] ( 2) 254- 2990, 205-4131
consulate(s) general: Chi ang Mai
Flag description:
five hori zont al bands of red (top), whit e, bl ue (doubl e widt h), whit e, and red; the red col o r symbolizes
the nati on and the bl ood of life; whit e repr esents r eligion and t he purity of Buddhism; blue stands for
the monarc hy
note: similar t o the flag of Costa Rica but wit h t he blue and red colors reversed
National symbol(s):
gar uda (mythic al half -man, half- bird fi gur e), el ephant; nati onal col ors: red, whit e, blu e
National anthem:
name: "Phleng Chat Thai" (National Anthem of Thailand)
lyrics/music: Luang SARANUPRAPAN/ Ph r a JENDURIYANG
note: music adopt ed 1932, lyrics adopt ed 1939; by l aw, people ar e requir ed t o s tand for t he national
ant hem at 0800 and 1800 ever y day; the ant hem is played i n schools, offices, theaters, and on
television and radio during this time; "Phl eng Sansas oen Phr a Barami" (A Sal ut e to the Monarch)
serves as the royal anthem and is pl ayed in t he pres ence of the royal f amil y and duri ng c ertai n state
ceremoni es
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Economy :: THAILAND
Panel - Expanded
 Economy - overview:
W ith a well- developed i nfrastructure, a fr ee - ent er prise economy, and gener all y pr o -investment policies,
Thailand hist orically has had a strong economy, but it experienced slow growth i n 2013 - 15 as a r esult of
domestic political tur moil and sl uggish global demand, which cur bed Thail and’s traditi onall y strong
exports - mostly electronic s, agr icult ural commoditi es, aut omobil es and parts, and pr ocessed foods.
Foll owi ng t he May 2014 coup d'et at, tourism decreased 6 - 7% but is beginning t o recover. The Thai baht
depreci ated more t han 8% duri ng 2015.
Thailand fac es labor shortages, and has attr acted an estimat ed 2-4 million mi grant workers from
nei ghboring countries. The Thai Government i n 2013 i mpl ement ed a nati onwide 300 baht ( $10) per day
minimum wage policy and depl oyed new t ax r eforms desi gned to l ower rat es on middle -i ncome ear ners.
The househol d debt to GDP ratio is over 80%.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1. 108 trillion ( 2015 est. )
$1. 078 trillion ( 2014 est.)
$1. 069 trillion ( 2013 est.)
note: dat a ar e in 2015 US doll ars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$395.3 billion (2015 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.8% ( 2015 est.)
0.8% ( 2014 est.)
2.7% ( 2013 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):

$16,100 (2015 est.)
$15, 700 (2014 est.)
$15, 700 (2013 est.)
Gross national saving:
32. 9% of GDP (2015 est.)
27. 9% of GDP (2014 est.)
26. 3% of GDP (2013 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use:
household consumption: 52. 8%
government consumption: 17.1%
investment in fixed capital: 25. 3%
investment in inventories: -0. 2%
exports of goods and services: 67. 6%
imports of goods and services: -62.6% (2015 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
agriculture: 10. 4%
industry: 37. 7%
services: 51. 9% ( 2015 est. )
Agriculture - products:
rice, cassava (mani oc, tapi oca), rubber, cor n, sugarcane, coc onuts, palm oil, pi neapple, li vest ock, fish
products
Industries:
tourism, textil es and gar ments, agric ultur al pr ocessing, bever ages, tobacco, cement, li ght
manuf acturi ng suc h as jewelry and electric appli anc es, comput ers and parts, integr ated circuits,
furnit ure, plastics, aut omobiles and aut omotive parts, agricult ural mac hinery, air conditioning and
refrigerati on, cer amics, al uminum, chemical, environment al management, gl ass, granite and mar ble,
leat her, machi nery and met al work, petr ochemical, pet roleum refi ni ng, pharmaceuticals, pri nting, pul p
and paper, r ubber, sugar, rice, fishing, casava, worl d' s second -largest tungsten produc er and t hird -
largest tin pr oduc er
Industrial production growth rate:
4% (2015 est.)
Labor force:
39. 12 million (2015 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 32. 2%
industry: 16. 7%
services: 51. 1% ( 2014 est. )
Unemployment rate:
1% (2015 est.)
0.8% ( 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
Population below poverty line:
12. 6% ( 2012 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2. 8%
highest 10%: 31.5% (2009 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
48. 4 (2011)
49 ( 2009)
Budget:
revenues: $71. 48 billi on
expenditures: $80.54 billion ( 2015 est.)
Taxes and other revenues:
19. 1% of GDP (2015 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
-2.4% of GDP (2015 est.)
Public debt:
50. 6% of GDP (2015 est.)
46. 3% of GDP (2014 est.)
note: dat a cover gener al government debt, and includ es debt i nstruments issued (or owned) by
government entities other than the treasur y; the dat a i nclude tr eas ury debt hel d by for eign entiti es; the
dat a incl ude debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intr a -gover nment al debt; i ntra - governmental
debt consists of treas ury borrowi ngs from sur plus es in the social f unds, such as for retirement, medical
care, and unempl oyment; debt i nstruments f or the social funds are sol d at public aucti ons
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 Sept ember

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-0.9% ( 2015 est.)
1.9% ( 2014 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
2% (31 December 2014)
2.25% ( 31 December 2013)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
6.6% ( 31 December 2015 est.)
6.77% ( 31 December 2014 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$49. 13 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
Stock of broad money:
$517.4 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$494 billi on ( 31 Dec ember 2015 est.)
$509 billi on ( 31 Dec ember 2014 est. )

Market value of publicly traded shares:
$383.2 billion (31 December 2013)
Current account balance:
$34. 82 billion (2015 est.)
$15. 42 billion (2014 est.)
Exports:
$214.8 billion (2015 est.)
$224.8 billion (2014 est.)
Exports - commodities:
aut omobil es and parts, computer and parts, jewelr y and preci ous stones, pol ymers of et hyl ene i n
primar y for ms, refine fuels, electronic int egr ated circuits, chemical products, rice, fish products, rubber
products, sugar, cassava, poultry, machi nery and par ts, iron and st eel and t heir products
Exports - partners:
Chi na 11%, US 10.5%, Japan 9.6%, Mal aysia 5.6%, Hong Kong 5.5%, Si ngapor e 4.6%, I ndonesi a 4. 2%,
Australi a 4. 1% ( 2014)
Imports:
$196.4 billion (2015 est.)
$200.2 billion (2014 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machi nery and parts, crude oil, el ectrical mac hinery and parts, chemicals, iron & steel and pr oduct,
electronic int egr at ed circui t, aut omobil e’s parts, jewel ry includi ng sil ver bars and gol d, computers and
parts, el ectrical hous ehol d appli anc es, soybean, soybean meal, wheat, cotton, dairy products
Imports - partners:
Chi na 16.9%, J apan 15.6%, U S 6. 4%, Mal aysi a 5. 6%, UAE 5. 6% (2014)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Debt - external:
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
Exchange rates:
baht per US doll ar -

34.1 (2015 est.)
32. 48 (2014 est.)
32. 48 (2013 est.)
31. 08 (2012 est.)
30. 492 ( 2011 est.)
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Energy :: THAILAND
Panel - Expanded
 Electricity - production:
156. 4 billi on kW h (2012 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
Electricity - exports:
1.375 billi on kW h (2013 est.)
Electricity - imports:
Electricity - installed generating capacity:
53. 85 million kW (2012 est.)
Electricity - from fossil fuels:

90.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
0% of t otal i nstall ed capaci ty (2012 est.)
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
6.5% of tot al i nstalled capacity (2012 e st.)
Electricity - from other renewable sources:
3.3% of tot al i nstalled capacity (2012 est.)
Crude oil - production:
232, 900 bbl/ day (2014 est.)
Crude oil - exports:
43, 140 bbl/ day ( 2012 est.)
Crude oil - imports:
898, 000 bbl/ day (2012 est.)
Crude oil - proved reserves:
461 milli on bbl (1 Januar y 2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production:
1.197 million bbl/ day (2012 est.)
Refined petroleum products - consumption:
Refined petroleum products - exports:
233, 800 bbl/ day (2012 est.)
Refined petroleum products - imports:
67, 470 bbl/ day ( 2012 est.)
Natural gas - production:
41. 8 billi on cu m ( 2013 est. )
Natural gas - consumption:
52. 27 billi on c u m (2013 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m ( 2013 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
10. 47 billi on c u m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
255. 9 billi on c u m (1 January 2014 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
290. 7 million Mt ( 2012 est. )
 Hide
Communications :: THAILAND
Panel - Expanded
 Telephones - fixed lines:
total subscriptions: 5. 69 million
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 8 (2014 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
total: 97.1 milli on
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 143 ( 2014 est.)
Telephone system:
general assessment: hi gh quality s ystem, especiall y in ur ban areas like Bangkok
domestic: fi xed-li ne s ystem provi ded by bot h a gover nment - owned and commerc ial pr ovi der; wirel ess
service expandi ng r api dl y
international: country code - 66; connected to major submarine cabl e systems provi ding li nks
throughout Asia, Australi a, Middl e East, Europe, and US; sat ellite eart h stati ons - 2 Intels at (1 I ndi an
Ocean, 1 Pacific Ocean) (2011)
Broadcast media:
6 terrestri al TV stations in Bangk ok broadcast nati onally vi a rel ay stations - 2 of the net works ar e
owned by t he militar y, the other 4 are government -owned or contr olled, leased t o pri vat e ent erprise,
and all ar e requir ed t o br oadc ast government -pr oduc ed news pr ogr ams twice a day; multi -channel
satellite and c abl e TV subscription s ervices are avail able; r adi o frequencies have been all otted for mor e
than 500 gover nment and c ommercial radi o stations; many small community r adi o stations operat e wit h
low- power transmitt ers (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 238, FM 351, shortwave 6 ( 2007)
Television broadcast stations:
111 (2006)
Internet country code:
.th
Internet hosts:
3.399 million (2012)
Internet users:
percent of population: 28.8% (2014 est.)
 Hide
Transportation :: THAILAND
Panel - Expanded
 Airports:
101 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 63
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 23
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 6 (2013)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 38
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 26 (2013)
Heliports:
7 (2013)
Pipelines:
condensat e 2 km; gas 5,900 km; liquid petrol eum gas 85 km; oil 1 km; refi ned pr oducts 1,097 km (2013)
Railways:
total: 4, 070.8 km
standard gauge: 28. 8 km 1.435-m gauge (28.8 km el ectrified)
narrow gauge: 4,042 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)
Roadways:
total: 180,053 km (includes 450 km of expressways) (2006)
Waterways:
4,000 km (3,701 km navi gable by boats wit h dr afts up to 0. 9 m) (2011)
Merchant marine:
total: 363
by type: bulk carrier 31, cargo 99, chemical t anker 28, cont ai ner 18, li quefi ed gas 36, passenger 1,
passenger/car go 10, petrol eum tanker 114, refri ger ated cargo 24, r oll on/roll off 1, vehicl e carrier 1
foreign-owned: 13 ( Chi na 1, Hong Kong 1, Malaysia 3, Si ngapor e 1, Tai wan 1, UK 6)
registered in other countries: 46 (Bahamas 4, Beli ze 1, Hondur as 2, Panama 6, Singapore 33) ( 2010)
Ports and terminals:
major seaport(s): Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Map Ta Phut, Pr achuap Port, Si Racha
container port(s) TEUs): Bangk ok (1,305,229), Laem Chabang ( 5,731,063)
LNG terminal(s) (import): Map Ta Phut
 Hide
Military and Security :: THAILAND
Panel - Expanded
 Military branches:
Royal Thai Army ( Kongthap Bok Thai, RTA), Royal Thai Navy (Kongthap Ruea Thai, RTN, i ncludes
Royal Thai Marine Cor ps), Royal Thai Air Forc e (Kongthap Agard Thai, RTAF) (2013)
Military service age and obligation:
21 years of age f or compul sory milit ary ser vice; 18 years of age for vol unt ar y mil itary ser vice; mal es
register at 18 years of age; 2 -year conscript ser vice obligation ( 2012)
Military expenditures:
1.5% of GDP ( 2013)
1.47% of GDP (2012)
1.6% of GDP ( 2011)
1.47% of GDP (2010)
 Hide
Transnational Issues :: THAILAND
Panel - Expanded
 Disputes - international:
separatist vi olence i n Thail and's predomi nantl y Mal ay -Muslim southern provi nces prompt border
closures and controls wit h Mal aysi a to stem i nsur gent activities; Southeast Asian states have enhanced
bor der s urveillance t o check the spr ead of avian flu; t alks continue on compl etion of demarcati on wit h
Laos but dis put es remai n over several islands in the Mekong Ri ver; despit e cont inui ng border
committee talks, Thailand must deal with Kar en and other ethnic rebels, ref ugees, and ill egal cross -
bor der activiti es; Cambodi a and Thail and dispute s ections of boundar y; in 2011 Thailand and Cambodia
resorted to arms in t he dis put e over the loc ation of t he boundar y on t he preci pice surmount ed by Preah
Vihear t emple r uins, awarded t o Cambodi a by ICJ dec ision i n 1962 and pa rt of a planned UN W orld
Heritage site; Thailand is studyi ng t he f easi bility of joi ntly constructing t he Hat gyi Dam on t he Salween
river near the bor der wit h Burma; in 2004, int ernati onal environment alist pressur e pr ompted China t o
halt construction of 13 dams on the Sal ween River that flows thr ough Chi na, Bur ma, and Thail and;
140, 000 mostly Karen r efugees fleeing civil strife, pol itical upheaval and economic stagnation i n Burma
live i n remot e camps in Thailand near t he border
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 128,863 (Burma) ( 2014)
IDPs: up to 35,000 (resur genc e in ethno -nationalist vi olence i n south of countr y since 2004) (2015)
stateless persons: 506, 197 (2014); not e - about half of Thail and's northern hill t ribe people do not
have citizenshi p and make up t he bulk of Thailand's statel ess popu lati on; most l ack document ati on
showi ng they or one of t hei r par ents were born i n Thai land; chil dren bor n to Burmese ref ugees ar e not
eligi bl e for Burmese or Thai citizens hip and are st atel ess; most Chao Lay, mariti me nomadic peopl es,
who travel fr om island t o is land in t he Andaman Sea west of Thailand are also st atel ess; statel ess
Rohingya r efugees from Burma ar e considered illegal migrants by Thai authorities and ar e detai ned i n
inhumane conditions or expell ed; statel ess pers ons are deni ed access to voti n g, propert y, education,
employment, healt hcar e, and drivi ng
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Thail and is a source, transit, and desti nati on c ountry f or men, women, and c hildr en
subjected t o f orced l abor and s ex tr afficking; victims from Burma, Cambodia, Laos, China, Vi etnam,
Uzbekistan, and Indi a, migrate t o Thail and i n search of jobs but ar e f orced, coer ced, or defrauded int o
labor in c ommercial fishi ng, fishing -r elat ed industri es, factories, domestic work, street beggi ng, or the
sex trade; some Thai, Bur mese, Cambodi an, and I ndonesian men f orced to wor k on fishi ng boats ar e
kept at s ea f or years; sex t rafficking of adults and chil dren from Thail and, Laos, Viet nam, and Burma
remai ns a si gnificant probl em; Thailand is a transit countr y for victims from China, Vi etnam,
Bangl ades h, and Burma s ubject ed t o sex trafficking and f orced labor i n Malaysia , Indonesia, Singapore,
Russia, South Kor ea, t he US, and c ountries in W estern Europe; Thai victims are also trafficked in Nort h
Americ a, Europe, Africa, Asia, and t he Mi ddle East
tier rating: Thail and does not f ully c omply with t he mi nimum standards f or th e eli mination of tr afficking,
and is not making si gnific ant eff orts to do so; i n 2014, aut horiti es investi gat ed, prosecut ed, and
convicted fewer traffickers and i dentified fewer victims; some cases of official complicity wer e
investigated and prosec uted, b ut trafficking-rel ated corrupti on conti nues to hinder progress in
combatting trafficking; aut horities’ eff orts to screen for victims among vul ner able populati ons r emai ned
inadequate due to a poor understandi ng of trafficking indic ators, a f ailur e to r ecogn i ze non- physical
forms of coercion, and a shortage of language i nter preters; the government passed new l abor l aws
increasi ng t he mini mum age in t he fis hing industry to 18 years ol d, guaranteei ng the mi nimum wage,
and requiring work contr acts, but weak l aw enf orcement and poor coor dination among r egul ator y
agencies enabl ed expl oitive labor practices t o conti nue; the gover nment i ncreased eff orts to raise
public awar eness to the dangers of human trafficking and to deny entr y to f orei gn sex t ourists (2015)
Illicit drugs:
a minor produc er of opi um, her oin, and mari juana; tr ansit poi nt f or illicit her oin en route t o the
inter nati onal drug market fr om Burma and Laos; eradi cation eff orts have reduc ed the area of c annabis
cultivation and shifted some pr oduction to neighbori ng countri es; opi um poppy cultivation has been
reduced by eradicati on efforts; also a dr u g money-l aundering cent er; minor rol e i n met hamphetamine
producti on f or regional consumpti on; major consumer of met hamphetamine sinc e the 1990s despite a
series of government crackdowns
MALAYSIA
 Hide
Introduction :: MALAYSIA
Panel - Expanded
 Background:
Duri ng t he l ate 18th and 19th cent uri es, Great Britai n established col onies and protector ates i n the ar ea
of current Malaysia; t hes e wer e occupied by J apan fr om 1942 t o 1945. I n 1948, the British -rul ed
territories on t he Mal ay Penins ula exc ept Singapor e fo rmed t he Federati on of Malaya, which became
independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the f ormer British col onies of Si ngapor e, as
well as Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo, joined the Federation. The first several
years of the country's independence wer e marred by a communist insur gency, I ndonesi an confr ont ation
with Malaysia, Phili ppine cl aims to Sabah, and Si ngapore's withdr awal in 1965. During the 22 - year term
of Prime Mi nister MAHATHIR bi n Mohamad ( 1981 -2003), Mal aysia was s uccessful in diversifyi ng its
economy fr om dependence on exports of raw mat erial s to the devel opment of manuf acturi ng, ser vices,
and tourism. Prime Mi nister Mohamed NAJIB bi n Abdul Razak (in office since April 2009) has continued
thes e pr o-business polici es. Malaysia assumed a nonpermanent s eat on t he UN Security Council for the
2015-16 term.
 Hide
Geography :: MALAYSIA
Panel - Expanded
 Location:
Southeastern Asia, peni nsula bordering Thailand and nort her n one -thir d of t he i sland of Bor neo,
bor deri ng Indo nesia, Br unei, and the South Chi na Sea, south of Vi et nam
2 30 N, 112 30 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
land: 328,657 sq km
water: 1,190 s q km
Area - comparative:
slightl y lar ger t han New Mexico
Land boundaries:
total: 2, 742 km
border countries (3): Brunei 266 km, Indonesia 1,881 km, Thailand 595 km
Coastline:
4,675 km (Peni nsul ar Mal aysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km)
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200- m dept h or to t he dept h of exploit ation; specified boundary i n the South Chi na
Sea
Climate:
tropical; annual s out hwest (April to October) and nort heast (October t o Febr uar y) mons oons
Terrain:
coastal plai ns rising t o hills and mountai ns
Elevation:
elevation extremes: l owest point: I ndi an Ocean 0 m
highest poi nt: Gunung Kinabal u 4,100 m
Natural resources:
tin, petrol eum, timber, copper, iron ore, nat ur al gas, bauxite
Land use:
arable l and 2.9%; permanent crops 19. 4%; permanent pastur e 0.9%
forest: 62%
other: 14.8% ( 2011 est.)

Irrigated land:
3,800 sq km (2012)
580 cu km (2011)
total: 11.2 cu km/ yr (35%/ 43%/22%)
per capita: 414 cu m/ yr (2005)
Natural hazards:
flooding; l andslides; forest fires
air polluti on from i ndustrial and vehicul ar emissions; wat er polluti on from r aw sewage; defor estation;
smoke/haze fr om I ndonesi an f orest fires
Species, Hazardous W astes, Law of the Sea, Mari ne Life Conser vati on, Ozone Layer Pr otecti on, Shi p
Poll ution, Tr opical Ti mber 83, Tropical Timber 94, W etlands
signed, but not ratified: none of t he s elected agr eements
Geography - note:
strategic l ocation along Str ait of Mal acca and s out hern Sout h Chi na Sea
 Hide
People and Society :: MALAYSIA
Panel - Expanded
 Nationality:
noun: Mal aysi an(s)
adjective: Mal aysian

Ethnic groups:
Mal ay 50. 1%, Chi nes e 22. 6%, indi genous 11.8%, I ndi an 6. 7%, other 0. 7%, non -citizens 8. 2% (2010
est.)
Languages:
Bahas a Malaysia ( official), English, Chi nes e (Cant onese, Mandari n, Hokkien, Hakka, Hai nan, Foochow),
Tamil, Tel ugu, Mal ayal am, Panjabi, Thai
note: in East Malaysia t here ar e sever al indi genous languages; most wi dely spok en are I ban and
Kadazan
Religions:
Muslim (official) 61. 3%, Buddhist 19.8%, Christi an 9.2%, Hindu 6. 3%, Conf uciani sm, Taoism, ot her
traditi onal Chi nese r eli gions 1.3%, other 0. 4%, none 0.8%, unspecified 1% (2010 est.)
Population:
30, 513, 848 (Jul y 2015 est.)
Age structure:
55-64 years: 7. 84% (mal e 1,215, 315/f emale 1, 175,868)
65 years and over: 5.65% (male 817, 766/f emal e 905,618) (2015 est.)
population pyramid:
Dependency ratios:
elderly dependency ratio: 8. 4%

Median age:
total: 27.9 years
male: 27. 7 years
1.44% ( 2015 est.)
Birth rate:
Death rate:
5.03 deaths/ 1,000 popul ati on ( 2015 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.33 mi grant(s)/1,000 populati on
note: does not r eflect net f low of an unknown number of illegal i mmigr ants from other countries in t he
regi on ( 2015 est.)
Urbanization:
rate of urbanization: 2.66% annual r ate of change ( 2010-15 est.)

KUALA LUMPUR (capital) 6.837 million; Joho r Bahru 912,000 (2015)
Sex ratio:
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/femal e
total: 13.27 deaths/ 1,000 l ive births
female: 11.07 deat hs/1,000 live birt hs (2015 est.)
male: 71. 97 years
female: 77.73 years (201 5 est.)

2.55 children born/woman (2015 est.)
4% of GDP (2013)
Physicians density:
1.2 physicians/1, 000 popul ation (2010)
improved:
urban: 100% of populati on
unimproved:
urban: 0% of popul ation
rural: 7% of populati on
total: 1.8% of populati on ( 2015 est.)
improved:
unimproved:
urban: 3.9% of population
0.45% ( 2014 est.)
100, 800 (2014 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
9,000 (2014 est.)
degree of risk: int ermedi ate
food or waterborne diseases: bacteri al di arrhea
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever
water contact disease: l eptos pirosis
note: hi ghly pat hogenic H5N1 avi an infl uenza has been identified in t his country; it poses a negligi ble
12. 9% ( 2014)
12. 9% ( 2006)
5.9% of GDP ( 2011)
Literacy:
male: 96. 2%
female: 93.2% (2015 est.)
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
total: 10.4%
male: 9. 3%
female: 12% (2013 est.)
 Hide
Government :: MALAYSIA
Panel - Expanded
 Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Mal aysi a

local long form: none
local short form: Mal aysi a
former: Feder ati on of Mal aya
etymology: the name means "Land of the Malays"
Government type:
federal c onstituti onal monarchy
note: nomi nall y headed by par amount rul er (commonl y ref erred to as the king) and a bic ameral
Parli ament consisting of a nonelected upper hous e and an el ected l ower hous e; all Peni nsul ar
Mal aysi an stat es have her edit ary r ulers (commonl y referr ed t o as sult ans) ex c ept Mel aka (Mal acca) and
Pul au Pinang ( Penang); those two stat es al ong wit h Sabah and Sar awak in Eas t Malaysia have
governors appoint ed by gover nment; powers of state governments are limit ed by federal c onstituti on;
under terms of f eder ation, Sabah and Sa r awak retai n certain c onstituti onal prer ogati ves (e.g., right t o
mai ntai n their own i mmigr ation contr ols)
Capital:
name: Kuala Lumpur; not e - Putrajaya is ref erred to as an admi nistrati ve c ent er not t he c apit al;
Parli ament meets in Kual a Lumpur
time difference: UTC+8 ( 13 hours ahead of W ashington, DC, duri ng Standar d Time)
13 stat es (negeri -negeri, si ngul ar - negeri); Johor, Kedah, Kel ant an, Mel aka, Neger i Sembil an, Pahang,
Per ak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu; and 1 f ederal territor y (W ilayah
Persek utuan) with 3 components, Kual a Lumpur, Labuan, and Putr ajaya
Independence:
31 August 1957 (from t he UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day 31 August (1957) (independence of Mal aya); Mal aysi a Day 16 Sept ember (1963)
(formati on of Malaysia)
Constitution:
previous 1948; latest drafted 21 February 1957, effective 27 August 1957; amended many times, last in
2010 (2016)
Legal system:
mi xed l egal syst em of Engl ish common l aw, Islamic law, and cust omary l aw; judi cial revi ew of
legisl ative acts in t he Federal Court at r equest of supr eme head of the federati on
Citizenship:
citizenship by descent only: at l east one par ent mus t be a citizen of Malaysia
residency requirement for naturalization: 10 out 12 years precedi ng applic ation
Suffrage:
21 years of age; uni versal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Ki ng Tuanku ABDUL HALIM Mu'adzam Shah (sel ected on 13 Dec ember 2011; install ed
on 11 April 2012); the posit ion of the king is primarily ceremoni al but he is the fi nal ar biter on t he
appointment of t he prime minister
head of government: Prime Mi nister Mohamed NAJ IB bi n Abdul Naji b Razak ( since 3 April 2009);
Deput y Prime Mi nister Ahmad ZAHID Hami di (since 29 July 2015)
cabinet: Cabinet appoi nt ed by the prime minister fr om among members of Parliament wit h t he consent
of the king
elections/appointments: king elected by and fr om the heredit ar y r ulers of 9 states for a 5 -year term;
electi on is on a rot ational basis among r ulers of the 9 states; el ection l ast held on 14 October 2011
(next to be held i n 2016); prime mi nister designat ed from among members of t he House of
Repres ent atives; foll owi ng legisl ative el ections, the leader who c ommands support of the majority of
members i n the Hous e bec omes prime minist er
election results: Tuanku ABDUL HALIM Mu'adzam Shah elected king; Mohamed NAJI B bi n Abdul Naji b
Razak (UMNO) sworn i n as prime minister f o r second term on 3 April 2009
Legislative branch:
description: bicameral Par liament or Parlimen consists o f the Senate or Dewan Negar a (70 seats; 44
members appoi nt ed by the king and 26 i ndir ectly elect ed by 13 stat e legislat ures; members ser ve 3 -
year terms) and the House of Repr esentati ves or Dewan Rak yat ( 222 seats; members dir ectly elect ed i n
singl e-seat c onstituencies by simple majority vote t o serve 5 - year terms)
elections: House of Repr esent atives - last held on 5 May 2013 ( next to be held by May 2018)
election results: House of Represent atives - percent of vote by party/c oaliti on - BN 47. 4%, Peopl e's
Alliance (DAP, PAS, PKR) 50. 9%, other 1. 7%; seats by party/c oaliti on - BN 133, Peopl e's Alli anc e
(DAP, PAS, PKR) 89
note: seats by party/coaliti on as of Oct ober 2015 - BN 132, PH 72, PAS 14, PSM 1, TERAS 1,
independent 2
Judicial branch:
highest court(s): Feder al Court (consists of the chi ef justice, presi dent of the Court of Appeal, chief
justice of t he High Court of Malaya, chi ef judge of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak and 7 judges);
not e - Mal aysia has a dual judici al hi erarchy of civil and r eligi ous (shari a) courts
judge selection and term of office: Federal Court justices appoi nted by t he monarch on advi ce of t he
prime minister; judges serve until mandator y retirement at age 65
subordinate courts: Court of Appeal; High Court; Sessions Court; Magistrat es' Court
National Front (Barisan Nasional) or BN::
Gerak an Rak yat Mal aysia Part y or GERAKAN [MAH Siew Keong]
Liberal Democratic Part y (Parti Li beral Demokratik - Sabah) or LDP [TEO Chee Kang]
Mal aysi an Chi nes e Association (Persat uan Chi na Mal aysia) or MCA [ LIOW Tiong Lai]
Mal aysi an I ndi an Congress (Kongr es India Mal aysi a) or MIC [S. SUBRAMANIAM]
Parti Bersat u Rakyat Sabah or PBRS [Joseph KURUP]
Parti Bersat u Sabah or PBS [Joseph PAI RIN Kiti ngan]
Parti Pesak a Bumi put era Bersatu or PBB [ Adenan SATEM]
Parti Rakyat Sarawak or PRS [James MASING]
Sar awak Progressive Democratic Part y or SPDP [ TIONG Ki ng Si ng]

Sarawak United People's Party (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sarawak) or SUPP [Dr. SIM Kui Hian]
Unit ed Mal ays Nati onal Or gani zati on or UMNO [ NAJI B bi n Abdul Razak]
Unit ed Pas okmomogun Kadazandusun Mur ut Or gani zation (Pertubuhan Pasko Mom ogun Kadazan
Dusun Bersat u) or UPKO [ W ilfred Madius TANGAU]
Peopl e's Progr essive Part y (Parti Pr ogr esif Penduduk Mal aysi a) or PPP [M. Kayveas]
Coalition of Hope (Pakatan Harapan) or PH::
Democratic Action Part y (Parti Tindakan Demokratik) or DAP [TAN Kok W ai, Acting Nati onal Chairman]
Nati onal Tr ust Party (Parti Amanah Negara) or Amanah [Mohamad SABU]
Peopl e's Justice Party (Par ti Keadil an Rakyat) or PKR [W AN AZIZAH W an Ismail]
Other::
Islamic Part y of Mal aysi a (Parti Islam s e Mal aysia) or PAS [ Abdul HADI A wang]
Sar awak People's Energy Part y or TERAS [W illiam Mawan I KOM]
Socialist Part y of Mal aysi a (Parti Sosialis Malaysia) or PSM [Mohd Nasir HASHI M]
Bar Council
BERSIH ( elect oral ref orm c oaliti on)
ISMA (Muslim NGO)
PERKASA ( def ense of Mal ay ri ghts)
other: r eligi ous groups; women's gr oups; youth grou ps
ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CI CA ( obs erver), CP, D-8, EAS, FAO, G- 15, G-77, IAEA, I BRD,
ICAO, ICC (national commi ttees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,
Inter pol, IOC, IPU, ISO, I TSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OI C, OPCW ,
PCA, PIF ( part ner), UN, UN Sec urity Council (tempor ary), UNAMI D, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNIFI L, UNISFA, UNMI L, UNW TO, UPU, W CO, W FTU (NGOs), W HO, W IPO, WMO, W TO
chief of mission: Ambassador AW ANG ADEK Bin Hussin (since 21 May 2015)
chancery: 3516 International Court NW , W ashington, DC 20008
telephone: [ 1] (202) 572-9700
FAX: [ 1] (202) 572-9882
consulate(s) general: Los Angel es, New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph Y. YUN (sinc e 2 October 2013)
embassy: 376 J alan Tun Razak, 50400 Kual a Lumpur
mailing address: US Embassy Kual a Lumpur, APO AP 96535 -8152
telephone: [ 60] ( 3) 2168-5000
FAX: [ 60] ( 3) 2142-2207
Flag description:
14 equal hori zontal stripes of red (top) alt ernating wit h white ( bott om); there is a blue rect angle i n t he
upper hoist-side cor ner bearing a yellow crescent and a yell ow 14 -poi nted star; the fl ag is often ref erred
to as Jal ur Gemilang (Stripes of Gl ory); t he 14 stripes stand f or the equal status in the federati on of the
13 member states and the federal government; the 14 poi nts on the star repres ent the unit y between
thes e entities; the crescent is a traditi onal symbol of I slam; bl ue s ymboli zes t he unit y of t he Mal ay
people and yell ow is the r oyal c olor of Mal ay rul ers
note: the design is based on t he fl ag of t he US
National symbol(s):
tiger, hibiscus; nati onal col ors: red, whit e, bl ue, ye llow
National anthem:
name: "Negarak u" (My Countr y)
lyrics/music: c ollective, l ed by Tunk u ABDUL RAHMAN/Pi erre J ean DE BERANGER
note: adopt ed 1957; full version onl y performed in t he presence of the king; the t une, which was
adopted from a popular Fr ench melody titled "La Ros alie," was ori ginall y the ant hem of Per ak, one of
Mal aysi a's 13 stat es
 Hide
Economy :: MALAYSIA
Panel - Expanded
Mal aysi a, a mi ddle-i ncome country, has transformed itself since the 1970s from a produc er of raw
materi als int o an emer gi ng multi -sector economy. Under current Prime Mi nister NAJIB, Mal aysia is
attempti ng t o ac hieve hi gh -income stat us by 2020 and to move fart her up t he val ue - added production
chai n by attr acting investments in Isl amic f inanc e, hi gh technology industries, bi otec hnology, and
services. NAJIB's Economi c Transf ormati on Progr am i s a series of projects and policy meas ures
intended to accel erat e the country's economic gr owt h. The gover nment has also t aken steps t o
liber alize some ser vices sub-sectors. Mal aysia is vulnerable t o a fall i n world commodity prices or a
general slowdown i n gl obal economic activit y.
The NAJIB admi nistrati on i s continuing efforts to boos t domestic demand and reduce the economy's
dependence on exports. Ne verthel ess, exports - parti cularly of electronics, oil and gas, pal m oil and
rubber - remai n a signific ant dri ver of the ec onomy. Gross exports of goods and services constitute
more t han 80% of GDP. The oil and gas sector s uppli ed about 29% of gover nment r evenue i n 2014. As
an oil and gas export er, Malaysia has previ ousl y pr of ited fr om hi gher worl d energy prices, alt hough t he
rising cost of domestic gasoline and di esel f uel, c ombined wit h sustai ned budget deficits, has forced
Kuala Lumpur t o begi n t o addr es s fiscal shortfalls, thr ough initi al reducti ons i n ener gy and s ugar
subsidi es and t he announc ement of the 2015 i mpl ementati on of a 6% goods and services tax. Falli ng
global oil prices in t he sec ond half of 2014 have strai ned gover nment financ es, shrunk Mal aysi a’s
current account sur plus and put downwar d pr essure on the ringgit. The government is tryi ng t o l essen
its dependence on stat e oil produc er Petronas.
Bank Negara Mal aysi a (the central bank) maint ains healthy for ei gn exc hange r eserves; a well -
developed r egul ator y regime has limited Malaysia's expos ure t o riskier financial i nstruments and the
global financi al crisis. In order t o attr act increased investment, NAJIB raised pos sible revisions to t he
special economic and soci al pr efer enc es accorded to ethni c Mal ays under the New Ec onomic Policy of
1970, but retr eat ed i n 2013 after he enc ount ered signi ficant oppositi on fr om Malay nationalists and
other vested int erests. In Sept ember 2013 NAJIB launched the new Bumiputra Ec onomic Empowerment
Program, policies that favor and advance t he economi c conditi on of ethnic Mal ays.
Mal aysi a is a member of the 12 -nati on Trans -Pacific Partnershi p free trade agr eement negoti ations and,
with the nine other ASEAN members, will f orm the ASEAN Economic Communit y in 2015.
$815.6 billion (2015 est.)
$777.2 billion (2014 est.)
$733.2 billion (2013 est.)

$296.2 billion (2015 est.)
5% (2015 est.)
6% (2014 est.)
4.7% ( 2013 est.)
$26, 300 (2015 est.)
$25, 400 (2014 est.)
$24, 500 (2013 est.)
28% of GDP ( 2015 est.)
29. 3% of GDP (2014 est.)
29. 4% of GDP (2013 est.)
household consumption: 54%
investment in inventories: 0%

agriculture: 8. 9%
industry: 35%
services: 56. 1% ( 2015 est. )
Penins ular Mal aysi a - palm oil, r ubber, cocoa, rice; Sabah - palm oil, s ubsistence crops; rubber, timber;
Sar awak - pal m oil, r ubber, timber; pepper
Industries:
Penins ular Mal aysi a - rubber and oil palm proc essing and manuf acturing, petr oleum and nat ural gas,
light manuf acturi ng, pharmaceuticals, medical t echnol ogy, el ectronics and semiconductors, timber
processing; Sabah - logging, petrol eum and natur al gas production; Sarawak - agricultur e pr ocessing,
petr oleum and nat ural gas producti on, l oggi ng
5.5% ( 2015 est.)
Labor force:
14. 3 milli on ( 2015 est.)
agriculture: 11%
industry: 36%
services: 53% (2012 est.)
Unemployment rate:
2.7% ( 2015 est.)
2.9% ( 2014 est.)

3.8% ( 2009 est.)
lowest 10%: 1. 8%
highest 10%: 34. 7% ( 2009 est.)
46. 2 (2009)
49. 2 (1997)
Budget:
16. 9% of GDP (2015 est.)
-3.6% of GDP (2015 est.)
Public debt:
53. 5% of GDP (2015 est.)
52. 7% of GDP (2014 est.)
note: this figur e is bas ed on the amount of f ederal gover nment debt, RM501.6 bi llion ( $167.2 billion) in
2012; this incl udes Mal aysian Treasur y bills and ot her government securities, as well as loans rais ed
externally and bonds and notes issued overseas; this figure excludes debt issued by non -financial
public enter prises and guar ant eed by t he feder al government, which was an addit ional $47.7 billi on i n
2012
Fiscal year:
calendar year
2.1% ( 2015 est.)
3.1% ( 2014 est.)
note: approximatel y 30% of goods are price-controll ed
3% (31 December 2011)
2.83% ( 31 December 2010)
4.8% ( 31 December 2015 est.)
4.67% ( 31 December 20 14 est.)

$8. 712 billion (2015 est.)
$14. 46 billion (2014 est.)
Exports:
$203.8 billion (2015 est.)
$224.9 billion (2014 est.)
semiconductors and el ectronic equipment, palm oil, petrol eum and li quefi ed natural gas, wood and
wood products, palm oil, rubber, textiles, chemic als, solar panels
Exports - partners:
Singapore 14.2%, China 12%, Japan 10.8%, US 8.4%, Thailand 5.3%, Hong Kong 4.8%, Australia 4.3%,
Indi a 4. 2%, I ndonesi a 4. 2% (2014)
Imports:
$174.7 billion (2015 est.)
$189.8 billion (2014 est.)
electronics, machi nery, pet roleum products, pl astics, vehicles, iron and steel p r oducts, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Chi na 16.9%, Singapore 12.6%, Japan 8%, US 7. 7%, Thailand 5. 8%, South Kor ea 4. 6%, Indonesia 4. 1%
(2014)
Debt - external:

Exchange rates:
ringgits (MYR) per US doll ar -
3.902 (2015 est.)
3.27 (2014 est.)
3.27 (2013 est.)
3.09 (2012 est.)
3.06 (2011 est.)
 Hide
Energy :: MALAYSIA
Panel - Expanded
12 milli on kW h (2012 est.)
372 milli on kW h (2013 est.)

87. 6% of tot al inst alled capacity (2012 est.)
597, 500 bbl/ day (2014 est.)
244, 600 bbl/ day (2012 est.)

200,200 bbl/day (2012 est.)
4 billi on bbl (1 Januar y 2015 est.)
560, 700 bbl/ day (2012 est.)
680, 000 bbl/ day (2013 est.)
235, 600 bbl/ day (2012 est.)
302, 700 bbl/ day (2012 est.)
64 billion cu m (2013 est.)
31. 86 billi on c u m (2013 est.)

35. 4 billi on cu m ( 2013 est. )
2.34 billi on cu m ( 2012 est. )
2.35 trillion cu m ( 1 Januar y 2014 est.)
198. 8 million Mt ( 2012 est. )
 Hide
Communications :: MALAYSIA
Panel - Expanded

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern syst em feat uring good i ntercity s ervice on Peni nsular Mal aysia pr ovided
mai nly by microwave r adi o relay and an adequate i ntercity microwave radi o rel ay net work between
Sabah and Sar awak via Br unei; int ernati onal ser vice exc ellent
domestic: domestic sat ellite system with 2 earth st ati ons; combi ned fi xed -line and mobile-c ellul ar
teledensity r oughly 140 per 100 persons
international: country code - 60; landi ng poi nt for sever al major i nter nati onal s ubmari ne c abl e
net works that pr ovi de connectivity t o Asi a, Mi ddl e Eas t, and Europe; satellit e ear th stations - 2 I ntelsat
(1 Indian Oc ean, 1 Pacific Ocean) (2011)
Broadcast media:
state-owned TV br oadcast er operat es 2 TV net works with r el ays throughout the country, and the l eadi ng
private c ommercial medi a group oper ates 4 TV stations with numer ous r elays throughout the countr y;
satellite TV s ubscripti on s ervice is avail able; stat e -owned radi o br oadcast er oper ates multipl e nati onal
net works, as well as regi onal and local st ations; many private c ommercial radi o broadcasters and some
subscription sat ellite r adi o services ar e availabl e; about 55 radi o stations over all (2012)
AM 35, FM 391, short wave 15 ( 2001)
88 (mai nland Mal aysia 51, Sabah 16, and Sar awak 21) (2006)
.my
Internet hosts:
422, 470 (2012)
Internet users:

 Hide
Transportation :: MALAYSIA
Panel - Expanded
 Airports:
114 (2013)
total: 39
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 8 (2013)
total: 75
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 69 (2013)
Heliports:
4 (2013)
Pipelines:
condensat e 354 km; gas 6, 439 km; liqui d petrol eum gas 155 km; oil 1, 937 km; oi l/gas/water 43 km;
refined products 114 km; water 26 km ( 2013)
Railways:
total: 1, 849 km
standard gauge: 59 km 1.435-m gauge (59 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,792 km 1.000-m gauge (339 km el ectrified) (2014)
Roadways:
total: 144, 403 km (excludes local roads)
paved: 116, 169 km (includes 1,821 km of expr essways)
unpaved: 28, 234 km (2010)
Waterways:
7,200 km (Peni nsul ar Mal aysia 3,200 km; Sabah 1,500 km; Sarawak 2, 500 km) ( 2011)
Merchant marine:
total: 315
by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 83, carri er 2, chemical tanker 47, cont ai ner 41, li quefi ed gas 34,
passenger/car go 4, petr oleum tanker 86, r oll on/roll of f 2, vehicl e carrier 5
foreign-owned: 26 ( Denmark 1, Hong Kong 8, Japan 2, Russia 2, Si ngapore 13)
registered in other countries: 82 (Bahamas 13, Indi a 1, I ndonesi a 1, Isle of Man 6, Malta 1, Marshall
Islands 11, Panama 12, Papua New Gui nea 1, Philippi nes 1, Saint Kitts and Nevi s 1, Singapore 27,
Thailand 3, US 2, unk nown 2) (2010)
major seaport(s): Bint ulu, Johor Bahr u, Geor ge Town (Penang), Port Kelang (Port Klan g), Tanjung
Pel epas
container port(s) (TEUs): Geor ge Town (Penang)(1, 202, 180), Port Kelang ( Por t Klang)( 9,435, 403),
Tanjung Pelepas (7,302,461)
LNG terminal(s) (export): Bi ntul u (Sarawak)

LNG terminal(s) (import): Sungei Udang
Transportation - note:
the I nter nati onal Maritime Bur eau reports that t he t er ritorial and offs hor e waters in the Str ait of Malacca
and South Chi na Sea r emain hi gh risk for piracy and armed robber y against shi ps; in the past,
commerci al vessels have been attacked and hi jacked bot h at anchor and whil e underway; hi jacked
vessels are often dis guis ed and car go divert ed t o port s in East As i a; crews have been mur dered or cast
adrift; 24 attacks wer e reported in 2014
 Hide
Military and Security :: MALAYSIA
Panel - Expanded
Mal aysi an Armed Forces ( Angkat an Tent era Mal aysi a, ATM): Malaysian Ar my ( Tent era Dar at Mal aysia),
Royal Mal aysian Navy (Tentera Laut Dir aja Mal aysi a, TLDM), Royal Malaysian Ai r Force (Tenter a Udar a
Diraja Mal aysia, TUDM) ( 2013)
17 years 6 months of age f or volunt ary milit ary s ervic e (younger with par ent al consent and proof of
age); mandat or y retirement age 60; women serve i n the Mal aysian Armed Forces; no conscripti on
(2013)
1.5% of GDP ( 2014)
1.5% of GDP ( 2013)
1.55% of GDP (2012)
1.67% of GDP (2011)
1.55% of GDP (2010)
 Hide
Transnational Issues :: MALAYSIA
Panel - Expanded
whil e the 2002 "Declar ation on the Conduct of Parti es in the Sout h China S ea" has eas ed t ensi ons over
the Spr atly Isl ands, it is not the l egall y bi ndi ng "code of conduct" sought by some parties; Malaysia was
not part y to t he Marc h 2005 joi nt accor d among the national oil companies of China, t he Phili ppines,
and Vi et nam on conduc ting marine seismic acti vities i n the Spratl y Islands; disputes continue over
deli veries of fr esh water t o Singapore, Singapore's land r eclamation, bridge c onstruction, and maritime
boundaries i n the Johor and Si ngapor e Str aits; in 2008, ICJ awar ded sovere i gnt y of Pedr a Br anc a
(Pul au Bat u Put eh/ Horsbur gh Island) to Singapore, and Middl e Rocks to Mal aysi a, but di d not r ule on
maritime regimes, boundari es, or dis position of Sout h Ledge; l and and maritime negoti ations with
Indonesia ar e ongoi ng, and disputed a r eas i nclude t he controversial Tanjung Dat u and Camar W ulan
bor der area i n Borneo and the maritime boundary i n the Ambal at oil bl ock in the Cel ebes Sea;
separatist vi olence i n Thail and's predomi nantl y Musli m sout her n pr ovinc es prompts measur es to close
and monit or bor der wit h Malaysia t o stem t errorist ac tivities; Philippi nes ret ai ns a dormant clai m to
Mal aysi a's Sabah St at e in nort her n Borneo; per Letter s of Exc hange signed i n 2009, Mal aysi a in 2010
ceded t wo hydr ocarbon concession bl ocks to Brunei in exch ange for Brunei's sul tan dropping claims t o
the Limbang corridor, which di vi des Br unei; piracy r emai ns a pr oblem i n the Mal acca Strait
refugees (country of origin): 93, 866 (Burma) (2014)
stateless persons: 40, 000 (2014); not e - Malaysia's statel ess populati on consist s of Rohingya r efugees
from Burma, et hnic Indi ans , and the chil dren of Fili pino and Indonesian illegal mi grants; Burma stripped
the Rohingya of their nati onalit y in 1982; Fili pi no and Indonesian chil dren who have not have been
register ed for birt h certificates by t heir par ents or who recei ved birth c ertificates stamped "f orei gner "
are not eligi bl e to attend government schools; these children are vul nerable t o sta telessness shoul d
they not be able t o apply t o their parents' country of origi n for passports
current situation: Mal aysi a is a destination and, to a lesser extent, a s ource and transit country f or
men, women, and chil dren subjected t o f orced l abor and women and chil dren subjected to sex
trafficking; Malaysia is mai nly a destinati o n country f or foreign workers who migr ate willingly fr om
countries, includi ng I ndonesia, Bangladesh, the Phili ppines, Nepal, Burma, and other Southeast Asian
countries, but subsequentl y encounter forc ed l abor or debt bondage i n agricult ur e, constr uction,
factories, and domestic service at the hands of employers, empl oyment agents, and l abor recruit ers;
women from Sout heast Asi a and, to a muc h lesser ext ent, Africa, ar e recruit ed f or legal work in
restaur ants, hot els, and s alons but are f orced i nt o pr ostitut ion; r efugees, incl udi ng Rohi ngya adults and
children, are not l egall y permitted t o work and are vul ner abl e t o trafficking; a small number of
Mal aysi ans ar e trafficked i nter nall y and subject ed t o sex trafficking abr oad
tier rating: Tier 2 W atch list - Malaysia does not full y compl y wit h the mi nimum standar ds for the
elimi nati on of trafficking; however, it is making signifi cant eff orts to do so; i n 2014, amendments to
strengt hen existi ng anti -trafficking laws, i ncluding enabling victims to move freel y and to work and f or
NGOs to r un prot ective faci lities, wer e dr afted by t he government and ar e pendi ng approval fr om
Parli ament; aut horiti es mor e than doubl ed i nvestigati ons and pros ecutions but convict ed onl y t hree
traffickers for forced l abor and none f or sex t rafficking, a decli ne fr om 2013 and a dispr oporti onat ely
small number compared to the scale of the country’s trafficking problem; NGOs provided the majority of
victim rehabilitati on and couns eling ser vices wit h no fi nancial support fr om the government (201 5)
Illicit drugs:
drug trafficking pr osecut ed vigorously, i ncluding enf or cement of t he deat h penalt y; heroi n still primary
drug of abuse, but synt heti c drug demand remai ns strong; continued ecstasy and met hamphetamine
produc er for domestic user s and, to a lesser ext ent, t he r egi onal drug market
 evements over the past year include passage of laws that li ber ali zed the entr y of forei gn banks int o the
country; parti ally r elaxed t he c abotage law by allowing for eign vessels to pl y import and export c argo
withi n the arc hipelago; and passage of anti -trust l egis lation. Substanti al progres s has also been made
towards passage of a Cust oms Tariff and Moder ni zati on Act to meet i nter national standar ds and
commitments, wit h strong prospects of enactment int o law befor e Pr esident AQUINO steps down from
office. However, the Phili ppine Constitution and ot her laws restrict forei g n owner ship i n important
activities/sect ors - such as land ownershi p and public utilities.
$741 billi on ( 2015 est.)
$700.4 billion (2014 est.)
$659.9 billion (2013 est.)
$292 billi on ( 2015 est.)
5.8% ( 2015 est.)
6.1% ( 2014 est.)
7.1% ( 2013 est.)

$7, 300 ( 2015 est.)
$7, 000 ( 2014 est.)
$6, 700 ( 2013 est.)
23. 7% of GDP (2015 est.)
24. 7% of GDP (2014 est.)
24. 2% of GDP (2013 est.)
agriculture: 10. 3%
industry: 30. 9%
services: 58. 8% ( 2015 est. )
sugarcane, coconuts, rice, corn, bananas, cassava (manioc, tapioca), pineapples, mangoes; pork, eggs,
beef; fish
Industries:
electronics assembly, garments, footwear, pharmaceut icals, chemicals, wood products, food
processing, petr oleum r efining, fishi ng
6% (2015 est.)
Labor force:
41. 37 million (2015 est.)
agriculture: 29%
industry: 16%
Unemployment rate:
6.3% ( 2015 est.)
6.8% ( 2014 est.)
25. 2% ( 2012 est.)
lowest 10%: 2. 9%
highest 10%: 30. 5% ( 2012 est.)

46 ( 2012)
46. 4 (2009)
Budget:
16% of GDP ( 2015 est.)
-0.4% of GDP (2015 est.)
Public debt:
44. 8% of GDP (2015 est.)
45. 4% of GDP (2014 est.)
note: dat a cover debt issued by the national gover nm ent, and excl udes debt i nst ruments issued by
government entities other than the treasur y; the dat a i nclude tr eas ury debt hel d by for eign entiti es; the
dat a exclude debt issued by social sec urity i nstituti ons, gover nment - owned and controll ed corpor ations,
the Central Bank, and l ocal government units
Fiscal year:
calendar year

1.4% (2015 est.)
4.2% ( 2014 est.)
6.13% ( 31 December 2015)
6.13% ( 31 December 2014)
4.4% ( 31 December 2015 est.)
4.56% ( 31 December 20 14 est.)
$51. 8 billi on ( 31 Dec ember 2014 est.)

$8. 396 billion (2015 est.)
$10. 76 billion (2014 est.)
Exports:
$58. 65 billion (2015 est.)
$62. 1 billi on ( 2014 est.)
semiconductors and el ectronic products, transport equipment, garments, copper products, petrol eum
products, coconut oil, fruit s
Exports - partners:
Japan 21%, US 15%, Chi na 11%, Hong Kong 10. 6%, Singapore 6.2%, Ger many 4.5%, Sout h Korea
4.3% ( 2015)
Imports:
$66. 69 billion (2015 est.)
$65. 4 billi on ( 2014 est.)
electronic products, mineral fuels, machinery and transport equipment, iron and steel, textile fabrics,
grai ns, chemicals, pl astic
Imports - partners:
Chi na 16.2%, US 10. 8%, J apan 9. 6% , Si ngapore 7%, South Kor ea 6. 5%, Thailand 6. 4%, Malaysia 4. 7%,
Indonesia 4. 4% (2015)
Debt - external:
$75. 61 billion (30 September 2015 est.)
Exchange rates:
Phili ppi ne pesos (PHP) per US doll ar -
45. 503 ( 2015 est.)

44.395 (2014 est.)
44. 395 ( 2013 est.)
42. 23 (2012 est.)
43. 313 ( 2011 est.)
 Hide
Energy :: PHILIPPINES
Panel - Expanded
0 kW h (2013 est.)
0 kW h (2013 est.)

68% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
11. 1% of tot al inst alled capacit y (2012 est.)
21, 000 bbl/ day ( 2014 est.)
13, 990 bbl/ day ( 2012 est.)
138. 5 million bbl ( 1 Januar y 2015 est.)

314, 000 bbl/ day (2013 est.)
219, 800 bbl/ day (2014 est.)
3.339 billi on c u m (2015 est.)
0 cu m ( 2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)
83. 95 millio n Mt ( 2012 est. )
 Hide
Communications :: PHILIPPINES
Panel - Expanded
total: 111. 3 milli on
Telephone system:
general assessment: good int ernational radiot el ephone and submarine cable s ervices; domestic and
interisland servic e adequate
domestic: t elec ommunicati ons i nfrastructur e incl udes the f ollowing platf orms: fi xed li ne, mobil e
cellul ar, cabl e TV, over -the-air TV, r adi o and Very Small Apert ure Termi nal (VSAT), fiber - optic cabl e,
and sat ellite f or redundant inter nati onal connecti vity
international: country code - 63; a series of submarine cables together provide connectivity to the US,
and to c ountries like Hong Kong, Guam, Singapore, Taiwan, J apan, Brunei, and Mal aysi a, among
others; multi ple i nter national gateways (2015)
Broadcast media:
multipl e nati onal private TV and r adi o net works; multi -channel sat ellite and cabl e TV systems avail abl e;
more t han 350 TV stati ons - 6 major TV networks oper ating nati onwide wit h 1 bei ng government owned;
about 1, 300 cabl e TV pr ovi ders wit h more t han 2 milli on s ubscribers, and some 1,300 radio stati ons; the
Phili ppi nes adopted Japan’ s Integr ated Ser vice Di git al Broadc ast – Terrestrial st andard f or di gital
terrestrial tel evision in November 2013 and is schedul ed t o compl ete t he switc h from analog to di gital
broadc asting by the end of 2015 (2015)
AM 383, FM 659, shortwave 4 ( 2008)
297 (pl us 873 CATV networks) (2008)
.ph
Internet hosts:
425, 812 (2012)
Internet users:
 Hide
Transportation :: PHILIPPINES
Panel - Expanded
 Airports:
247 (2013)
total: 89
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 33
914 to 1,523 m: 34
under 914 m: 10 (2013)
total: 158
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 56
under 914 m: 99 (2013)
Heliports:
2 (2013)
Pipelines:
gas 567 km; oil 138 km; ref ined products 185 km ( 2013)
Railways:
total: 995 km
narrow gauge: 995 km 1. 067-m gauge ( 484 km ar e i n operati on) (2015)
Roadways:
total: 216,387 km
paved: 61, 093 km
unpaved: 155,294 km (2014)
Waterways:
3,219 km (limited to vessel s with dr aft less than 1.5 m) (2011)
Merchant marine:
total: 446
by type: bulk carrier 76, cargo 152, carrier 12, chemi cal tank er 27, contai ner 17, liquefied gas 5,
passenger 7, passenger/cargo 65, petrol eum t anker 44, refriger ated car go 20, r oll on/r oll off 11, vehicle
carrier 10
foreign-owned: 159 (Ber muda 47, Chi na 4, Denmar k 2, Germany 2, Greece 5, Japan 77, Mal aysia 1,
Net herl ands 17, Si ngapore 1 , Sout h Korea 1, Taiwan 1, UAE 1)
registered in other countries: 7 ( Cyprus 1, Panama 5, unknown 1) ( 2010)
major seaport(s): Bat angas, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Li man, Manil a
container port(s) (TEUs): Manil a (3, 342, 200)
the I nter nati onal Maritime Bur eau reports the t erritori al and offshore wat ers in t he Sout h China Sea as
high risk for pirac y and ar med robbery agai nst ships; numer ous commerci al vessels have been attacked
and hijacked bot h at anc hor and while underway; hi jacked vessels ar e often dis guised and c argo
diverted t o ports in East As ia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift
 Hide
Military and Security :: PHILIPPINES
Panel - Expanded
Armed Forces of t he Philippines (AFP): Army, Navy (i ncludes Marine Corps), Air Force ( 2013 )
17- 23 years of age ( officer s 20 -24) for vol u ntar y milit ary ser vice; no c onscripti on; applic ants must be
singl e mal e or femal e Phili ppi ne citizens wit h eit her 72 coll ege credit hours (enli sted) or a
baccal aureate degr ee ( offi cers) (2013)
1.19% of GDP (2012)
1.21% of GDP (2011)
1.19% of GDP (2010)
 Hide
Transnational Issues :: PHILIPPINES
Panel - Expanded
Phili ppi nes claims sover eignty over Sc arborough Reef (also claimed by China t ogether wit h Taiwan) and
over certai n of the Spratl y Islands, known l ocall y as t he Kal ayaan (Freedom) Islands, also cl aimed by
Chi na, Mal aysi a, Taiwan, and Viet nam; the 2002 "Decl arati on on the Conduct of Parti es in the South
Chi na Sea," has eased t ensions in t he Spr atl y Islands but f alls short of a l egall y bindi ng "code of
conduct" desir ed by sever al of the dis put ants; i n Marc h 2005, t he nati onal oil compani es of Chi na, t he
Phili ppi nes, and Viet nam signed a joint accord t o conduct mari ne seismic activities in the Spr atl y
Islands; Phili ppi nes retai ns a dormant clai m to Mal ays ia's Sabah Stat e in nort hern Borneo based on the
Sult anat e of Sul u's granti ng the Philippi nes Gover nment powe r of att orney to pursue a s overei gnty
claim on his behalf; mariti me delimit ati on negotiati ons continue with Pal au
IDPs: about 127, 000 dis pl aced by conflict and at least 327, 000 displ aced by natural disasters
(gover nment tr oops fighting the Moro Islamic Liber ation Front, the Abu Sayyaf Group, and the New
Peopl e's Army; clan feuds; nat ural disasters incl udi ng typhoon Bopha (D ecember 2012), the Bohol
eart hquake (October 2013) , typhoon Haiyan (November 2013), and typhoon Hagupit (December 2014))
(2015)
stateless persons: 6,370 (2014); note - stat eless per sons ar e descendants of Indonesian migr ants
Illicit drugs:
domestic met hamphetamine pr oduction has been a gr owi ng probl em i n recent years des pite government
crackdowns; major consumer of amphetamines; longst andi ng mari juana pr oducer mainl y i n rur al ar eas
where Manila's control is li mited
 Hide
Introduction :: SINGAPORE
Panel - Expanded
 Background:
Singapore was founded as a British tradi ng c olony in 1819. It joi ned the Malaysi an Federati on i n 1963
but was ousted two years later and became i ndependent. Singapore s ubs equent ly became one of the
worl d's most pros per ous countri es with strong int ernat ional tradi ng li nks (its port is one of t he worl d's
busi est in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capi ta G DP equal t o that of t he leading nati ons of
W estern Europe.
 Hide
Geography :: SINGAPORE
Panel - Expanded
 Location:
Southeastern Asia, islands bet ween Mal aysia and Indonesia
1 22 N, 103 48 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 697 s q km
land: 687 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightl y mor e than 3. 5 times the size of W ashington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
193 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: wi thin and beyond territ orial sea, as defi ned i n treaties and practice
Climate:
tropical; hot, humi d, rainy; two distinct mon soon s eas ons - northeastern monsoon (Dec ember t o March)
and southwest ern monsoon (June t o September); int er -mons oon - frequent aft ernoon and earl y eveni ng
thunderstorms
Terrain:
lowl ying, gently undul ating central pl ateau
Elevation:
mean elevation: NA
elevation extremes: l owest point: Singapore Strait 0 m
highest poi nt: Bukit Timah 166 m
Natural resources:
fish, deepwater ports

Land use:
agricultural land: 1%
arable l and 0.9%; permanent crops 0.1%; permanent past ure 0%
forest: 3.3%
other: 95.7% ( 2011 est.)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km (2012)
0.6 cu km ( 2011)
total: 0. 19 cu km/ yr (47%/ 53%/0%)
Natural hazards:
NA
industrial poll ution; limit ed nat ural fr eshwat er resources; limited land avail ability presents waste
disposal pr oblems; seasonal smoke/ haze res ulting fro m forest fires in I ndonesia
Species, Hazardous W astes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Pr otecti on, Shi p Poll ution
Geography - note:
focal poi nt for Southeast Asian sea routes

 Hide
People and Society :: SINGAPORE
Panel - Expanded
 Nationality:
noun: Singaporean(s)
adjective: Si ngapore
Ethnic groups:
Chi nes e 74.2%, Mal ay 13. 3%, Indi an 9. 2%, other 3. 3% (2013 est.)
Languages:
Mandarin ( official) 36. 3%, English ( official) 29.8%, Malay (offici al) 11.9%, Hokki en 8.1%, Tamil (offici al)
4.4%, Cant onese 4.1%, Teochew 3. 2%, ot her I ndi an l anguages 1.2%, ot her Chi nese dial ects 1.1%,
other 1. 1% ( 2010 est.)
Religions:
Buddhist 33.9%, Musli m 14.3%, Taoist 11. 3%, Cat holi c 7.1%, Hi ndu 5.2%, ot her Christian 11%, other
0.7%, none 16. 4% (2010 est.)
Population:
5,674,472 (Jul y 2015 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 13. 14% ( mal e 381, 404/femal e 364,424)
15-24 years: 17.43% (mal e 486,979/f emale 502, 159)
55-64 years: 10.16% (mal e 288,489/f emale 287, 992)
population pyramid:
Dependency ratios:
Median age:
total: 34 years
male: 33. 9 years
1.89% ( 2015 est.)
Birth rate:
8.27 birt hs/1, 000 populati on (2015 est.)
Death rate:
Net migration rate:
14. 05 migr ant(s)/1, 000 populati on ( 2015 est.)

Urbanization:
urban population: 100% of total populati on ( 2015)
rate of urbanization: 2.02% annual r ate of change (2 010-15 est.)
SINGAPORE (c apit al) 5. 619 million ( 2015)
Sex ratio:
55-64 years: 1 mal e(s)/femal e
29. 8 (2010 est.)
total: 2. 48 deat hs/1,000 li ve births
male: 2. 65 deat hs/1, 000 li ve births
female: 2. 28 deat hs/1, 000 live births (2015 est.)

male: 82. 06 years
4.6% of GDP ( 2013)
Physicians density:
2 beds/1,000 popul ation (2011)
improved:
total: 100% of popul ation
unimproved:

improved:
total: 100% of popul ation
unimproved:
NA
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
6.8% ( 2014)
2.9% of GDP ( 2013)
Literacy:
male: 98. 6%
female: 95% (2015 est.)
total: 7%
male: 5. 4%
female: 9% ( 2013)
 Hide
Government :: SINGAPORE
Panel - Expanded
 Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Singapore
conventional short form: Singapore
local long form: Republic of Si ngapor e
local short form: Singapore
etymology: name deri ves from the Sanskrit words "si nga" (li on) and "pura" (city) to describe t he city -
state's leoni ne s ymbol
Government type:
parli ament ary r epublic
Capital:
name: Si ngapore
none
Independence:
9 August 1965 (from Mal aysian Feder ation)
National holiday:
Nati onal Day, 9 August (1965)
Constitution:
several previous; lat est adopt ed 22 December 1965; amended many times, last in 2015 ( 2016)
Legal system:
English common l aw
Citizenship:
citizenship by descent only: at l east one par ent mus t be a citizen of Si ngapor e
Suffrage:
21 years of age; uni versal and compulsor y
Executive branch:
chief of state: Pr esident Tony TAN Keng Yam (since 1 Sept ember 2011)
head of government: Prime Mi nister LEE Hsien Loong (sinc e 12 August 2004); Deput y Prime Mi nisters
TEO Chee Hean (since 1 April 2009) and Thar man SHANMUGARATNAM (since 21 May 2011)
cabinet: Cabinet appoi nt ed by the president on the advic e of t he prime minist er; Cabinet res pons ibl e to
Parli ament
elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a single 6 -year
term; el ection last hel d on 27 August 2011 (next t o be hel d by August 2017); foll owi ng l egislative
electi ons, leader of majorit y party or majorit y coalition us uall y appoi nt ed prime minister by presi dent;
deputy prime minist ers appoint ed by the pr esident
election results: Tony TAN Keng Yam elect ed presi dent; perc ent of vote - Tony TAN Keng Yam
(independent) 35.2% , TAN Cheng Bock (indepen dent) 34. 9%, TAN J ee Say (independent) 25%, TAN
Kin Lian (PP) 4. 9%
Legislative branch:
description: unic amer al Parliament (101 s eats; 89 members dir ectly elected by popular vot e, 9
nominated by t he pr esident , and up t o 9 - but curr entl y 3 - non-constituenc y members from opposition
parti es to ensur e political diversity; members ser ve 5 -year terms)
elections: l ast hel d on 11 September 2015 ( next to be hel d in 2020)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 69.9%, W P 12.5%, ot her 17.6%; seats by party - PAP
83, W P 6
Judicial branch:
highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the pr esident or chief justice and 16 justices and
organi zed i nt o an upper ti er Appeal Court and a lower tier High Court)
judge selection and term of office: all judges appoi nted by t he presi dent from candidates
recommended by the prime minister aft er consult ation with the chi ef justice; justices appoint ed f or life
subordinate courts: district, magistrat es', juvenile, f amil y, community, and cor oners' courts; small
claims tribunals
Nati onal Soli darit y Party or NSP [ LIM Tean]
Peopl e's Action Party or PAP [ LEE Hsien Loong]
Singapore Democratic Part y or SDP [ CHEE Soon J uan]
W orkers' Party or W P [LOW Thia Khi ang]
none

ADB, AOSIS, APEC, Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, FAO, FATF, G -77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, I CC (nati onal committees), ICCt, ICRM, I DA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,
Inter pol, IOC, IPU, ISO, I TSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OPCW , Pacific Alliance (obser ver),
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UPU, W CO, W HO, W IPO, W MO, W TO
chief of mission: Ambassador As hok Kumar MIRPURI (since 24 Jul y 2012)
chancery: 3501 I nt ernational Plac e NW , W ashingt on, DC 20008
telephone: [ 1] (202) 537-3100
FAX: [ 1] (202) 537-0876
consulate(s) general: San Fr ancisco
consulate(s): New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Kirk W . W AGAR (since 25 September 2013)
embassy: 27 Napi er Road, Singapore 258508
mailing address: FPO AP 96507- 0001
telephone: [ 65] 6476-9100
FAX: [ 65] 6476-9340
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and whit e; near the hoist side of t he r ed band, ther e is a
vertical, whit e crescent (closed portion is towar d the hoist side) partiall y enclosi ng fi ve whit e fi ve -
poi nt ed stars arr anged i n a circle; red denot es br other hood and equalit y; whit e si gnifi es purity and
virtue; the waxi ng crescent moon symboli zes a young nati on on the ascendancy; the fi ve st ars
repr esent the nation's ideal s of democrac y, peace, pr ogress, justice, and equalit y
National symbol(s):
lion, merli on (mythic al half lion - half fish cr eat ure), orchid; nati onal c olors: red, white
National anthem:
name: "Majul ah Singapura" (Onwar d Si ngapor e)

lyrics/music: ZUBIR Said
note: adopt ed 1965; firs t performed i n 1958 at t he Victoria Theatr e, the ant hem i s sung onl y i n Malay
 Hide
Economy :: SINGAPORE
Panel - Expanded
Singapore has a hi ghly developed and successful fr ee -market ec onomy. It enjoys a remar kably open
and corr upti on-fr ee envir onment, stabl e pric es, and a per capit a GDP hi gher t han that of most
developed countries. Unemployment is ver y low. The economy depends heavil y on exports, partic ularl y
of cons umer el ectronics, informati on technology pr o ducts, medical and optical devices,
pharmaceuticals, and on its vibrant transportati on, business, and fi nancial ser vic es sectors.
The ec onomy contract ed 0. 6% in 2009 as a res ult of t he gl obal financial crisis, but has conti nued to
grow since 2010 on the st rengt h of renewed exports. Growt h in 2014 -15 was slower at under 3%,
largely a res ult of soft demand for exports ami d a sl uggish global economy and weak growt h i n
Singapore’s manuf acturing sector.
The gover nment is attempti ng t o restruct ure Si ngapor e’s eco nomy by weani ng it s dependence on
forei gn l abor, addressing weak producti vity, and i ncreasing Si ngapor ean wages. Singapore has
attracted major i nvestment s in pharmaceuticals and medical tec hnol ogy produc tion and will c onti nue
efforts to strengt hen its posi tion as Southeast Asia's leadi ng fi nancial and high -t ech hub. Si ngapor e is a
member of the 12- nati on Tr ans -Pacific Part ners hip free trade negotiati ons, the Regi onal Compr ehensive
Economic Part nershi p negotiati ons wit h t he nine other ASEAN members plus Aust ralia, China, Indi a,
Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. In 2015, Si ngapore f ormed, with t he other ASEAN members, the
ASEAN Economic Community.
$471.9 billion (2015 est.)
$462.6 billion (2014 est.)
$448 billi on ( 2013 est.)
$292.7 billion (2015 est.)

2% (2015 est.)
3.3% ( 2014 est.)
4.7% ( 2013 est.)
$85, 300 (2015 est.)
$84, 600 (2014 est.)
$83, 000 (2013 est.)
46% of GDP ( 2015 est.)
46. 3% of GDP (2014 est.)
48% of GDP ( 2013 est.)
exports of goods and services: 184.3%
imports of goods and services: -158. 9% ( 2015 est.)

agriculture: 0%
industry: 23. 8%
services: 76. 2% ( 2015 est. )
orchids, vegetables; poultr y, eggs; fish, ornament al fi sh
Industries:
electronics, chemic als, financial ser vices, oi l drilling equi pment, petrol eum refi ni ng, r ubber proc essing
and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore pl atform construction, life
sciences, entrepot tr ade
-3.5% ( 2015 est.)
Labor force:
3.588 million
note: excludes non-resi dents (2015 est.)
agriculture: 1. 3%
industry: 14. 8%
services: 83. 9%
note: excludes non-resi dents (2013)
Unemployment rate:
2% (2015 est.)
2% (2014 est.)
NA%
lowest 10%: 2. 3%
highest 10%: 11% (2014)
46. 4 (2014)
46. 3 (2013)
Budget:
expenditures: $45.48 billion
note: expenditur es include bot h operati onal and devel opment expenditur es (2015 est.)
15% of GDP ( 2015 est.)
-0.5% of GDP (2015 est.)
Public debt:
105. 6% of GDP ( 2015 est.)

99.3% of GDP (2014 est.)
note: Si ngapor e's public debt consists largely of S i ngapore Government Securiti es (SGS) issued t o
assist the Centr al Pr ovi dent Fund ( CPF), whic h admi ni sters Singapor e's defined c ontri buti on pensi on
fund; special issues of SGS ar e held by the CPF, and are non -tradabl e; the government has not
borr owed t o fin ance deficit expenditur es since t he 1980s; Singapore has no exter nal public debt
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 Marc h
-0.5% ( 2015 est.)
1% (2014 est.)
5.4% ( 31 December 2015 est.)
5.35% ( 31 December 20 14 est.)

$57. 56 billion (2015 est.)
$53. 18 billion (2014 est.)
Exports:
$384.6 billion (2015 est.)
$437.3 billion (2014 est.)
machi nery and equipment ( including el ectronics and t elec ommunic ations), phar maceuticals and ot her
chemic als, refined petrol eum products, foodstuffs and beverages
Exports - partners:
Chi na 12.6%, Mal aysi a 12%, Hong Kong 11%, I ndonesia 9.4%, US 5.9%, Japan 4.1%, Sout h Korea
4.1% ( 2014)
Imports:
$294.2 billion (2015 est.)
$360.9 billion (2014 est.)
machi nery and equipment, mineral f uels, chemicals, f oodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners:
Chi na 12.1%, Mal aysi a 10. 7%, US 10.3%, Sout h Kor ea 5. 9%, Japan 5.5%, Indonesia 5.1%, U AE 4. 2%,
Saudi Arabi a 4% ( 2014)
Debt - external:
$1. 33 trillion ( 31 December 2014 est.)
$1. 323 trillion ( 31 December 2013 est.)

Exchange rates:
Singapore doll ars (SGD) per US dollar -
1.38 (2015 est.)
1.2671 ( 2014 est.)
1.2671 ( 2013 est.)
1.25 (2012 est.)
1.258 (2011 est.)
 Hide
Energy :: SINGAPORE
Panel - Expanded
0 kW h (2014 est.)
0 kW h (2014 est.)

0% of t otal i nstall ed capaci ty (2014 est .)
0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
5,900 bbl/day (2012 est.)

976,100 bbl/day (2012 est.)
0 bbl (1 J anuar y 2015 est.)
1.24 milli on bbl/day ( 2013 est.)
0 cu m ( 2013 est.)

0 cu m ( 2013 est.)
0 cu m ( 1 January 2014 est .)
208 milli on Mt (2012 est.)
 Hide
Communications :: SINGAPORE
Panel - Expanded
total: 8. 7 million

Telephone system:
general assessment: exc ellent ser vice
domestic: exc ellent domes tic facilities; launched 3G w irel ess service in Febr uar y 2005; combi ned
fi xed-line and mobil e-cell ul ar tel edensity more t han 180 t elephones per 100 persons; multi pl e pr ovi ders
of hi gh-s peed Int ernet connecti vity and t he government is close to compl eti ng an island -wi de roll out of
a hi gh-speed fiber-optic br oadband network
international: country code - 65; numerous submari ne cables pr ovide links thr oughout Asia, Australi a,
the Mi ddle East, Eur ope, and US; sat ellite earth stati ons - 4; supplement ed by VSAT coverage ( 2011)
Broadcast media:
state controls br oadcast medi a; 8 domestic TV stati ons operat ed by Medi aCorp which is wholl y owned
by a stat e investment company; br oadcasts from Mal aysi an and I ndonesi an stat ions availabl e; sat ellite
dishes banned; multi -channel c abl e TV ser vice available; a tot al of 18 domestic radi o stati ons
broadc asting wit h Medi aCorp oper ating more t han a dozen and anot her 4 stati ons are closel y li nked t o
the r uling part y or controll ed by the Si ngapore Armed Forces Reser vists Associat ion; many Mal aysian
and Indonesian radi o stations are avail able
AM 0, FM 19, shortwave 1 (2008)
1 (br oadcasting on 8 channels); additi onal rec epti on of numer ous UHF and VHF signals origi nating in
Mal aysi a and I ndonesi a (2008)
.sg
Internet hosts:
1.96 milli on ( 2012)
Internet users:
total: 4. 5 million

 Hide
Transportation :: SINGAPORE
Panel - Expanded
 Airports:
9 (2013)
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2013)
Pipelines:
gas 122 km; refi ned pr oduc ts 8 km (2013)
Roadways:
total: 3, 425 km
paved: 3,425 km (includes 161 km of expr essways) (2012)
Merchant marine:
total: 1, 599
by type: bulk carrier 247, cargo 109, c arrier 6, chemi cal tank er 256, c ont ai ner 3 39, li quefi ed gas 131,
petr oleum t ank er 436, r efri ger ated car go 13, roll on/r oll off 5, vehicl e carrier 57
foreign-owned: 966 (Australia 12, Bangladesh 1, Belgium 1, Bermuda 25, Brazil 9, Chile 6, China 29,
Cyprus 6, Denmark 149, Fr anc e 3, Germany 32, Greece 22, Hong Kong 46, I ndi a 21, I ndonesi a 60, Ital y
5, Japan 164, Mal aysia 27, Net herl ands 1, Norway 153, Russia 2, South Africa 13, Sout h Korea 3,
Sweden 11, Swit zerland 3, Tai wan 77, Thailand 33, UAE 10, UK 6, US 36)
registered in other countries: 344 (Australia 2, Bahamas 7, Bangl adesh 7, Bel ize 4, Cambodi a 3,
Cyprus 1, France 3, Honduras 11, Hong Kong 13, I ndonesia 46, It al y 1, Kiri bati 9, Li beri a 22, Mal aysi a
13, Mal dives 4, Malt a 4, Marshall Isl ands 30, Mongolia 3, Nort h Korea 1, Panama 92, Philipp i nes 1,
Sai nt Kitts and Nevis 10, Saint Vinc ent and t he Gr enadines 5, Sierr a Leone 9, Thailand 1, Tuval u 19,
US 16, Vanuat u 2, unk nown 5) (2010)
major seaport(s): Singapore
container port(s) (TEUs): Si ngapor e (31,649,400)
LNG terminal(s) (import): Si ngapor e
and hijacked bot h at anc hor and while underway; hi jack ed vessels ar e often dis guised and c argo
diverted t o ports in East As ia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift; in 2014, 8 commercial vessels
wer e att acked i n the Si ngapor e Str aits
 Hide
Military and Security :: SINGAPORE
Panel - Expanded
Singapore Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force (incl udes Air Defense) ( 2013)
18- 21 years of age f or mal e compuls ory milit ar y servi ce; 16 1/ 2 years of age f or vol unteers; 2 -year
conscript servic e obli gati on, with a res erve obli gati on to age 40 (enlisted) or age 50 ( officers) (2012)
3.52% of GDP (2012)

3.47% of GDP (2011)
3.52% of GDP (2010)
 Hide
Transnational Issues :: SINGAPORE
Panel - Expanded
disputes persist with Mal aysia over deli veries of fr esh wat er to Si ngapore, Si ngapor e's ext ensive land
reclamation works, bridge construction, and maritime boundaries i n the Johor and Si ngapor e Str aits; in
2008, ICJ awar ded sover ei gnt y of Pedr a Br anc a (Pul au Batu Put eh/Horsbur gh Island) to Singapore, and
Middle Rocks to Malaysia, but did not rul e on maritime regimes, boundari es, or disposition of South
Ledge; I ndonesi a and Si ngapore c onti nue t o work on f inali zation of t heir 1973 maritime boundar y
agr eement by defi ni ng unr esol ved ar eas north of Indonesia's Batam Island; piracy remains a pr obl em i n
the Mal acca Str ait
Illicit drugs:
drug abuse limit ed because of aggr essive l aw enf orcement efforts, includi ng c arrying out death
sent enc es; as a transportat ion and fi nancial ser vices hub, Si ngapore is vulner able, despit e strict laws
and enf orcement, as a venue f or money l au ndering
 Hide
Introduction :: BURMA
Panel - Expanded
 Background:
Vari ous ethnic Bur mes e and et hnic mi nority city -stat es or kingdoms occupi ed the pr esent borders
through t he 19t h centur y. Over a peri od of 62 years (1824 -1886), Brit ain c onquered Burma and
incorpor ated the country i nto its Indi an Empire. Burma was admi nister ed as a provinc e of I ndi a until
1937 when it became a separat e, self -gover ning col ony; in 1948, Burma at t ained independence from the
British Commonwealt h. Gen. NE W IN domi nated the government from 1962 t o 1988, first as milit ary
ruler, then as self - appoint ed pr esident, and l ater as political kingpi n. In r espons e to wi despr ead civil
unrest, NE W IN resigned in 1988, but within months the military crushed student -led protests and took
power.
Multipart y legislati ve el ections i n 1990 res ulted i n the main opposition part y - the National League f or
Democracy ( NLD) - winni ng a l andslide victory. I nstead of handi ng ov er power, the junt a plac ed NLD
leader (and Nobel Peace Prize r ecipi ent) AUNG SAN SUU KYI under hous e arr est from 1989 to 1995,
2000 to 2002, and fr om May 2003 t o November 2010. In lat e Sept ember 2007, the ruli ng junta brut ally
suppressed pr otests over incr eas ed f uel prices l ed by prodemocrac y acti vists and Buddhist monks,
killing at l east 13 peopl e and arresting t housands for participati ng i n the demonstrations. In early May
2008, Burma was struck by Cyclone Nargis, which l eft over 138,000 dead and tens of thousands injur ed
and homel ess. Despit e this tragedy, the junt a pr oceeded with its May constituti onal ref erendum, t he
first vote i n Burma since 1990. Legislati ve electi ons hel d in November 2010, which the NLD boycott ed
and were c onsi der ed fl awed by many i n the int ernati onal c ommunit y, saw the ruli ng Uni on Solidarity and
Devel opment Part y garner over 75% of the seats.
The nati onal legislat ure c onvened in J anuary 2011 and sel ected f ormer Prime Mi nister THEIN SEI N as
president. Alt hough t he vast majorit y of na ti onal-l evel appoint ees named by THEIN SEI N ar e former or
current milit ary officers, the gover nment i nitiat ed a series of political and economic reforms leading to a
substantial openi ng of the l ong -isol ated countr y. These ref orms included r eleasing hundr ed s of political
prisoners, signi ng a nationwide cease -fire wit h several of the countr y's ethnic ar med gr oups, pursui ng
legal ref orm, and gr adually reducing restrictions on fr eedom of t he pr ess, association, and civil societ y.
At least due i n part to t hes e r ef orms, AUNG SAN SUU KYI was el ected to t he national legislat ure i n
April 2012 and became chair of the Committ ee f or Rul e of Law and Tr anquility. Burma s erved as chair
of the Associati on of Southeast Asi an Nati ons (ASEAN) for 2014. I n a fl awed but largely credi ble
nati onal l egisl ative el ection in November 2015 f eaturi ng mor e than 90 political parties, the NLD agai n
won a l andslide victory. Using its overwhelmi ng majori ty in bot h houses of parliament, the NLD elected
HTIN KYAW , AUNG SAN SUU KYI’s confi dant a nd long-time NLD supporter, as president. Burma's first
civilian gover nment after more t han five dec ades of mi litary dictators hip was sworn int o offic e on 30
March 2016.
 Hide
Geography :: BURMA
Panel - Expanded
 Location:
Southeastern Asia, bor deri ng t he Andaman Sea and t he Bay of Bengal, between Bangl ades h and
Thailand
22 00 N, 98 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 676,578 sq km
land: 653,508 sq km
water: 23, 070 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightl y small er than Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 6, 522 km
border countries (5): Bangladesh 271 km, China 2, 129 km, I ndi a 1, 468 km, Laos 238 km, Thail and
2,416 km
Coastline:
1,930 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of t he c onti nent al mar gin
Climate:
tropical monsoon; cl oudy, rainy, hot, humi d summers (sout hwest monsoon, June t o Sept ember); less
cloudy, scant r ai nfall, mil d temper atur es, lower humi di ty during wi nt er (nort heast monsoon, December
to April)
Terrain:
central l owl ands ringed by steep, rugged hi ghl ands

Elevation:
elevation extremes: l owest point: Andaman Sea/Bay of Bengal 0 m
highest poi nt: Gaml ang Razi 5, 870 m
Natural resources:
petr oleum, timber, tin, anti mony, zinc, copper, tungsten, l ead, coal, marbl e, limestone, pr ecious stones,
nat ural gas, hydr opower, arabl e land
Land use:
arable l and 16.5%; per manent crops 2. 2%; permanent pastur e 0.5%
forest: 48. 2%
other: 32.6% ( 2011 est.)
Irrigated land:
22, 950 sq km ( 2012)
1,168 cu km (2011)
total: 33.23 cu km/ yr (10%/1%/89%)
Natural hazards:
destructi ve earthquakes and cyclones; floodi ng and l andsli des common duri ng r ainy s eas on (June to
September); periodic dr oughts
def orest ation; industrial po llution of air, soil, and water; inadequat e sanitati on and water treatment
contribut e to disease
Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Pr otecti on, Shi p Polluti on, Tropical Timber 83, Tr opical Ti mber
94
Geography - note:
strategic l ocation near maj or Indian Oc ean shi ppi ng l anes; the north -s out h flowi ng Irrawaddy Ri ver is
the country's lar gest and most important commercial wat erway
 Hide
People and Society :: BURMA
Panel - Expanded
 Nationality:
noun: Burmese (si ngular and pl ural)
adjective: Burmese
Ethnic groups:
Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhi ne 4%, Chi nese 3%, Indi an 2%, Mon 2%, other 5%
Languages:
Burmese ( official)
note: mi norit y et hnic groups have t heir own languages
Religions:
Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Cat holic 1%), Muslim 4%, Ani mist 1%, ot her 2%
Population:
56, 320, 206
note: estimates f or this countr y tak e int o account the effects of excess mortalit y due to AIDS; this can
result in l ower life expectancy, hi gher i nfant mortalit y, higher deat h rat es, lower populati on gr owth
rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
(July 2015 est.)
Age structure:
population pyramid:
Dependency ratios:
elderly dependency ratio: 8%
potential support ratio: 12.5% ( 2015 est.)
Median age:
total: 28.3 years
male: 27. 7 years
1.01% ( 2015 est.)

Birth rate:
Death rate:
Net migration rate:
-0.28 mi grant(s)/1,000 populati on ( 2015 est.)
Urbanization:
RANGOON (Yangon) (capit al) 4. 802 milli on; Mandal ay 1.167 million; Nay Pyi Taw 1.03 milli on ( 2015)
Sex ratio:

21.8 (2007 est.)
178 deaths/ 100, 000 live births (2015 est.)
male: 63. 89 years
46% (2009/10)
1.8% of GDP ( 2013)
Physicians density:
0.61 physicians/1,000 population (2012)
improved:
unimproved:
total: 19. 4% of popul ation ( 2015 est.)
improved:
unimproved:
0.69% ( 2014 est.)

212, 600 (2014 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
10, 100 ( 2014 est.)
food or waterborne diseases: bacteri al and pr otozoal di arrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoi d fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, mal aria, and J apanes e encephalitis
water contact disease: l eptos pirosis
animal contact disease: r abi es
2.9% ( 2014)
22. 6% ( 2010)
0.8% of GDP ( 2011)
Literacy:
male: 95. 2%
female: 91.2% (2015 est.)
total: 9 years
male: NA
female: NA ( 2007)
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Government :: BURMA
Panel - Expanded
 Country name:
conventional long form: Uni on of Burma
conventional short form: Burma
local long form: Pyi daungzu Thammada Myanma Nai ngngandaw (transl ated as the Republic of t he
Uni on of Myanmar)
local short form: Myanma Nai ngngandaw
former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma, Uni on of Myanmar
note: since 1989 the milit ary authorities i n Burma and the curr ent pa rliamentar y government have
promot ed t he name Myanmar as a c onventi onal name for their state; t he US Government has not
adopted the name
etymology: bot h "Burma" and "Myanmar " derive from the name of the majorit y Burmes e Bamar et hnic
group
Government type:
parli ament ary r epublic
Capital:
name: Rangoon (Yangon); note - Nay Pyi Taw is the administrative capital
time difference: UTC+6. 5 (11. 5 hours ahead of W ashingt on, DC, duri ng Standar d Time)
7 regions (tai ng-myar, singular - tai ng), 7 stat es (pyi ne -myar, singul ar - pyi ne), 1 union t erritory
regions: Ayeyawady (Irrawaddy), Bago, Magway, Mandal ay, Sagai ng, Tani nthayi, Yangon (Rangoon)
states: Chi n, Kachi n, Kayah, Kayi n, Mon, Rak hine (Ar akan), Shan
union territory: Nay Pyi Taw
Independence:
4 January 1948 (from t he UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 January ( 1948); Uni on Day, 12 February ( 1947)
Constitution:
previous 1947, 1974 (suspended until 2008); lat est appr oved by ref erendum 29 May 2008 ( 2016)
Legal system:
mi xed l egal syst em of Engl ish common l aw ( as introduced in codificati ons desi gned for c olonial I ndia)
and customar y law
Citizenship:
citizenship by descent only: bot h parents must be ci tizens of Burma
residency requirement for naturalization: none

note: an applicant for naturalization must be the child or spouse of a citizen
Suffrage:
Executive branch:
note: the parli ament ary bil l creating the positi on of "s tate counsell or" was signed int o law by Pr esident
HTIN KYAW on 6 April 2016; the state c ounsell or ser ves the equi valent term of t he presi dent and is
similar to a prime mi nister in that the hol der acts as a link bet ween the parli ament and t he exec utive
branch
chief of state: Pr esident HTIN KYAW (since 30 March 2016); Vice Pr esidents MYINT SW E (since 30
March 2016) and HENRY VAN TI O (since 30 March 2016); not e - the pr esident is bot h chi ef of stat e and
head of government
head of government: President HTI N KYAW (since 30 March 2016); Vice Presi dents MYI NT SW E
(since 30 March 2016) and HENRY VAN TIO (sinc e 30 Marc h 20 16); St at e Counsellor AUNG SAN SUU
KYI (since 6 April 2016); s he c onc urrentl y ser ves as minister of forei gn aff airs and mi nister f or the
office of t he pr esident
cabinet: Cabinet appoi ntments shared by t he presi dent and t he commander -in-c hief
elections/appointments: president indirectl y el ected by simple majority vote by the f ull Assembl y of
the Uni on fr om among 3 vi ce -presi dential c andi dat es nominated by t he Presi dential El ectoral Coll ege
(consists of members of the lower and upper hous es and milit ary membe rs); the other 2 candidat es
bec ome vice- presi dents (pr esident elect ed f or a 5 -year term); electi on l ast held on 15 March 2016 ( next
to be hel d in 2021)
election results: HTI N KYAW elected pr esident; Assembly of the Uni on vot e: HTIN KYAW 360, MYINT
SW E 213, HENRY VAN TI O 79 (652 votes cast)
Legislative branch:
description: bicameral Assembl y of t he Union or Pyi daungs u consists of an upper house - t he House of
Nati onalities or Amyotha Hl uttaw, (224 seats; 168 members directly el ected i n si ngl e -seat
constituenci es by absol ute majority vot e wit h a s econd round if needed and 56 appoi nt ed by t he
military; members serve 5- year terms) and a l ower house - the House of Repres ent atives or Pyit hu
Hlutt aw, (440 seats; 330 members dir ectly elected i n singl e -seat c onstituencies by simple majority vote
and 110 appoi nt ed by t he military; members serve 5 - year terms)
elections: l ast hel d on 8 November 2015 (next to be hel d in 2020)
election results: Upper Hous e - percent of vot e by party - NA; seats by party - NLD 135, USDP 11,
ANP 10, SNLD 3, ZCD 2, TNP 2, i ndependent 2, ot her 3, militar y appoi ntees 56; Lower House - percent
of vote by party - NA; seat s by part y - NLD 255, USDP 30, ANP 12, SNLD 12, PNO 3, TNP 3, ZCD 2,
LNDP 2, independent 1, ot her 3, canceled due t o insurgence 7, militar y appoi nt ees 110
Judicial branch:
highest court(s): Supreme Court of the Union (consists of the chi ef justice and 7 -11 judges)
judge selection and term of office: chi ef justice and judges nominat ed by t he president, wit h approval
of the Lower Hous e, and appoi nted by t he presi dent; judges nor mall y ser ve until mandator y retir ement
at age 70
subordinate courts: High Courts of the Regi on; Hi gh Courts of the St ate; Court of the Self -
Admi nister ed Divisi on; Court of the Self -Administ ered Zone; district and towns hip courts; special c ourts
(for juvenile, municipal, and traffic off ens es); courts martial
All Mon Region Democracy Part y or AMRDP [NAING NGW E THEIN]
Arakan Nati onal Party or ANP [Dr. AYE MAUNG] (f ormed from t he 2013 merger of the Rakhi ne
Nati onalities Devel opm ent Part y and t he Ar akan League f or Democracy)
Nati onal Democratic Force or NDF [KHIN MAUNG SW E]
Nati onal League for Democ racy or NLD [AUNG SAN SUU KYI]
Nati onal Unity Party or NUP [THAN TIN]
Pa-O Nati onal Or gani zation or PNO [ AUNG KHAN HTI]
Shan Nati onaliti es Democr atic Part y or SNDP [SAI AI K PAUNG]
Shan Nati onaliti es League for Democrac y or SNLD [KHUN HTUN OO]
Ta' ang National Party or TNP [AI K MONE]
Uni on Soli darity and Devel opment Party or USDP [ HTAY OO]
Zomi Congress for Democracy or ZCD [PU CI N SIAN THANG]
numer ous smaller parti es
Thai border: Et hnic Nati onalities Council or ENC
Feder ati on of Tr ade Uni ons -Burma or FTUB (exile tr ade union and labor advocat es)
Nati onal Coalition Government of t he Uni on of Burma or NCGUB (self - proclai med government in exile)
["Prime Minist er" Dr. SEIN W IN ] consists of indi vidual s, some legitimatel y elected to t he People's
Assembly in 1990 (the group fled to a border area and joined insurgents in December 1990 to form a
par allel government in exil e)
Nati onal Council -Union of Burma or NCUB (exil e coal ition o f opposition groups)
Unit ed Nati onaliti es Federal Council or UNFC
inside Burma: Kac hin I ndependence Or gani zati on
Kar en Nati onal Uni on or KNU
Kar enni National Peopl e's Part y or KNPP
Unit ed W a Stat e Army or UW SA
88 Generati on Students (pr o -democracy movement )
several other Chin, Kar en, Mon, and Shan factions
note: many restrictions on freedom of expr ession have been r elaxed by t he government; a li mited
number of politic al gr oups, other than parties, ar e approved by t he gover nment
ADB, ARF, ASEAN, BI MSTEC, CP, EAS, EI TI (c andi date country), FAO, G -77, IAEA, I BRD, ICAO,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, I LO, IMF, IMO, I nterpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, I SO (correspondent), ITU,
ITUC (NGOs), NAM, OPCW (signat ory), SAARC ( obser ver), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNI DO, UNW TO,
UPU, W CO, W HO, W IPO, W MO, W TO
chief of mission: Ambassador KYAW MYO HTUT (si nce 3 December 2013)
chancery: 2300 S Str eet NW , W ashingt on, DC 20008
telephone: [ 1] (202) 332-3344
FAX: [ 1] (202) 332-4351
consulate(s) general: Los Angel es, New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Sc ot MARCIEL (s ince 27 April 2016)
embassy: 110 Uni versity Avenue, Kamayut Townshi p, Rangoon
mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546

telephone: [95] (1) 536-509, 535-756, 538-038
FAX: [ 95] ( 1) 511- 069
Flag description:
desi gn consists of thr ee equal horizont al stripes of yel low (top), gr een, and red; c ent ered on t he green
band is a lar ge whit e fi ve - point ed star that partiall y overlaps onto t he adjac ent colored stripes; t he
desi gn r evi ves the tri band colors used by Burma from 1943 -45, during the Japanese occupation
National symbol(s):
chint he (mythic al lion); nati onal col ors: yellow, gr een, red, whit e
National anthem:
name: "Kaba Ma Kyei " (Til l the End of t he W orld, Myanmar)
lyrics/music: SAYA TIN
note: adopt ed 1948; Burma is among a handf ul of non -European nati ons that have anthems rooted i n
indi genous traditi ons; the begi nning portion of the ant hem is a traditional Burmese anthem bef ore
transitioni ng i nto a W estern -style orchestrated work
 Hide
Economy :: BURMA
Panel - Expanded
Since t he transition t o a civilian gover nment in 2011, Burma has begun an economic overhaul aimed at
attracting for ei gn i nvestment and r ei ntegrati ng i nt o the gl obal economy. Economic reforms have
included est ablis hing a managed fl oat of the Burmese kyat in 2012, re - writing the Forei gn Investment
Law in 2012 to all ow more forei gn i nvestment participation, gr anting the Central Bank oper ational
independence i n Jul y 2013, enacting a new Anti -corruption Law i n September 2013, and granting
licenses to ni ne f orei gn banks in 2014 and four m ore forei gn banks in 2016.
The gover nment’s commit ment to ref orm, and the subsequent easing of most W estern s ancti ons, led to
acceler ated growt h i n 2013 and 2014. I n 2015, growth slowed because of political unc ertai nty i n an
electi on year, summer fl oods, a nd ext ernal f actors, includi ng Chi na’s slowdown and l ower commodit y
prices. Bur ma’s abundant nat ural r esources, young labor f orce, and pr oxi mity t o Asia’s dynamic
economies have attract ed f orei gn i nvestment i n the energy sector, garment indus try, inf ormati on
technol ogy, and food and beverages. Pledged f orei gn direct investment gr ew fr om $4. 1 billion in FY
2013 to $8. 1 billi on in FY 2014.
Despit e these i mpr ovement s, living st andards have not improved f or the majorit y of the peopl e resi ding
in rur al ar eas. Burma remains one of the poorest countries in Asia – approximately 26% of the countr y’s
51 million people live in poverty. The previous government’s isolationist policies and economic
mismanagement have l eft Burma wit h poor infr astructure, endemic corruption , underdevel oped human
resourc es, and i nadequate access to capit al, which will require a major commitment to r everse. The
Burmese government has been slow to address impedi ments to ec onomic devel opment such as insec ure
land rights, a r estrictive trade lic e nsing syst em, an opaque revenue c ollection system, and an
anti quat ed banki ng syst em. The newl y elected government, led by AUNG SAN SUU KYI, will likel y foc us
on acceler ati ng agric ultur al producti vity and l and ref or ms, moderni zi ng and openi ng t he fi nanci al sector,
and improvi ng fiscal management.
$283.5 billion (2015 est.)
$264.9 billion (2014 est.)
$243.7 billion (2013 est.)
$66. 98 billion (2015 est.)
7% (2015 est.)
8.7% ( 2014 est.)
8.4% ( 2013 est.)
$5, 500 ( 2015 est.)
$5, 200 ( 2014 est.)
$4, 800 ( 2013 est.)

14. 9% of GDP (2015 est.)
17. 9% of GDP (2014 est.)
17. 2% of GDP (2013 est.)
government consumption: 3. 9%
investment in fixed capital: 21%
investment in inventories: 0.3%
agriculture: 36. 1%
industry: 22. 3%
services: 41. 6% ( 2015 est. )
rice, puls es, beans, sesame, gr oundnuts; sugarcane; fish and fish products; har dwood
Industries:
agricult ural pr ocessing; wood and wood p r oducts; copper, ti n, tungst en, ir on; cement, constructi on
materi als; phar maceuticals ; fertilizer; oil and nat ural gas; garments; jade and gems
12. 2% ( 2015 est.)

Labor force:
36. 18 million (2015 est.)
agriculture: 70%
industry: 7%
services: 23% (2001)
Unemployment rate:
5% (2015 est.)
5.1% ( 2014 est.)
32. 7% ( 2007 est.)
lowest 10%: 2. 8%
highest 10%: 32. 4% ( 1998)
Budget:
revenues: $2.682 billi on
expenditures: $4. 471 billion ( 2015 est.)
4.1% of GDP ( 2015 est.)

-2.7% of GDP (2015 est.)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 Marc h
11. 5% ( 2015 est.)
5.9% ( 2014 est.)
9.95% ( 31 December 2010)
12% (31 December 2009)
13% (31 December 2015 est.)

$NA
-$5. 943 billion (2015 est.)
-$3. 683 billion (2014 est.)
Exports:
$9. 752 billion (2015 est.)
$8. 962 billion (2014 est.)
note: official export figures are gr ossly under estimat ed due t o the val ue of timber, gems, narcotics,
rice, and other pr oducts smuggl ed t o Thailand, China, and Bangladesh
nat ural gas; wood pr oducts; pulses and beans; fish; rice; clothi ng; mi nerals, incl udi ng jade and gems
Exports - partners:
Chi na 63%, Thail and 15.8%, Indi a 5.7% ( 2014)
Imports:
$12. 64 billion (2015 est.)
$12. 17 billion (2014 est.)
note: import figur es are gr ossly under estimat ed due t o the val ue of consumer goods, di esel f uel, and
other pr oducts smuggl ed i n from Thail and, Chi na, Mal aysi a, and I ndia
fabric; petroleum products; fertilizer; plastics; machinery; transport equipment ; cement, construction
materi als; food products � edi bl e oil
Imports - partners:
Chi na 42.4%, Thail and 19 %, Singapore 10.9%, J apan 5. 4% (2014)
Debt - external:
Exchange rates:
kyats (MMK) per US doll ar -
1,171.8 ( 2015 est.)
984. 35 ( 2014 est.)
984. 35 ( 2013 est.)
853. 48 ( 2012 est.)
815 (2011 est.)
 Hide
Energy :: BURMA
Panel - Expanded

0 kW h (2013 est.)
0 kW h (2013 est.)
3.591 million kW (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity ( 2012 est.)
20, 000 bbl/ day ( 2014 est.)
2,717 bbl/day (2012 est.)
40 bbl/day ( 2012 est.)
50 milli on bbl (1 J anuary 2015 est.)
15, 780 bbl/ day ( 2012 est.)
25, 000 bbl/ day ( 2013 est.)

8,557 bbl/day (2012 est.)
13. 1 billi on cu m ( 2013 est. )
4.6 billion cu m ( 2013 est.)
0 cu m ( 2013 est.)
13. 34 million Mt ( 2012 est. )
 Hide
Communications :: BURMA
Panel - Expanded
total subscriptions: 530,000
Telephone system:
general assessment: meets minimum requir ements f or local and i ntercity s ervic e for busi ness and
government
domestic: s ystem bar ely c apable of pr ovi di ng basic service; mobil e -cellul ar phone s ystem is gr ossly
underdevel oped
international: country code - 95; landi ng poi nt for the SEA -ME-W E-3 optical t el ecommunicati ons
submarine cabl e that pr ovi des l i nks to Asia, t he Mi ddl e East, and Eur ope; sat ellit e earth stati ons - 2,
Intelsat (I ndi an Ocean) and Shi nSat (2011)
Broadcast media:
government contr ols all domestic broadcast medi a; 2 state -controll ed TV stati ons with 1 of the stati ons
controll ed by the armed f orces; 2 pay - TV stati ons are joint stat e -pri vate vent ures ; access to satellit e TV
is limited; 1 state-contr olled domestic radi o station and 9 FM stati ons t hat are joi nt state - privat e
vent ures; transmissions of several i nter nati onal broadcasters are avail abl e i n par ts of Burma; the Voice
of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia (RFA), BBC Burmese ser vice, the Democ rati c Voice of Burma
(DVB), and Radio Australi a use shortwave to br oadcast in Burma; VOA, RFA, and DVB produc e dail y TV
news progr ams that ar e transmitted by sat ellite t o audienc es in Burma
AM 1, FM 2, short wave 3 ( 2007)
4 (2008)
.mm
Internet hosts:
1,055 (2012)
Internet users:
total: 646, 700
percent of population: 1. 2% (2014 est.)
 Hide
Transportation :: BURMA
Panel - Expanded
 Airports:
64 ( 2013)
total: 36
over 3,047 m: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
under 914 m: 1 (2013)
total: 28
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 13 (2013)
Heliports:
11 ( 2013)
Pipelines:
gas 3,739 km; oil 551 km (2013)
Railways:
total: 5, 031 km
Roadways:
total: 34,377 km (includes 358 km of expr essways) (2010)
Waterways:
12, 800 km (2011)
Merchant marine:
total: 29
by type: c argo 22, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, speciali zed t ank er 1, vehicl e carrier 1
foreign-owned: 2 (Ger many 1, Japan 1)
registered in other countries: 3 ( Panama 3) (2010)

major seaport(s): Moulmein, Sittwe
river port(s): Rangoon (Yangon) (Rangoon Ri ver)
 Hide
Military and Security :: BURMA
Panel - Expanded
Myanmar Ar med Forces (Tatmadaw): Army (Tatmadaw Kyi), Navy (Tatmadaw Yay), Air Forc e
(Tatmadaw Lay) ( 2013)
18- 35 years of age (men) and 18 -27 years of age ( women) for vol unt ary militar y service; no c onscripti on
(a 2010 l aw rei ntroducing conscripti on has not yet ent ered int o forc e); 2 -year ser vice obli gati on; mal e
(ages 18-45) and femal e (ages 18 - 35) prof essionals (i nc luding doctors, engineers, mechanics) serve up
to 3 years; servic e terms may be stretched t o 5 years in an offici ally decl ared emergenc y; Burma signed
the Convention on t he Rights of the Chil d (CRC) on 15 August 1991; on 27 June 2012, the regime
signed a Joi nt Action Pl an on preventi on of chil d recr uitment; i n Febr uar y 2013, the milit ary f ormed a
new task force t o address forced c hild c onscripti on; appr oxi mat el y 600 c hildr en have been r eleased
from militar y ser vice sinc e the signi ng of the joint action pl an ( 2015)
 Hide
Transnational Issues :: BURMA
Panel - Expanded
over half of Burma's popul ation consists of diverse et hnic groups who have subs tanti al numbers of kin
in neighbori ng countri es; the Naf River on the bor der with Bangl ades h serves as a smuggli ng and illegal
transit route; Bangladesh struggles t o accommodate 29,000 Rohi ngya, Burmese Muslim mi norit y from
Arakan St at e, livi ng as ref ugees in Cox's Bazar; Burmese bor der aut horities ar e constructing a 200 km
(124 mi) wir e fence desi gned t o det er illegal cross -border transit and t ensions from the milit ary build - up
along border wit h Bangl adesh i n 2010; Bangl ades h referr ed its maritime bou ndary clai ms with Burma
and Indi a to t he I nter national Tri bunal on the Law of t he Sea; Burmese f orces att empting to dig i n t o the
largely autonomous Shan Stat e to r out l ocal militi as tied t o the drug trade, prompts local r esidents to
peri odic ally fl ee int o nei ghbori ng Yunnan Provinc e in Chi na; f enci ng al ong the I ndia - Burma i nter nati onal
bor der at Mani pur's Moreh town is in pr ogress to check illegal dr ug tr afficking and movement of
militants; over 90, 000 mostly Karen ref ugees and asyl um seekers fleeing civil str ife, political upheaval,
and economic stagnation in Burma were living in remote camps in Thailand near the border as of year -
end 2013
IDPs: up to 662, 400 ( government offensives agai nst armed ethnic minority groups near its borders with
Chi na and Thail and) (2015)
stateless persons: 1.45 million ( 2014); note - Rohingya Muslims, livi ng in Rakhi ne Stat e, ar e Burma's
mai n gr oup of st atel ess peopl e; the Burmese Gover nment does not r ecogni ze the Rohi ngya as a
"national race" and stripped them of their citizenshi p under the 1982 Citi zens hip law , cat egori zing them
as "non-national" or "for eign residents"; under the Rakhine St ate Action Pl an drafted i n October 2014,
the Rohingya must demonstrate t heir family has lived in Burma f or at l east 60 years to qualify f or a
lesser natur alized citizens hip a nd t he cl assification of Bengali or be put in detention camps and fac e
deportati on; nati ve-born but non-indi genous peopl e, s uch as Indi ans, are also st atel ess; the Burmese
Gover nment does not grant citizens hip t o chil dren bor n outside of t he c ountry t o Bur mese par ents who
left the countr y illegall y or fled pers ecution, suc h as t hos e born i n Thailand
current situation: Burma i s a source c ountry f or men, women, and c hildr en tr aff icked for the pur pos e
of forced labor and f or women and c hildr en s ubjected to sex trafficking; Burmese adult and chil d labor
migrants travel t o East Asi a, the Mi ddl e East, Sout h Asia, and the US, wher e men are f orced to work in
the fishi ng, manufact uring, forestry, and construction industries and women and girls are f orced int o
prostituti on, domestic servi tude, or f orced labor i n the garment sector; some Bur mese economic
migrants and Rohi ngya as ylu m seekers have bec ome forced l abor ers on Thai fishing boats; some
military personnel and armed ethnic gr oups unl awf ully conscript chil d soldi ers or coerce adults and
children i nto f orced labor; domesticall y, adults and children from et hnic ar eas ar e vul ner abl e to f orced
labor on plantati ons and i n mines, whil e chil dren may also be subject to forced prostitution, domestic
service, and beggi ng
tier rating: Tier 2 W atch List – Burma does not full y compl y wit h the mi nimum s tandards for t he
elimi nati on of traffi cking, but it is making significant efforts to do so; the government has a writt en pl an
that, if implement ed, would constitut e maki ng a signifi cant eff ort towar d meeti ng the mi nimum standar d
for elimi nating human traffi cking; in 2014, law enforc ement conti nued to i nvesti gate and prosec ute
cross-border trafficking off ens es but di d little t o addr ess domestic trafficking; no civili ans or government
officials wer e prosec uted or convict ed f or the recruit ment of chil d soldi ers, a seri ous problem that is
hampered by corr upti on and the infl uenc e of t he milit ary; victim ref erral and pr otection s ervic es
remai ned i nadequate, especially for men, and left victims vul ner able t o bei ng r e -trafficked; the
government coor di nat ed anti -trafficking pr ogr ams as part of its five -year nati onal action pl an ( 2015)
Illicit drugs:
worl d's third l argest producer of illicit opium wit h an estimate d pr oduction i n 2012 of 690 metric tons, an
increas e of 13% over 2011, and poppy culti vati on in 2012 tot al ed 51,000 hectares, a 17% increase over
2011; pr oduction in t he Uni ted W a Stat e Army's areas of gr eat est contr ol remai ns low; Shan stat e is the
source of 94.5% of Burma' s poppy culti vati on; lack of government will to t ake on major narcotrafficking
groups and l ack of serious commitment agai nst money launderi ng c onti nues to hi nder the overall
anti drug effort; major sourc e of met hamphet ami ne and her oin f or regional consumption ( 2013)
 aking popul ation; excell ent infrastructur e; and a stabl e gover nment i ntent on attracting for eign
investment. Cr ude oil and nat ural gas production account for appr oxi mat ely 65% of GDP and 95% of
exports, with Japan as the pr imar y export market.
Per capita GDP is among t he hi ghest in the worl d, and substanti al i ncome from overseas investment
supplements income fr om domestic hydr ocar bon production. Bruneian citizens do not pay personal
income taxes, and t he government pr ovi des free medical services and free education thr ough the
uni versity level.
The Br unei an Government wants to di versify its economy away fr om hydroc arbon exports to ot her
industries such as ICT and hal al manuf acturing. Br unei’s trade i n 2016 is set to increas e foll owi ng its
regi onal economic integrati on i n the ASEAN Economic Community, and t he expec ted r atification of the
Trans-Pacific Partnershi p trade agreement.
$33. 22 billion (2015 est.)
$33. 29 billion (2014 est.)
$34. 09 billion (2013 est.)
$11. 79 billion (2015 est.)
-0.2% ( 2015 est.)
-2.3% ( 2014 est.)
-2.1% ( 2013 est.)

$79,700 (2015 est.)
$80, 800 (2014 est.)
$84, 000 (2013 est.)
29% of GDP ( 2015 est.)
62. 6% of GDP (2014 est.)
59% of GDP ( 2013 est.)
government consumption: 22%
investment in fixed capital: 32%
agriculture: 0. 9%
industry: 66. 8%
services: 32. 3% ( 2015 est. )
rice, vegetables, fruits; chi ckens, wat er buffal o, cattl e, goats, eggs
Industries:
petr oleum, petr oleum r efini ng, li quefi e d natur al gas, constructi on, agric ultur e, transportati on
0.9% ( 2015 est.)
Labor force:
203, 600 (2014 est.)
agriculture: 4. 2%
industry: 62. 8%
Unemployment rate:
6.9% ( 2014 est.)
9.3% ( 2011 est.)
NA%
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:

expenditures: $5.547 billion (2015 est.)
26. 9% of GDP (2015 est.)
-9.1% of GDP (2015 est.)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 Marc h
-0.4% ( 2015 est.)
-0.2% ( 2014 est.)
5.5% ( 31 December 2015 est.)
5.5% ( 31 December 201 4 est.)

$NA
$921 million (2015 est.)
$4. 747 billion (2014 est.)
Exports:
$7. 08 billi on ( 2015 est.)
$10. 51 billion (2014 est.)
mineral f uels, or ganic chemicals
Exports - partners:
Japan 39%, Sout h Kor ea 12.5%, Austr alia 9.7%, India 9.2%, Thail and 6.4%, I ndonesi a 5. 8 % (2014)
Imports:
$4. 84 billi on ( 2015 est.)
$3. 599 billion (2014 est.)

machi nery and mechanic al appli anc e parts, mineral f uels, mot or vehicl es, el ectri c machiner y
Imports - partners:
Singapore 29. 2%, Chi na 26.9%, Malaysia 13. 2%, US 8.5%, Sout h Kor ea 4.5%, UK 4. 1% (2014)
Debt - external:
$0 ( 2014)
$0 ( 2013)
note: public ext er nal debt onl y; pri vate ext er nal debt unavail able
Exchange rates:
Brunei an dollars (BND) per US doll ar -
1.352 (2015 est.)
1.267 (2014 est.)
1.267 (2013 est.)
1.25 (2012 est.)
1.2579 ( 2011 est.)
 Hide
Energy :: BRUNEI
Panel - Expanded
3.766 billion kW h (2014 est.)
0 kW h (2014 est.)
0 kW h (2014 est.)
777, 000 kW (2014 est.)
100% of tot al inst alled capacity (2014 est.)
0% of t otal i nstall ed capaci ty (2014 est .)
0% of t otal i nstall ed capaci ty ( 2014 est.)

126, 500 bbl/ day (2014 est.)
117, 600 bbl/ day (2014 est.)
1.1 billion bbl ( 1 January 2015 est.)
9,402 bbl/day (2012 est.)
18, 000 bbl/ day ( 2013 est.)
253. 6 bbl/day (2012 est.)
7,666 bbl/day (2012 est.)

12. 47 billi on c u m (2013 est.)
0 cu m ( 2014 est.)
8.678 million Mt ( 2012 est. )
 Hide
Communications :: BRUNEI
Panel - Expanded

total: 465, 800
Telephone system:
general assessment: s ervice throughout the countr y is good; i nter nati onal ser vi ce is good t o
Southeast Asia, Mi ddl e East, W estern Eur ope, and the US
domestic: ever y servic e avail able
international: country code - 673; l andi ng point f or the SEA -ME-W E-3 optic al t elec ommunic ations
submarine cabl e that pr ovi des li nks to Asia, t he Mi ddl e East, and Eur ope; the Asia-America Gat eway
submarine cabl e network provi des new links to Asia and t he US; sat ellit e earth s tations - 2 Int elsat ( 1
Indi an Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2011)
Broadcast media:
state-controll ed Radi o Television Br unei (RTB) operat es 5 channels; 3 Malaysian TV stati ons are
avail abl e; for eign TV broadcasts are available vi a sat ellite and cabl e system s; RTB operat es 5 r adi o
net works and broadcasts on multi pl e frequencies; Brit ish Forc es Broadc ast Ser vi ce (BFBS) provides
radi o br oadcasts on 2 FM s tations; some radio broadcast stations from Malaysia are avail abl e via
repeat ers (2009)
AM 1, FM 2 (transmitti ng on 18 diff erent frequencies), shortwave 0 (British Forces Broadcasting Ser vice
(BFBS) station transmits two FM signals wit h English and Nepali ser vice) (2006)
4 (includes 2 UHF stati ons broadc asting a subscription servic e) (2006)
.bn
Internet hosts:
49, 457 ( 2012)
Internet users:
total: 277, 200
 Hide
Transportation :: BRUNEI
Panel - Expanded
 Airports:
1 (2013)
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2013)
Heliports:
3 (2013)
Pipelines:
condensat e 33 km; condensate/gas 86 km; gas 628 km; oil 492 km (2013)
Roadways:
total: 3, 029 km
paved: 2,425 km
unpaved: 604 km (2010)
Waterways:
209 km (navigabl e by craft drawing less than 1. 2 m; the Belait, Brunei, and Tut ong rivers are major
transport links) (2012)
Merchant marine:
total: 9
by type: c hemic al tanker 1, liquefied gas 8
foreign-owned: 2 (UK 2) ( 2010)
major seaport(s): Muara
oil terminal(s): Lumut, Seria
LNG terminal (export): Lumut
 Hide
Military and Security :: BRUNEI
Panel - Expanded
Royal Brunei Armed Forc es: Royal Br unei Land Forces, Royal Br unei Navy, Royal Br unei Air Force
(Tenter a Udar a Dir aja Brunei) (2013)
17 years of age f or volunt ary militar y ser vice; non -Mal ays are i neli gi ble t o serve; recruits from the army,
navy, and air forc e all undergo 43 -week initial tr aini ng (2013)
2.43% of GDP (2012)
2.54% of GDP (2011)
2.43% of GDP (2010)
 Hide
Transnational Issues :: BRUNEI
Panel - Expanded
per Lett ers of Exchange signed in 2009, Mal aysia i n 2010 ceded two hydroca r bon c onc ession blocks to
Brunei i n exchange f or Brunei's sult an dropping claims to the Limbang corridor, which di vides Brunei;
nonetheless, Br unei claims a maritime boundary extending as far as a median wit h Vi etnam, t hus
asserting an implicit claim to Lo uis a Reef
stateless persons: 20, 524 (2014); not e - thousands of stateless persons, often ethnic Chi nese, are
permanent resi dents and t heir f amili es have lived in Brunei f or gener ations; obt aini ng citizenshi p is
difficult and requir es indivi duals to pass rigorous test s on Malay cult ure , c ustoms, and l anguage;
stateless resi dents recei ve an I nter nati onal Certificat e of I dentity, whic h enabl es them t o travel
overseas; the gover nment i s considering changing t he law prohibiti ng non - Brunei ans, incl udi ng
stateless permanent residents, from ow ni ng land
Illicit drugs:
drug trafficking and ill egall y importi ng contr olled substanc es are s erious offenses in Brunei and c arry a
mandator y death penalt y
 Hide
Introduction :: CAMBODIA
Panel - Expanded
 Background:
Most Cambodians consider thems elves to be Khmers, descendants of the Angkor Empir e that ext ended
over much of Sout heast As ia and reached its zenith between the 10t h and 13t h cent uries. Att acks by
the Thai and Cham (from present - day Viet nam) weak ened the empire, ushering i n a l ong peri od of
decli ne. The king pl aced the countr y under Fr ench pr otection i n 1863, a nd it bec ame part of French
Indochi na i n 1887. Followi ng J apanese occupati on in W orld W ar II, Cambodia gained full i ndependence
from Fr anc e in 1953. In April 1975, after a seven - year struggl e, communist Khmer Rouge forces
capt ured Phnom Penh and evacuat ed all cities and t owns. At l east 1. 5 milli on Cambodians di ed from
executi on, f orced hards hips, or starvati on during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A December
1978 Vi etnamese i nvasion drove t he Khmer Rouge i nt o the countr yside, began a 10 - year Vi et namese
occupation, and touched of f almost 13 years of civil war.
The 1991 Paris Peace Acc ords mandated democratic electi ons and a c eas e -fire, which was not f ully
respect ed by the Khmer Rouge. UN -sponsor ed el ections in 1993 helped restor e some semblance of
normalcy under a c oaliti on government. Factional fi ght ing i n 1997 ended the first coaliti on government,
but a second round of nati onal elections in 1998 led t o the formati on of another coaliti on government
and renewed political stabi lity. The r emaini ng el ement s of the Khmer Rouge surr endered in early 1999.
Some of the survi vi ng Khmer Rouge l eaders have been tried or are awaiting trial for crimes agai nst
humanity by a hybri d UN - Cambodian tribunal s upported by int er nati onal assistance. Electi ons in J uly
2003 were rel ati vel y peaceful, but it took one year of negotiati ons bet ween cont endi ng politic al parties
bef ore a coalition government was formed. In October 2004, Ki ng Nor odom SIHANOUK abdicated t he
throne and his son, Princ e Nor odom SIHAMONI, was selected to s ucc eed hi m. The most recent l ocal
(Commune Council) electi ons wer e hel d in Cambodi a i n 2012, wit h little of the pr eel ection vi ol enc e that
preceded prior el ections. National el ections in Jul y 2013 wer e dis put ed, with t he opposition - t he
Cambodi an National Res cue Party (CNRP) - boycotti ng the National Assembl y. The political impasse
was ended nearly a year later, with t he CNRP agr eei ng to ent er parliament i n exchange for r uling part y
commitments to el ectoral and l egislative ref orms.
 Hide
Geography :: CAMBODIA
Panel - Expanded
 Location:
Southeastern Asia, bor deri ng t he Gulf of Thailand, between Thail and, Vi et nam, and Laos
13 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 181,035 sq km
land: 176,515 sq km
water: 4,520 s q km
Area - comparative:
slightl y small er than Oklahoma
Land boundaries:
total: 2, 530 km
border countries (3): Laos 555 km, Thail and 817 km, Viet nam 1, 158 km
Coastline:
443 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; r ainy, mons oon season (May to November); dry seas on ( Dec ember to April); little seasonal
temper atur e v ariati on
Terrain:
mostly l ow, fl at pl ains; mountai ns in sout hwest and north
Elevation:
elevation extremes: l owest point: Gulf of Thail and 0 m

highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m
Natural resources:
oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential, ara bl e land
Land use:
arable l and 22.7%; per manent crops 0. 9%; permanent pastur e 8.5%
forest: 56. 5%
other: 11.4% ( 2011 est.)
Irrigated land:
3,540 sq km (2012)
476. 1 cu km (2011)
total: 2. 18 cu km/ yr (4%/ 2%/94%)
Natural hazards:
monsoonal rai ns (June to November); floodi ng; occasional dr oughts
illegal logging activities t hroughout the country and strip mini ng for gems i n the wester n region along
the bor der with Thail and have res ulted in habit at loss and declini ng bi odiversity (in particular,
destructi on of mangrove swamps thr eat ens nat ural fi sheries); soil erosion; i n rural ar eas, most of the
populati on does not have access to pot abl e water; declining fish stocks because of illegal fis hing and
overfishi ng

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change -Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous W astes, Marine Lif e Cons ervation, Ozone Layer Pr otecti on, Shi p Polluti on, Tr opical
Timber 94, W et lands, W haling
signed, but not ratified: Law of t he Sea
Geography - note:
a land of paddies and for ests do mi nat ed by the Mekong Ri ver and Tonle Sap (Southeast Asia's largest
freshwater l ake)
 Hide
People and Society :: CAMBODIA
Panel - Expanded
 Nationality:
noun: Cambodian(s)
adjective: Cambodi an
Ethnic groups:
Khmer 90%, Viet names e 5%, Chi nes e 1%, ot her 4%
Languages:
Khmer (official) 96.3%, other 3. 7% (2008 est.)
Religions:
Buddhist (official) 96. 9%, Muslim 1. 9%, Christian 0. 4%, other 0. 8% ( 2008 est.)
Population:
15, 708, 756
note: estimates f or this countr y tak e int o account the effects of excess mortalit y due to AIDS; this can
result in l ower life expectancy, hi gher i nfant mortalit y, higher deat h rat es, lower populati on gr owth
rates, and changes i n the distribution of popul ation by age and sex than woul d ot her wise be expected
(July 2015 est.)

Age structure:
55-64 years: 5. 2% (male 315, 741/femal e 501,544)
population pyramid:
Dependency ratios:
Median age:
total: 24.5 years
male: 23. 8 years
1.58% ( 2015 est.)
Birth rate:

Death rate:
Net migration rate:
Urbanization:
PHNOM PENH (capit al) 1. 731 milli on (2015)
Sex ratio:
65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/femal e
22. 8
note: medi an age at first birth among women 25 -29 ( 2010 est.)

161 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
male: 61. 69 years
2.6 chil dr en bor n/woman ( 2015 est.)
50. 5% ( 2010/ 11)
7.5% of GDP ( 2013)
Physicians density:

0.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)
improved:
unimproved:
improved:
unimproved:
0.64% ( 2014 est.)
74, 600 ( 2014 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
2,600 (2014 est.)
food or waterborne diseases: bacteri al di arrhea, hepatitis A, and t yphoid f ever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and mal aria
2.9% ( 2014)
29% (2011)
2.6% of GDP ( 2010)
Literacy:
male: 84. 5%
female: 70.5% (2015 est.)

total: 11 years
male: 12 years
total number: 1,345,269
percentage: 39% ( 2001 es t.)
total: 0. 5%
male: 0. 7%
female: 0. 4% (2010 est.)
 Hide
Government :: CAMBODIA
Panel - Expanded
 Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Cambodi a
conventional short form: Cambodi a
local long form: Pr eahr eacheanachakr Kampuchea (phonetic transliter ation)
local short form: Kampuchea Kampuchea
former: Khmer Republic, Democratic Kampuc hea, Peopl e's Republic of Kampuchea, St ate of Cambodia
etymology: the English name Cambodi a is an anglici zati on of t he F rench Cambodge, which is the
French transliter ation of t he native name Kampuchea
Government type:
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Capital:
name: Phnom Penh
24 provi nces (khett, singul ar and pl ural) and 1 municipalit y (krong, singular and plur al)
provinces: Bant eay Meanc hey, Battambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu,
Kampong Thom, Kampot, Kandal, Kep, Koh Kong, Krat ie, Mondolkiri, Oddar Meanchey, Pailin , Preah
Vihear, Prey Veng, Pursat, Rat anakiri, Siem Reap, Si hanouk ville, Stung Treng, Svay Rieng, Takeo,
Tbong Khmum
municipalities: Phnom Penh ( Phnum Penh)
Independence:
9 November 1953 (from Fr anc e)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 9 November (1953)
Constitution:
previous 1947; l atest promulgat ed 21 Sept ember 1993; amended 1999, 2008, 2014 ( 2016)
Legal system:
civil law s ystem (infl uenc ed by the UN Tr ansiti onal Authority i n Cambodi a) custo mary l aw, Communist
legal theory, and common l aw
accepts compulsor y ICJ jur isdiction with r eservati ons; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship:
citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Cambodia
dual citizenship recognized: yes
Suffrage:
Executive branch:
chief of state: Ki ng Nor odom SI HAMONI (sinc e 29 October 2004)
head of government: Prime Mi nister HUN SEN (since 14 January 1985); Permanent Deputy Prime
Minister MEN SAM AN (since 25 Sept ember 2008); Deput y Prime Mi nisters SAR KHENG (since 3
February 1992), SOK AN, TEA BANH, HOR NAMHONG (all since 16 July 2004), BIN CHHIN (sinc e 5
September 2007), KEAT CHHON, YIM CHHAI LY (since 24 Sept ember 2008), KE KIMYAN (since 12
March 2009)
cabinet: Council of Minist ers named by the prime mi ni ster and appoi nt ed by the monarch
elections/appointments: monarch c hos en by t he 9- member, Royal Council of t he Thr one fr om among

all eli gibl e mal es of royal descent; f ollowing l egislati ve el ections, a member of the majorit y party or
majority coalition named pr ime mi nister by t he Chairman of the Nati onal Assembl y and appoi nted by t he
monarch
Legislative branch:
description: bicameral Par liament of Cambodia c onsi sts of the Senat e (61 seats; 57 i ndir ectly elect ed
by parliamentari ans and commune c ouncils, 2 indir ectly el ected by t he Nati onal Assembl y, and 2
appoint ed by the monarch; members ser ve 6 -year ter ms) and the National Assembl y (123 s eats;
members directly el ected i n multi -s eat constituenci es by proportional r epr esentation vot e; members
serve 5- year terms)
note: two seats will be added t o the Nati onal Assembl y in 2018, for a tot al of 125
elections: Senat e - last held on 4 Febr uar y 2012 ( next to be hel d in 2018); Nati onal Assembly - l ast
hel d on 28 J uly 2013 (next to be hel d in Jul y 2018)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - CPP 77.8%, SRP 22. 2%; seats by part y - CPP 46,
SRP 11; National Assembl y - percent of vot e by part y - CPP 48. 8%, CNRP 44. 5%, other 6. 7%; seats by
part y - CPP 68, CNRP 55
Judicial branch:
highest court(s): Supreme Court (organized into 5 - and 9-judge panels and includes a court chief and
deputy chi ef); Constit utional Court (consists of 9 members); not e - in 1997, the Cambodi an Government
request ed UN assistance i n establishi ng trials to pros ecut e former Khmer Rouge seni or leaders for
crimes agai nst humanit y committed during t he 1975 -1979 Khmer Rouge regime; the Extr aor di nar y
Chambers of t he Courts in Cambodi a were established and began hearings for t he first case i n 2009
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judge candi dates
recommended by the Supr eme Council of Magistr acy, a 9 -member body chaired by t he monarch and
includes ot her hi gh-l evel judicial officers; judges of both courts appoi nt ed by the monarch; Supr eme
Court judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges appoi nted for 9 -year terms with one-thir d of t he
court renewed ever y 3 year s
subordinate courts: muni cipal and pr ovincial c ourts ; appellat e courts; military c ourt
Cambodi an National Rescue Party or CNRP [ SAM RANGSI, also spell ed SAM RAINSY] (a Jul y 2012
merger between t he Sam Rangsi Party or SRP and the former Human Ri ghts Part y or HRP [ KHEM
SOKHA, also spell ed KEM SOKHA])
Cambodi an Peopl e's Part y or CPP [HUN SEN]
Part nershi p f or Transparency Fund or PTF (a nti-corruption or gani zation)
Students Movement f or Democracy
The Committ ee f or Fr ee and Fair El ections or Comfrel
other: human ri ghts or gani zati ons; labor uni ons; yout h gr oups
ADB, ARF, ASEAN, CI CA, CICA ( obs erver), EAS, FAO, G -77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, In t erpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (c orrespondent), ITU, MINUSMA, MIGA, NAM, OIF,
OPCW , PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFI L, UNISFA, UNMI SS, UNW TO, UPU,
W CO, W FTU (NGOs), W HO, W IPO, W MO, W TO
chief of mission: Ambassador CHUM BUN RONG (since 3 August 2015)
chancery: 4530 16th Street NW , W ashington, DC 20011
telephone: [ 1] (202) 726-7742
FAX: [ 1] (202) 726-8381

chief of mission: Ambassador W illiam A. HEIDT (since 2 December 2015)
embassy:
mailing address: Unit 8166, Box P, APO AP 96546
telephone: [ 855] (23) 728-000
FAX: [ 855] (23) 728-600
Flag description:
three horizontal bands of blue (t op), red ( doubl e wi dt h), and bl ue with a whit e thr ee -t owered templ e
repr esenting Angkor W at outlined i n black in t he c ent er of t he r ed band; red and blue ar e traditional
Cambodi an colors
note: onl y national flag to i ncorpor ate an actual buil di ng i nto its design
National symbol(s):
Angkor W at templ e, koupr ey (wild ox); national colors: red, blue
National anthem:
name: "Nok oreach" (Royal Kingdom)
lyrics/music: CHUON NAT/F. PERRUCHOT and J. JEKYLL
note: adopt ed 1941, rest ored 1993; the ant hem, based on a Cambodian folk t une, was restored after
the def eat of t he Communi st regime
 Hide
Economy :: CAMBODIA
Panel - Expanded
Cambodi a has experi enc ed strong economic growth over t he l ast decade; GD P grew at an average
annual r ate of over 8% between 2000 and 2010 and at least 7% since 2011. The tourism, garment,
construction and real est at e, and agricultur e sectors account ed f or the bulk of growth. Around 600, 000
people, t he majority of whom are wome n, ar e empl oyed in t he garment and footwear sect or. An
additional 500,000 Cambodians are employed i n the tourism sector, and a f urther 50, 000 people i n
construction. Tourism has conti nued t o grow r apidl y with for ei gn arrivals exc eeding 2 million per year
since 2007 and reaching around 4.5 million visitors in 2014. Mining also is attracting some investor
inter est and t he government has touted opport uniti es for mini ng bauxit e, gold, ir on and gems.
Cambodi a remai ns one of t he poor est countries in Asi a and long -t erm ec onomic development r emains a
daunting challenge, i nhi bit ed by endemic corr upti on, l imited human r esources, hi gh i ncome i nequalit y,
and poor job pr ospects. As of 2012, approximatel y 2.66 million people li ve on les s than $1.20 per day,
and 37% of Cam bodi an c hil dren under t he age of 5 s uffer from chr onic mal nutriti on. Mor e than 50% of
the populati on is less than 25 years ol d. The popul ation lacks educati on and pr oductive skills,
particul arl y in t he impoveri shed countr yside, whic h al so lacks basic infra str uctur e.
The Cambodi an Government has been working wit h bi later al and multil at eral donors, including the
Asian Development Bank, t he W orld Bank and IMF, t o address the countr y's many pr essing needs; mor e
than 30% of the government budget comes from donor assistance. A major ec onomic chall enge f or
Cambodi a over the next decade will be f ashi oni ng an economic envir onment in which the private s ector
can create enough jobs to handle Cambodi a's demogr aphic imbal anc e.
$54. 21 billion (2015 est.)
$50. 7 billi on ( 2014 est.)
$47. 35 billion (2013 est.)
$18. 16 billion (2015 est.)
6.9% ( 2015 est.)
7.1% ( 2014 est.)
7.4% ( 2013 est.)
$3, 500 ( 2015 est.)
$3, 300 ( 2014 est.)

$3,100 (2013 est.)
11. 3% of GDP (2015 est.)
11. 1% of GDP (2014 est.)
11. 2% of GDP (2013 est.)
agriculture: 28. 6%
industry: 27. 9%
services: 43. 6% ( 2015 est. )
rice, rubber, cor n, veget abl es, cashews, cassava (manioc, tapi oca), silk
Industries:
tourism, garments, c onstruction, rice milli ng, fishi ng, wood and wood pr oducts, rubber, cement, gem
mini ng, t extil es
9.6% ( 2015 est.)
Labor force:
7.974 million (2013 est.)
agriculture: 48. 7%
industry: 19. 9%
services: 31. 5% ( 2013 est. )
Unemployment rate:
0.3% ( 2013 est.)
0.2% ( 2012 est.)
17. 7% ( 2012 est.)
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 28% (2013 est.)
37. 9 (2008 est.)
41. 9 (2004 es t.)

Budget:
18. 8% of GDP (2015 est.)
-2.3% of GDP (2015 est.)
Public debt:
33. 9% of GDP (2014 est.)
33. 4% of GDP (2013 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
1.2% ( 2015 est.)
3.9% ( 2014 est.)
NA% ( 31 Dec ember 2012)
5.25% ( 31 December 2007)

11.7% (31 December 2015 est.)
12. 31% (31 December 2014 est.)
$NA
-$2. 042 billion (2015 est.)
-$2. 032 billion (2014 est.)
Exports:
$7. 867 billion (2015 est.)

$7.407 billion (2014 est.)
clothi ng, timber, rubber, rice, fish, tobacco, f ootwear
Exports - partners:
US 24. 1%, UK 8. 7%, Germany 8.1%, Canada 7%, Japan 6.5%, Vi etnam 5.3%, Thailand 5%, Net herlands
4.6%, Chi na 4. 1% (2014)
Imports:
$10. 65 billion (2015 est.)
$10. 62 billion (2014 est.)
petr oleum products, cigarettes, gol d, construction mat erials, machi ner y, mot or v ehicles, phar maceutical
products
Imports - partners:
Thailand 28. 1%, China 20. 6%, Vi etnam 16.8%, Singapor e 7%, Hong Kong 5.7%, South Kor ea 4. 1%
(2014)
Debt - external:

$29. 17 billion (2014 est .)
Exchange rates:
riels (KHR) per US doll ar -
4,080.3 ( 2015 est.)
4,037.5 ( 2014 est.)
4,037.5 ( 2013 est.)
4,033 (2012 est.)
4,058.5 ( 2011 est.)
 Hide
Energy :: CAMBODIA
Panel - Expanded
1.77 billi on kW h (2013 est. )
0 kW h (2013 est.)

949, 000 kW (2013 est.)
10% of t otal i nstall ed capacity (2013 est.)

28, 000 bbl/ day ( 2013 est.)
28, 890 bbl/ day ( 2012 est.)
0 cu m ( 2013 est.)
0 cu m ( 2013 est.)

0 cu m ( 2013 est.)
0 cu m ( 2013 est.)
6.5 milli on Mt (2013 est.)
 Hide
Communications :: CAMBODIA
Panel - Expanded

Telephone system:
general assessment: adequat e fi xed-li ne and/ or cell ular ser vice i n Phnom Penh and ot her provi ncial
cities; mobil e-cell ular phone systems are widely used in ur ban areas to bypass deficiencies in t he fi xed -
line net work; mobil e- phone coverage is rapi dly expanding in r ural areas
domestic: fi xed-li ne connections stand at about 4 per 100 persons; mobil e -cellul ar usage, ai ded by
competition among ser vice providers, is increasi ng r apidl y and stands at 92 per 100 persons
international: country code - 855; adequat e but expensive landli ne and cell ular service avail abl e to all
countries from Phnom Penh and major pr ovinci al cities; satellite eart h station - 1 Intersputnik (Indi an
Ocean regi on) ( 2011)
Broadcast media:
mi xtur e of state- owned, joi nt public - private, and privately owned broadcast medi a; 9 TV broadc ast
stations wit h most oper atin g on multipl e channels, inc ludi ng 1 stat e -operat ed st ation broadcasting from
multipl e l ocati ons, 6 st ations either jointl y operat ed or privatel y owned wit h some br oadcasti ng fr om
several l ocati ons, and 2 TV relay stations - one r elayi ng a Fr enc h TV station and the other rel aying a
Viet names e TV station; multi -channel cable and sat ell ite systems are avail abl e; r oughly 50 r adio
broadc ast stations - 1 stat e-owned br oadcaster with multipl e stati ons and a lar ge mi xt ur e of public and
private broadcasters; sever al int ernational br oadcast ers are avail able ( 2009)
AM 1, FM 50, shortwave NA (2008)
9 (2009)
.kh
Internet hosts:
13, 784 ( 2012)
Internet users:
total: 831, 700
percent of population: 5. 4% (2014 est.)

 Hide
Transportation :: CAMBODIA
Panel - Expanded
 Airports:
16 ( 2013)
total: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2013)
total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 1 (2013)
Heliports:
1 (2013)
Railways:
total: 642 km
narrow gauge: 642 km 1. 000-m gauge
note: under rest orati on ( 2014)

Roadways:
total: 44,709 km
paved: 3,607 km
unpaved: 41, 102 km (2010)
Waterways:
3,700 km (mai nly on Mek ong River) (2012)
Merchant marine:
total: 544
by type: bulk carrier 38, cargo 459, carrier 7, chemical tanker 4, cont ai ner 4, liquefi ed gas 1,
passenger 1, passenger/cargo 6, petrol eum tanker 8, refrigerat ed c argo 11, roll on/r oll off 4, vehicle
carrier 1
foreign-owned: 352 (Bel gium 1, Canada 2, Chi na 177, Cypr us 4, Egypt 4, Estonia 1, Fr enc h Polynesia
1, Gabon 1, Gr eec e 2, Hong Kong 10, I ndonesi a 2, Ireland 1, Japan 1, Lebanon 5, Russia 50,
Singapore 3, Sout h Kor ea 10, Syri a 22, Taiwan 1, Tur key 15, UAE 2, UK 1, Ukrai ne 35, Vi etnam 1)
(2010)
major seaport(s): Sihanoukvill e (Kampong Saom)
river port(s): Phnom Penh (Mek ong)
 Hide
Military and Security :: CAMBODIA
Panel - Expanded
Royal Cambodian Armed Forces: Royal Cambodi an Army, Royal Khmer Navy, Royal Cambodi an Air
Force; t he Royal Cambodi an Gendarmeri e is the military police f orce responsibl e for int ernal securit y;
the National Committee for Maritime Security performs Coast Guard functions and has representation
from militar y and civili an agencies (2016)
18 is the l egal mi nimum age for compulsor y and voluntary milit ary s ervice ( 2012)
2% of GDP (2015 est.)
1.8% of GDP ( 2014)
1.58% of GDP (2013)
1.54% of GDP (2012)
1.5% of GDP ( 2011)
 Hide
Transnational Issues :: CAMBODIA
Panel - Expanded
Cambodi a is conc erned about Laos' extensive upstream dam c onstructi on; Cam bodi a and Thail and
dispute secti ons of boundary; in 2011 Thail and and Cambodia r esort ed t o arms i n the dis put e over the
locati on of the boundary on the preci pice surmount ed by Preah Vi hear Temple r uins, awarded to
Cambodi a by ICJ decision i n 1962 and part of a UN W orld Herit age site; Cambodia accus es Viet nam of
a wi de variet y of illicit cross -border acti vities; pr ogr es s on a joi nt devel opment area with Viet nam is
hampered by an unresol ved dis put e over sover eignty of offshore isl ands
current situation: Cambodia is a s ourc e, transit, and destination country for men, women, and childr en
subjected t o f orced l abor and s ex tr afficking; Cambodi an men, women, and chil dr en mi gr ate t o countri es
withi n the region and, incr easingly, t he Middle East for legitimate work but are s ubjected to s ex
trafficking, domestic servit ude, or f orced lab or i n fishi ng, agric ultur e, constr uction, and f actori es;
Cambodi an men recr uited t o work on Thai - owned fishi ng vessels are s ubsequentl y subjected t o forced
labor in i nter national wat er s and ar e kept at sea for years; poor Cambodian chil dren ar e vul ner able and,
often wit h the families’ complicity, are subject to forc ed l abor, incl udi ng domestic servitude and f orced
begging, in Thail and and Vietnam; Cambodi an and et hnic Vi et namese women and girls ar e trafficked
from rur al ar eas to ur ban cent ers and t ourist sp ots for sexual expl oitati on; Cambodi an men are t he mai n
expl oiters of chil d prostitut es, but men from ot her Asian c ountries, and the W est travel to Cambodi a f or
child sex tourism
tier rating: Tier 2 W atch List – Cambodia does not fully comply with the mini mum standards for the
elimi nati on of trafficking; however, it is making signifi cant eff orts to do so; t he government has a written
plan that, if implemented, would c onstitut e making signific ant efforts to meet the mini mum standards for
the elimi nati on of t rafficking; authorities made modest progress in prosec utions and c onvictions of
traffickers in 2014 but did not provi de compr ehensive dat a; endemic corrupti on conti nued to impede l aw
enf orcement eff orts, and no complicit officials were prosecut ed or convic t ed; t he government sustai ned
efforts to i dentify victims and r efer t hem to NGOs for care, but victim prot ection remai ned i nadequate,
particul arl y for assisting male victims and victims identified abroad; a new nati onal action pl an was
adopted, but gui deli nes for victim identificati on and guidance on undercover i nvestigation tec hni ques
are still pendi ng aft er several years (2015)
Illicit drugs:
narcotics-rel ated corrupti on report edl y i nvol ving some in t he government, milit ary, and police; limit ed
methamphet ami ne pr oduction; vul nerabl e to money laundering due to its cash - based economy and
por ous bor ders
 Hide
Introduction :: INDONESIA
Panel - Expanded
 Background:
The Dutch began t o col oni ze I ndonesi a in t he early 17th cent ury; Japan occupied the islands from 1942
to 1945. I ndonesia declared its independence shortl y bef ore J apan's surrender, but it required four
years of sometimes br utal f ighti ng, i nt ermittent negoti ations, and UN mediati on befor e the Netherl ands
agr eed t o transfer sover eignty i n 1949. A period of somet imes unrul y parliament ary democrac y ended i n
1957 when Pr esident SOEKARNO decl ared martial l aw and i nstitut ed "Guided Democracy." After an
abortive coup in 1965 by al leged communist sympat hi zers, SOEKARNO was gr aduall y eased from
power. From 1967 until 198 8, President SUHARTO ruled I ndonesi a wit h his "New Order" government.
After rioti ng t oppl ed SUHARTO i n 1998, fr ee and f air legisl ative el ections took pl ace i n 1999. Indonesia
is now t he worl d's third most popul ous democrac y, the world's lar gest arc hipel agi c state, and the
worl d's largest Muslim-majority nati on. Curr ent issues include: allevi ating povert y, impr oving educati on,
preventi ng t errorism, consolidating democrac y aft er f our dec ades of aut horitarianism, impl ementing
economic and fi nancial r eforms, st emmi ng c orruption, reformi ng t he criminal just ice system, hol di ng t he
military and polic e account abl e for human rights vi ol ations, addressing climat e change, and controlli ng
infectious dis eas es, partic ularl y those of gl obal and r egi onal importance. I n 2005 , Indonesia reached a
historic peac e agreement with armed separ atists in Aceh, which l ed t o democrat ic elections in Ac eh i n
December 2006. I ndonesi a continues to fac e low int ensity ar med resistance i n Papua by the separatist
Free Papua Movement.
 Hide
Geography :: INDONESIA
Panel - Expanded
 Location:
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean
5 00 S, 120 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 1, 904,569 sq km
land: 1, 811, 569 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightl y less than t hree times the si ze of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 2, 958 km
border countries (3): Ti mor-Leste 253 km, Mal aysia 1,881 km, Papua New Guinea 824 km
Coastline:
54, 716 km
Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipel agic strai ght bas elines

Climate:
tropical; hot, humi d; mor e moder ate i n hi ghlands
Terrain:
mostly coastal l owl ands; larger islands have int erior mount ains
Elevation:
elevation extremes: l owest point: I ndi an Ocean 0 m
highest poi nt: Puncak Jaya 4,884 m
Natural resources:
petr oleum, ti n, natur al gas, nickel, timber, bauxit e, copper, fertil e soils, coal, gol d, s ilver
Land use:
arable l and 13%; permanent crops 12. 1%; permanent pastur e 6.1%
forest: 51. 7%
other: 17.1% ( 2011 est.)
Irrigated land:
67, 220 sq km ( 2012)
2,019 cu km (2011)
total: 113. 3 cu km/ yr (11%/19%/ 71%)
Natural hazards:
occasional floods; severe droughts; tsunamis; earthquakes; volcanoes; forest fires
volcanism: Indonesia c ont ains the most volcanoes of any countr y in t he world - some 76 ar e
historicall y acti ve; significant volcanic activit y occurs on J ava, Sumatra, t he Sunda Islands, Hal mahera
Island, Sulawesi Island, Sangi he Island, and in t he Banda Sea; Mer api (el ev. 2,968 m), I ndonesi a's
most active volc ano and in eruption sinc e 2010, has been deemed a Decade Vol cano by the
Inter nati onal Association of Volcanology and Chemist ry of t he Eart h's Interi or, worthy of study due to its
expl osive histor y and close proximit y to human popul ations; ot her notabl e histori cally active volcanoes
include Agung, Awu, Karanget ang, Krakat au (Krak atoa), Maki an, Raung, and Tambora
def orest ation; water poll uti on fr om industrial wastes, sewage; air poll ution i n ur ban areas; smoke and
haze from f orest fires
party to: Bi odi versity, Cli mate Change, Cli mat e Change-Kyoto Prot ocol, Desert ification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous W astes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Pr otecti on, Shi p Poll ution, Tropical Ti mber
83, Tropical Timber 94, W etlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conser vati on
Geography - note:
archipel ago of 17,508 islands, some 6, 000 of whic h ar e inhabit ed (I ndonesi a is the world's lar gest
country comprised sol el y of islands); straddl es equat or; strategic loc ation astride or al ong major sea
lanes from I ndi an Ocean to Pacific Ocean
 Hide
People and Society :: INDONESIA
Panel - Expanded
 Nationality:
noun: Indonesi an(s)
adjective: I ndonesian
Ethnic groups:
Javanese 40. 1%, Sundanese 15.5%, Mal ay 3. 7%, Bat ak 3.6%, Madures e 3%, Betawi 2.9%,
Minangkabau 2.7%, Bugi nese 2.7%, Bant enes e 2%, Banjares e 1. 7%, Bali nes e 1. 7%, Ac ehnese 1. 4%,
Dayak 1.4%, Sas ak 1. 3%, Chi nes e 1. 2%, other 15% ( 2010 est.)
Languages:
Bahas a Indonesia ( official, modifi ed form of Malay), Englis h, Dutch, loc al di alect s (of which t he most
widely s pok en is Javanese)
note: more t han 700 languages ar e us ed i n Indonesia
Religions:
Muslim 87. 2%, Christian 7%, Roman Catholic 2. 9%, Hindu 1.7%, ot her 0.9% (includes Buddhist and
Confuci an), uns pecified 0. 4% (2010 est.)
Population:
255, 993,674 (July 2015 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 25. 82% ( mal e 33, 651, 533/f emal e 32, 442, 996)
55-64 years: 8. 18% (mal e 9,608, 548/f emale 11,328, 421)
population pyramid:
Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 49%
potential support ratio: 13% (2015 est.)
Median age:
total: 29.6 years

male: 29 years
0.92% ( 2015 est.)
Birth rate:
Death rate:
Net migration rate:
Urbanization:
JAKARTA (capit al) 10. 323 million; Surabaya 2. 853 mil lion; Bandung 2. 544 milli on; Medan 2. 204 milli on;
Semar ang 1. 63 million; Makassar 1.489 million (2015)
Sex ratio:

15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
total population: 1 mal e(s)/femal e (2015 est.)
22. 8
note: medi an age at first birth among women 25 -29 ( 2012 est.)
male: 69. 85 years

61. 9% ( 2012)
3.1% of GDP ( 2013)
Physicians density:
0.2 physicians/1, 000 popul ation (2012)
improved:
unimproved:
improved:

total: 60.8% of population
unimproved:
0.47% ( 2014 est.)
660, 300 (2014 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
33, 700 ( 2014 est.)
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and mal aria
5.7% ( 2014)

19.9% (2013)
3.6% of GDP ( 2012)
Literacy:
male: 96. 3%
female: 91.5% (2015 est.)
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
percentage: 7%
note: dat a represents chil dren ages 5 - 17 ( 2009 est.)
total: 31.3%
male: 19. 5%
female: 21.4% (2013 est.)

 Hide
Government :: INDONESIA
Panel - Expanded
 Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of I ndonesi a
conventional short form: Indonesia
local long form: Republik Indonesia
local short form: I ndonesi a
former: Net herl ands East Indi es, Dutch East Indies
etymology: the name is an 18th-c ent ury c onstruct of two Gr eek words, "I ndos" (Indi a) and "nesoi "
(islands), meani ng "Indian islands"
Government type:
presidential r epublic
Capital:
name: Jak arta
geographic coordinates: 6 10 S, 106 49 E
note: Indonesia has t hree time zones
31 provi nces ( pr ovi nsi-pr ovinsi, singular - provinsi), 1 aut onomous provi nce*, 1 s peci al region**
(daerah-daerah istimewa, s ingul ar - daer ah istimewa), and 1 national capit al district*** (daerah khusus
ibuk ota); Ac eh*, Bali, Bant en, Bengkul u, Gor ontal o, Jakarta Raya***, Jambi, Jawa Barat (W est Java),
Jawa Tengah (Central Java), Jawa Timur ( East Java), Kalimantan Barat (W est Kalimantan), Kalimant an
Sel atan (South Kalimantan), Kalimant an Tengah (Central Kali mant an), Kalimantan Timur (East
Kalimantan), Kalimant an Utara (Nor th Kali mant an), Kepul auan Bangka Belit ung (Bangk a Belitung
Islands), Kepul auan Ri au (Riau Islands), Lampung, Maluk u, Mal uku Utar a (North Maluk u), Nusa
Tenggara Bar at (W est Nusa Tenggar a), Nusa Tenggara Timur (East Nus a Tenggara), Papua, Papua
Bar at (W est Papua), Riau, Sul awesi Barat (W est Sulawesi), Sulawesi Sel atan (Sout h Sul awesi),
Sul awesi Tengah (Central Sul awesi), Sul awesi Tenggara (Southeast Sul awesi), Sul awesi Utar a (North
Sulawesi), Sumatera Barat (W est Sumatra), Sumatera Selatan (South Sumatra), Su matera Utara (North
Sumatra), Yogyak arta**
note: foll owi ng the implement ation of decentrali zation begi nni ng on 1 Januar y 2001, r egencies and
municipaliti es have bec ome the key admi nistrati ve units responsibl e for pr ovidi ng most government
services
Independence:
17 August 1945 (declar ed)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 17 August (1945)
Constitution:
draft ed J uly t o August 1945, eff ective 17 August 1945, abrogated by 1949 and 1950 constit utions, 1945
constituti on r estor ed 5 Jul y 1959; amended sever al times, last in 2002; not e - an amendment on
"national char acter buil di ng and national consciousness awareness" was pending parliamentar y revi ew
in early 2016 (2016)
Legal system:
civil law s ystem bas ed on t he Roman -Dutch model and infl uenced by c ustomary law
Citizenship:
citizenship by descent only: at l east one par ent mus t be a citizen of Indonesia
residency requirement for naturalization: 5 continuous years
Suffrage:
17 years of ag e; uni versal and married persons regar dless of age
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Joko W IDODO (since 20 October 2014); Vice President Jusuf KALLA (since 20
October 2014); not e - the president is both c hief of state and head of government
head of government: President Joko W IDODO (since 20 October 2014); Vic e President Jus uf KALLA
(since 20 October 2014)
cabinet: Cabinet appoi nt ed by the president
elections/appointments: president and vice pr esident dir ectly el ected by abs ol ute majority popular
vot e for a 5- year t erm (eli gible f or a sec ond t erm); el ection last hel d on 9 Jul y 2014 ( next to be hel d in
2019)
election results: J oko W iDODO el ected pr esident; percent of vot e - Joko W IDODO (PDI - P) 53.2%,
PRABOW O Subi anto (GERI NDRA) 46.8%
Legislative branch:
description: bicameral Peopl e's Consult ative Assembly or Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat consists of
the Regional Repr esentati ve Council or Dewan Perwakilan Daerah (132 s eats; non - partis an members
directly el ected i n multi-seat constit uencies by proportional repres ent ati on vot e t o serve 5 -year t erms)
and the House of Repr esentatives or Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (560 s eats; members directly el ected in
multi-seat constit uencies by single non -transfer abl e vote t o serve 5-year terms)
note: 29 other parties rec eived l ess than the 2. 5% vot e thr eshold and f ailed to wi n so di d not obt ai n
any seats; because of el ection r ules, the number of s eats won does not always follow the percentage of
vot es recei ved by parties
elections: l ast hel d on 9 April 2014 (next to be held i n 2019)
election results: House of Represent atives - percent of vote by party - PDI-P 19%, Golkar 15%,
Gerindr a 12%, PD 10%, PKB 9%, PAN 8%, PKS 7%, NasDem 7%, PPP 7%, Hanura 5%; seats by part y -
PDI-P 109, Golkar 91, Geri ndr a 73, PD 61, PAN 49, PKB 47, PKS 40, NasDem 35, PPP 39, Hanur a 16
Judicial branch:
highest court(s): Supreme Court or Mahkamah Agung (51 judges di vi ded i nto 8 chambers);
Constitutional Court or Mahkamah Konstitusi (consists of 9 judges)
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominat ed by Judici al Commission,
appoint ed by pr esident wit h concurrence of parliament; judges ser ve until retirement at age 65;
Constitutional Court judges - 3 nominat ed by pr esident, 3 by Supr eme Court, and 3 by parli ament;
judges appoint ed by the president; judges serve until mandator y retir ement a t age 70
subordinate courts: High Courts of Appeal, district courts, reli gious courts
Democrat Part y or PD [Sus ilo Bambang YUDHOYONO]

Functional Groups Party or GOLKAR [Aburizal BAKRIE]
Great I ndonesia Movement Part y or GERINDRA [PRABOW O Subi ant o Djojohadi kusumo]
Indonesia Democr atic Part y -Struggle or PDI -P [MEGAW ATI Sukarnoputri]
Nati onal Awak eni ng Party or PKB [Muhaiman ISKANDAR]
Nati onal Mandate Part y or PAN [ Hatt a RAJASA]
Peopl e's Conscience Part y or HANURA [W IRANTO]
Prosperous Justice Party or PKS [ Anis MATTA]
Unit ed Development Part y or PPP [NA]
Commission f or the "Dis appeared" and Victims of V i ol enc e or KontraS
Indonesia Corr upti on W atch or ICW
Indonesian For um for t he Envir onment or W ALHI
ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, CD, CICA (obser ver), CP, D - 8, EAS, EI TI (compli ant country), FAO, G -
11, G-15, G-20, G- 77, I AEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC ( nati onal c ommitt ees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, I FAD, I FC,
IFRCS, IHO, I LO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Int erpol, IOC, IOM (obser ver), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs),
MIGA, MI NURSO, MI NUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM, OECD (Enhanced Engagement, OIC, OPCW , PIF
(part ner), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNI DO, UNIFI L, UNI SFA, UNMIL, UNW TO, UPU, W CO ,
W FTU (NGOs), W HO, W IPO, W MO, W TO
chief of mission: Ambassador Budi BOW OLEKSONO (since 21 May 2014)
chancery: 2020 Massac husetts Avenue NW , W ashington, DC 20036
telephone: [ 1] (202) 775-5200
FAX: [ 1] (202) 775-5365
consulate(s) general: Chi cago, Houston, Los Angel es, New York, San Francisco
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert O. BLAKE , Jr. (since 30 January 2014)

embassy: Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan 3 -5, Jakarta 10110
mailing address: Unit 8129, Box 1, FPO AP 96520
telephone: [ 62] ( 21) 3435-9000
FAX: [ 62] ( 21) 386-2259
consulate general: Surabaya
consulate: Medan
consular agency: Bali
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and whit e; the colors derive from t he banner of the Majapahit
Empir e of t he 13th- 15t h centuri es; red s ymboli zes courage, whit e repres ents purity
note: similar t o the flag of Monac o, whic h is short er; also similar t o the flag of Poland, whic h is whit e
(top) and red
National symbol(s):
gar uda (mythic al bir d); nati onal col o rs: red, whit e
National anthem:
name: "I ndonesia Raya" (Great I ndonesia)
lyrics/music: W age Rudol f SOEPRATMAN
note: adopt ed 1945
 Hide
Economy :: INDONESIA
Panel - Expanded
Indonesia, t he lar gest ec onomy in Southeast Asia, has seen a slowdown i n gr owt h since 2012, mostl y
due to t he end of t he commodities export boom. Duri ng t he gl obal financial crisis, Indonesia
out performed its regi onal neighbors and joi ned Chi na and Indi a a s the onl y G20 members posting
growth. I ndonesia’s annual budget deficit is capped at 3% of GDP, and t he Gover nment of Indonesia
lowered its debt -t o-GDP ratio from a peak of 100% shortly after t he Asian financi al crisis in 1999 t o l ess
than 25% today. Fitc h and Moody's upgraded Indonesia's credit rating to investment grade in December
2011.
Indonesia still struggl es wi th povert y and unempl oyment, i nadequate i nfrastruct ure, corr upti on, a
compl ex r egul ator y environment, and unequal r esourc e distributi on among its regions. Presi dent Jok o
W IDODO - el ected i n Jul y 2014 – seeks to devel op Indonesia’s maritime res ourc es and purs ue other
infrastructur e devel opment , includi ng significantl y i ncreasing its el ectrical power generati on capacity.
Fuel subsidi es wer e signi fi cantl y reduc ed i n earl y 2015, a move whic h has helped the gover nment
redir ect its spendi ng t o development prioriti es. Indonesia, with t he ni ne other ASEAN members, will
conti nue to move t owar ds participati on i n the ASEAN Economic Community, t hough f ull i mplementati on
of economic int egr ati on has not yet materi ali zed.
$2. 842 trillion ( 2015 est.)
$2. 712 trillion ( 2014 est.)
$2. 582 trillion ( 2013 est.)
$859 billi on ( 2015 est.)
4.8% ( 2015 est.)
5% (2014 est.)
5.6% ( 2013 est.)
$11, 100 (2015 est.)
$10, 800 (2014 est.)
$10, 400 (2013 est.)

32. 5% of GDP (2015 est.)
31. 5% of GDP (2014 est.)
30. 6% of GDP (2013 est.)
agriculture: 13. 6%
industry: 42. 8%
services: 43. 6% ( 2015 est. )
rubber and simil ar pr oduct s, palm oil, poultr y, beef, forest pr oducts, shrimp, coc oa, coff ee, medicinal
her bs, essential oil, fish and its similar pr oducts, and spices
Industries:
petr oleum and nat ural gas, textil es, automoti ve, electr ical appli anc es, apparel, f ootwear, mi ni ng,
cement, medic al instruments and appli ances, handicr afts, chemic al fertilizers, pl ywood, rubber,
processed f ood, jewelr y, and t ourism

4.5% (2015 est.)
Labor force:
122. 4 million (2015 est.)
agriculture: 38. 9%
industry: 13. 2%
services: 47. 9% ( 2012 est. )
Unemployment rate:
5.5% ( 2015 est.)
5.9% ( 2014 est.)
11. 3% ( 2014 est.)
lowest 10%: 3. 4%
highest 10%: 28. 2% ( 2010)
36. 8 (2009)
39. 4 (2005)
Budget:
revenues: $123.3 billion
14. 1% of GDP (2015 est.)
-2.2% of GDP (2015 est.)
Public debt:
27. 7% of GDP (2015 est.)
25. 9% of GDP (2014 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
6.4% ( 2015 est.)
6.4% ( 2014 est.)
6.37% ( 31 December 2010)
6.46% ( 31 December 2009)
note: this figur e represent s the 3- month SBI r ate; t he Bank of Indonesia has not empl oyed t he one -
month SBI sinc e Sept ember 2010

12. 8% ( 31 December 2015 est.)
12. 61% (31 December 2014 est.)
note: these fi gur es repres ent t he aver age annuali zed rate on working capital l oans

-$17.76 billion (2015 est.)
-$27.52 billion (2014 est.)
Exports:
$152.5 billion (2015 est.)
$176 billi on ( 2014 est.)
mineral f uels, animal or veget able f ats (includes palm oil), el ectrical machi nery, rubber, machi nery and
mechanical appliance parts
Exports - partners:
Japan 13. 1%, Chi na 10%, Singapore 9.5%, US 9. 4%, Indi a 7%, Sout h Korea 6%, Malaysia 5. 5% (2014)
Imports:
$138.4 billion (2015 est.)
$178.2 billion (2014 est.)
mineral f uels, boil ers, mac hinery, and mechanical par ts, electric machi ner y , iron and steel, foodst uffs
Imports - partners:
Chi na 17.2%, Singapore 14.1%, Japan 9.6%, Sout h Korea 6.7%, Mal aysia 6. 1%, Thailand 5. 5%, US
4.6% ( 2014)

Debt - external:
Exchange rates:
Indonesian r upi ah (I DR) per US doll ar -
13, 577. 6 (2015 est.)
11, 865. 2 (2014 est.)
11, 865. 2 (2013 est.)
9,386.63 (2012 est.)
8,770.43 (2011 est.)
 Hide
Energy :: INDONESIA
Panel - Expanded
185.3 billion kW h (2012 est.)
0 kW h (2013 est.)
0 kW h (2013 est.)
11% of t otal i nstall ed capacity (2012 est.)

789, 800 bbl/ day (2014 est.)
296, 100 bbl/ day (2012 est.)
391, 800 bbl/ day (2012 est.)
3.693 billi on bbl (1 Januar y 2015 est.)
946, 500 bbl/ day (2012 est.)
78, 690 bbl/ day ( 2012 est.)

699, 500 bbl/ day (2012 est.)
70. 4 billi on cu m ( 2013 est. )
39. 1 billi on cu m ( 2013 est. )
31. 3 billi on cu m ( 2013 est. )
0 cu m ( 2013 est.)
2.955 trillion c u m (1 J anuary 2014 est.)
456. 2 million Mt ( 2012 est. )
 Hide
Communications :: INDONESIA
Panel - Expanded
total: 319 milli on
Telephone system:
general assessment: domestic service i ncludes an i nterisland microwave system, an HF r adi o polic e
net, and a domestic satellit e communicati ons system; inter nati onal ser vice good
domestic: c overage pr ovi ded by existing network has been expanded by use of over 200, 000 tel ephone
kiosks many l ocat ed in r emote areas; mobil e -cellul ar s ubscribershi p gr owi ng r api dly
international: country code - 62; landi ng poi nt for both the SEA -ME-W E-3 and SEA- ME-W E-4
submarine cabl e networks that pr ovi de li nks throughout Asia, t he Middl e East, and Eur ope; sat ellite
eart h stations - 2 I ntels at (1 Indian Oc ean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2011)
Broadcast media:
mi xtur e of about a dozen national TV networks - 2 public broadcasters, the remainder pri vat e
broadc asters - each wit h multipl e transmitters; more t han 100 loc al TV stations; widespread us e of
satellite and c abl e TV syst ems; public radi o br oadcas ter oper ates 6 national net works, as well as
regi onal and loc al stati ons; overall, mor e than 700 r adio stations wit h mor e than 650 privatel y operat ed
(2008)
AM 678, FM 43, short wave 82 ( 1998)

54 local TV stations (11 national TV networks; each with its gro up of local transmitters) (2006)
.id
Internet hosts:
1.344 million (2012)
Internet users:
 Hide
Transportation :: INDONESIA
Panel - Expanded
 Airports:
673 (2013)
total: 186
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 21
1,524 to 2,437 m: 51
914 to 1,523 m: 72
under 914 m: 37 (2013)

total: 487
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 460 ( 2013)
Heliports:
76 ( 2013)
Pipelines:
condensat e 1, 064 km; condensat e/gas 150 km; gas 11,702 km; liquid petr oleum gas 119 km; oil 7,767
km; oil/gas/wat er 77 km; refined pr oducts 728 km; unk nown 53 km; wat er 44 km ( 2013)
Railways:
total: 8, 159 km
narrow gauge: 8,159 km 1.067-m gauge (565 km el ectrified)
note: 4, 816 km operati onal (2014)
Roadways:
total: 496, 607 km
paved: 283, 102 km
unpaved: 213,505 km (2011)
Waterways:
21, 579 km (2011)
Merchant marine:
total: 1,340
by type: bulk carrier 105, cargo 618, c hemic al tanker 69, cont ainer 120, liquefi ed gas 28, passenger
49, passenger/car go 77, petrol eum tanker 244, refri gerat ed c argo 6, r oll on/roll off 12, speciali zed
tank er 1, vehicle carri er 11
foreign-owned: 69 ( Chi na 1, France 1, Gr eec e 1, Japan 8, Jordan 1, Malaysia 1, Norway 3, Si ngapor e

46, Sout h Korea 2, Tai wan 1, UK 2, US 2)
registered in other countries: 95 (Bahamas 2, Cambodi a 2, Chi na 2, Hong Kong 10, Li beri a 4,
Marshall Islands 1, Mongol ia 2, Panama 10, Si ngapor e 60, Tuval u 1, unknown 1) (2010)
major seaport(s): Banjarmasin, Bel awan, Kotabar u, Krueg Geukueh, Pal embang, Panjang, Sungai
Pakni ng, Tanjung Per ak, Tanjung Priok
container port(s) (TEUs): Tanjung Priok (5, 617, 562)
LNG terminal(s) (export): Bont ang, Tangguh
LNG terminal(s) (import): Ar un, Lampung, W est Java
the I nter nati onal Maritime Bur eau continues to report the t erritorial and offshore wat ers in the Str ait of
Mal acca and Sout h China Sea as high risk for pirac y and armed robber y against ships; att acks have
increas ed yearl y since 2009; in 2014, 100 c ommercial vessels were attacked and 90 crew members
taken hostage; hi jacked vessels are oft en disguised and c argo di verted to ports i n East Asia; crew s
have been murder ed or cas t adrift
 Hide
Military and Security :: INDONESIA
Panel - Expanded
Indonesian Armed Forces ( Tentar a Nasional I ndonesia, TNI): Army ( TNI -Angkat an Dar at (TNI - AD)),
Navy ( TNI-Angkat an Laut ( TNI -AL); includes mari nes (Korps Marinir, KorMar), naval air arm), Air Force
(TNI-Angk atan Udara (TNI -AU)), National Air Defense Command (Kommando Pertahanan Udara
Nasional (Kohanudnas)) (2013)

18-45 years of age for voluntary military servic e, with selective conscription authorized; 2 -year service
obli gation, wit h reser ve obl igati on t o age 45 ( officers); Indonesian citizens onl y ( 2012)
0.78% of GDP (2012)
0.67% of GDP (2011)
0.78% of GDP (2010)
 Hide
Transnational Issues :: INDONESIA
Panel - Expanded
Indonesia has a stat ed f oreign policy objective of establishi ng stabl e fi xed land and maritime
boundaries wit h all of its neighbors; thr ee stretc hes of land bor ders wit h Timor -Leste have yet to be
deli mited, two of which are in the Oecussi excl ave area, an d no maritime or Excl usive Economic Zone
(EEZ) boundaries have been established between t he countries; many ref ugees from Timor -Leste who
left in 2003 still reside i n I ndonesi a and r efus e repatr iation; all borders bet ween Indonesia and Austr alia
have been agr eed upon bil ater ally, but a 1997 treaty t hat would s ettle t he l ast of their maritime and EEZ
boundary has yet to be r ati fied by I ndonesia's legislat ure; I ndonesian groups challenge Australia's claim
to Ashmor e Reef; Australi a has closed parts of t he As h more and Cartier Reser ve to Indonesian
traditi onal fishi ng and plac ed r estrictions on cert ain c atches; land and maritime negotiati ons wit h
Mal aysi a ar e ongoi ng, and disputed ar eas include t he controversial Tanjung Datu and Camar W ulan
bor der area i n Borneo and the maritime boundary i n the Ambal at oil bl ock in the Cel ebes Sea;
Indonesia and Singapore c onti nue t o work on fi nalizi ng their 1973 maritime boundar y agr eement by
defi ning unr esol ved areas nort h of I ndonesi a's Bat am Island; I ndonesi an s ecessionists, squatt ers, and
illegal mi grants creat e repatriati on probl ems for Papua New Gui nea; maritime delimitation t alks
conti nue wit h Palau; EEZ negoti ations with Viet nam ar e ongoi ng, and t he t wo c ountries in Fall 2011
agr eed t o work together to reduce ill egal fish i ng al ong their maritime boundar y
IDPs: at l east 31, 440 (i nter -communal, i nt er -faith, and separ atist viol ence bet ween 1998 and 2004 i n
Aceh and Papua; r eligi ous attacks and l and conflicts in 2012 and 2013; most IDPs in Aceh, Mal uku,
East Nusa Tengarra) ( 2015) (2011)
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis largely f or domestic use; producer of met hamphetami ne and ecstasy;
President W IDODO's war on dr ugs has led t o an incr ease i n deat h sentences and exec utions,
particul arl y of f orei gn drug traffickers (2015)
 Hide
Introduction :: LAOS
Panel - Expanded
 Background:
Moder n-day Laos has its roots in the anci ent Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established i n the 14t h c entur y
under King FA NGUM. For 300 years Lan Xang had i nfluence r eac hing int o present -day Cambodia and
Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. Aft er centuri es of gradual decli ne, Laos came under
the dominati on of Si am (Thailand) from t he l ate 18 th c ent ury until the lat e 19t h cent ury when it became
part of Fr ench I ndoc hina. The Franco - Siamese Treat y of 1907 defi ned t he c urrent Lao bor der wit h
Thailand. In 1975, the communist Pat het Lao t ook control of the government endi ng a si x -cent ury- old
monarchy and instit uting a strict socialist regime clos ely ali gned t o Vi et nam. A gradual, li mited ret urn t o
private enter prise and the l iber alizati on of for eign i nvestment laws began in 1988. Laos bec ame a
member of ASEAN i n 1997 and the W TO in 2013.
 Hide
Geography :: LAOS
Panel - Expanded
 Location:
Southeastern Asia, nort heast of Thailand, west of Vi et nam
18 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
land: 230,800 sq km
water: 6,000 s q km
Area - comparative:
slightl y lar ger t han Ut ah
Land boundaries:
total: 5, 274 km
border countries (5): Bur ma 238 km, Cambodia 555 km, China 475 km, Thailand 1, 845 km, Vi et nam
2,161 km
Coastline:
0 km (landl ocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landl ocked)
Climate:
tropical monsoon; r ainy season (May to November); dry seas on ( Dec ember to April)
Terrain:
mostly r ugged mount ai ns; some plai ns and pl ateaus
Elevation:
elevation extremes: l owest point: Mekong Ri ver 70 m
highest poi nt: Phu Bi a 2, 817 m
Natural resources:
timber, hydr opower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Land use:

arable land 6.2%; permanent crops 0.7%; permanent pasture 3.7%
forest: 67. 9%
other: 21.5% ( 2011 est.)
Irrigated land:
3,100 sq km (2012)
333. 5 cu km (2011)
total: 3. 49 cu km/ yr (4%/ 5%/91%)
Natural hazards:
floods, dr oughts
unexpl oded or dnance; def orestation; soil erosion; mos t of the po pul ation does not have access to
pot able wat er
Species, Envir onment al Modification, Law of t he Sea, Ozone Layer Prot ection
Geography - note:
landl ocked; most of t he countr y is mount ai nous and thickly for ested; the Mek ong Ri ver f orms a l arge
part of the western boundary with Thail and
 Hide
People and Society :: LAOS
Panel - Expanded
 Nationality:
noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)
adjective: Lao or Laoti an
Ethnic groups:
Lao 54. 6%, Khmou 10.9%, Hmong 8%, Tai 3. 8%, Phuthai 3.3%, Lue 2. 2%, Katang 2. 1%, Makong 2. 1%,
Akha 1. 6%, ot her 10.4%, unspecified 1% ( 2005 est.)
Languages:
Lao (offici al), French, Engl ish, vari ous ethnic languages
Religions:
Buddhist 66.8%, Christian 1.5%, ot her 31%, unspecified 0.7% (2005 est.)
Population:
6,911,544 (Jul y 2015 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 34. 1% (male 1,190,119/femal e 1, 166, 774)
15-24 years: 21.31% (mal e 731,531/f emale 741, 1 07)
55-64 years: 5. 23% (mal e 177,142/femal e 184,409)
population pyramid:
Dependency ratios:

Median age:
total: 22.3 years
male: 22 years
1.55% ( 2015 est.)
Birth rate:
Death rate:
Net migration rate:
Urbanization:

VIENTIANE (capital) 997,000 (2015)
Sex ratio:
male: 61. 88 years
female: 65.95 years (201 5 est.)

2.82 children born/woman (2015 est.)
49. 8% ( 2011/ 12)
2% of GDP (2013)
Physicians density:
improved:
unimproved:
improved:

rural: 56% of population
unimproved:
0.26% ( 2014 est.)
11, 100 ( 2014 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
500 (2014 est.)
food or waterborne diseases: bacteri al and pr otozoal di arrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoi d fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and mal aria
3% (2014)

26. 5% ( 2012)
2.8% of GDP ( 2010)
Literacy:
male: 87. 1%
female: 72.8% (2015 est.)
total: 11 years
male: 11 years
total number: 175, 138
 Hide
Government :: LAOS
Panel - Expanded
 Country name:
conventional long form: Lao Peopl e's Democratic Republic

conventional short form: Laos
local long form: Sat hal analat Paxathi pat ai Paxaxon Lao
local short form: Pat het Lao ( unofficial)
etymology: name means "Land of t he Lao [ people] "
Government type:
communist state
Capital:
name: Vi entiane (Vi angchan)
17 provi nces (khoueng, singul ar and pl ural) and 1 capital city* (nakhon l uang, singul ar and pl ural);
Attapu, Bok eo, Bolik hamxa i, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamt ha, Louangphabang,
Oudomxai, Phongsali, Sal avan, Savannak het, Vi angc han ( Vientiane)*, Viangchan, Xai gnabouli,
Xaims omboun, Xekong, Xi angkhouang
Independence:
19 J uly 1949 (from France)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 2 December (1975)
Constitution:
previous 1947 ( prei ndependence); l atest pr omulgat ed 13 - 15 August 1991; amended 2003, 2015 (2016)
Legal system:
civil law s ystem simil ar in f orm to t he French s ystem
Citizenship:
citizenship by descent only: at l east one par ent mus t be a citizen of Laos
Suffrage:
Executive branch:
chief of state: Pr esident BOUNNYANG Vor achit (sinc e 20 April 2016); Vic e Pr esident PHANKHAM
Viphavan (sinc e 20 April 2016)
head of government: Prime Mi nister THONGLOUN Sisoulit (sinc e 20 April 2016); Deputy Prime
Ministers BOUNTHONG Chitmani, SONXAI Si phandon, SOMDI Douangdi (since 20 April 2016)
cabinet: Council of Minist ers appoi nted by t he presi dent, appr oved by t he Nati onal Assembl y
elections/appointments: president and vice pr esident indirectl y el ected by the Nati onal Assembl y for
a 5- year term ( no term limi ts); election l ast hel d on 20 April 2016 (next to be hel d in 2021); prime
minister nomi nated by t he president, el ected by the National Assembly f or 5 - year term
election results: BOUNNYANG Vor achit (LPRP) el ect ed presi dent; PHANKHAM Viphavan ( LPRP)
elect ed vice president; per cent of Nati onal Assembly vot e - NA; THONGLOUN Si soulit (LPRP) el ected
prime minister; perc ent of Nati onal Assembl y vot e - NA
Legislative branch:
description: unic amer al National Assembly or Sapha Heng Xat ( 132 seats; members dir ectly elect ed i n
multi-seat constit uencies by simpl e majorit y vot e from candidate lists pr ovi ded by the Lao Peopl e's
Revol uti onary Part y; members serv e 5- year terms)
elections: l ast hel d on 20 April 2016 ( next t o be hel d in 2021)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seat s by part y - LPRP 128, i ndependent 4
Judicial branch:
highest court(s): Peopl e' s Supr eme Court (consists of NA judges)

judge selection and term of office: president of People's Supreme Court elected by National
Assembl y on r ecommendat ion of National Assembl y Standi ng Committee; vic e pr esident of Peopl e's
Supreme Court and judges appoint ed by National Assembly Standing Committ ee; judge t enur e NA
subordinate courts: provi ncial, munici pal, district, and milit ar y courts
Lao Peopl e's Revoluti onar y Part y or LPRP [BOUNNYANG Vorac hit]
note: ot her parties pr oscribed
NA
ADB, ARF, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G -77, IAEA, I BRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, I FC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
Inter pol, IOC, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW , PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNW TO, UPU, W CO, W FTU (NGOs), W HO, WIPO, W MO, W TO
chief of mission: Ambassador MAI Xai gnavong (sinc e 3 August 2015)
chancery: 2222 S Str eet NW , W ashingt on, DC 20008
telephone: [ 1] (202) 332-6416
FAX: [ 1] (202) 332-4923
consulate(s): New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Davi d A. CLUNE (since 16 September 2013)
embassy: Thadeua Road, Kilomet er 9, Ban Somvang Tai, Hatsayf ong District, Vi enti ane
mailing address: American Embassy Vi enti ane, Unit 8165, APO AP 96546
telephone: [ 856] 21- 48- 7000
FAX: [ 856] 21-48- 7190

Flag description:
three horizontal bands of r ed (t op), blue (doubl e wi dt h), and r ed with a lar ge white disk cent ered i n the
blue band; t he red bands r ecall the blood shed f or liberati on; t he bl ue band repr esents the Mek ong
River and pros perit y; the white disk symboli zes the f ul l moon agai nst the Mek ong River, but also
signifi es the unity of the peopl e under t he Lao People' s Revol utionar y Part y, as well as the c ountry's
bright fut ure
National symbol(s):
elephant; nati onal col ors: red, whit e, bl ue
National anthem:
name: "Pheng Xat Lao" (Hymn of t he Lao Peopl e)
lyrics/music: SISANA Sis ane/THONGDY Soun t honevichit
note: music adopt ed 1945, lyrics adopt ed 1975; the anthem's lyrics wer e changed foll owi ng t he 1975
Communist revol ution t hat overthr ew t he monarchy
 Hide
Economy :: LAOS
Panel - Expanded
The gover nment of Laos, one of the few remai ning one -party communist stat es, began dec entr alizi ng
control and enc our aging pr ivat e ent erprise i n 1986. Economic gr owt h aver aged 6% per year from 1988 -
2008 except during t he short -lived dr op c aused by t he Asian fi nancial crisis that began i n 1997. Laos'
growth has more r ecently been amongst the f astest in Asia and averaged nearly 8% per year for t he l ast
dec ade.
Nevert hel ess, Laos remai ns a country with an underdevel oped infr astructure, particularly i n rur al ar eas.
It has a basic, but improvi ng, road s ystem, and limit ed ext ernal and int ernal l and - line
telec ommunic ations. El ectricity is availabl e to 83% of the populati on. Agricultur e, domi nated by rice
cultivation in l owl and areas , accounts for about 25% of GDP and 73% of tot al employment.
Laos' economy is heavily dependent on capital -i ntensi ve nat ur al resource exports. The economy has
benefited from hi gh- profil e forei gn direct i nvestment i n hydropower dams al ong t he Mek ong ri ver,
copper and gol d mi ning, loggi ng, and c onstructi on, alt hough some projects in these industries have
drawn criticism for t heir environment al impacts.
Laos gained Normal Trade Rel ations status wit h the US in 2004 and appli ed for Gener alized System of
Pref erences trade benefits in 2013 after bei ng admitt ed to t he W orld Trade Organizati on earli er in t he
year. Laos began a one-year chairmanshi p of ASEAN in January 2016. Laos is in the proc ess of
impl ementi ng a val ue- added tax system. The government appears committed to r aising the countr y's
profile among foreign investors and has developed special economic zones replete with gener ous tax
incentives, but a small labor pool r emains an impedi ment to i nvestment. Laos also has ongoing
problems with t he business environment, includi ng onerous registration requirements, a gap between
legisl ation and impl ementation, and uncl ear or conflic t ing r egul ations.
$37. 32 billion (2015 est.)
$34. 88 billion ( 2014 est.)
$32. 47 billion (2013 est.)
$12. 5 billi on ( 2015 est.)
7% (2015 est.)
7.4% ( 2014 est.)
8% (2013 est.)
$5, 300 ( 2015 est.)
$5, 100 ( 2014 est.)
$4, 800 ( 2013 est.)
26. 5% of GDP (2015 est.)

25.3% of GDP (2014 est.)
25. 8% of GDP (2013 est.)
agriculture: 23. 1%
industry: 33. 4%
services: 43. 5% ( 2015 est. )
sweet potat oes, veget ables , corn, coffee, sugarc ane, t obacco, cott on, t ea, peanut s, rice; cassava
(mani oc, tapioc a), water buffalo, pigs, cattl e, poultr y
Industries:
mini ng (copper, tin, gold, gyps um); timber, el ectric power, agricult ural proc essing, rubber, construction,
garments, cement, tourism
10% (2015 est.)
Labor force:
3.532 million (2015 est.)
agriculture: 73. 1%
industry: 6.1%
services: 20. 6% ( 2012 est. )
Unemployment rate:
1.3% ( 2012 est.)
1.4% ( 2013 est.)
22% (2013 est.)
lowest 10%: 3. 3%
highest 10%: 30. 3% ( 2008)
36. 7 (2008)
34. 6 (2002)
Budget:

24.7% of GDP (2015 est.)
-5% of GDP ( 2015 est.)
Public debt:
48. 6% of GDP (2015 est.)
47. 6% of GDP (2014 est.)
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 Sept ember
5.3% ( 2015 est.)
5.5% ( 2014 est.)
4.3% ( 31 December 2010)
4% (31 December 2009)
19. 2% ( 31 December 2014 est.)

$1. 012 billion (2012 est.)
$576.8 milli on (2011)
-$2. 905 billion (2015 est.)
-$2. 71 billi on ( 2014 est.)
Exports:
$3. 115 billion (2015 est.)
$2. 662 billion (2014 est.)

wood products, coffee, electricity, tin, copper, gol d, cassava
Exports - partners:
Chi na 34.2%, Thail and 27. 4%, Vi etnam 15.7% ( 2014)
Imports:
$4. 912 billion (2015 est.)
$4. 271 billion (2014 est.)
machi nery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods
Imports - partners:
Thailand 55. 2%, China 25. 6%, Vi etnam 6. 6% (2014)
$976.3 milli on (31 December 2015 est.)
$889.7 milli on (31 December 2014 est.)
Debt - external:

Exchange rates:
kips (LAK) per US doll ar -
8,151.6 ( 2015 est.)
8,049 (2014 est.)
8,049 (2013 est.)
8,007.3 ( 2012 est.)
8,035.1 ( 2011 est.)
 Hide
Energy :: LAOS
Panel - Expanded
12. 1 billi on kW h (2012 est. )


3,200 bbl/day (2013 est.)
3,160 bbl/day (2012 est.)
0 cu m ( 2013 est.)
0 cu m ( 2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m ( 2013 est.)
1.623 million Mt ( 2012 est. )
 Hide
Communications :: LAOS
Panel - Expanded
total: 4. 6 million
Telephone system:
general assessment: service to general public is improving; the government relies on a radiotelephone
net work to c ommunic ate wi th remote ar eas
domestic: 4 ser vice providers with mobile cell ul ar us age growi ng very r apidl y
international: country code - 856; sat ellit e earth stati on - 1 Int ersputnik (Indian Ocean regi on) and a
second to be devel oped by Chi na ( 2012)
Broadcast media:
6 TV stations operati ng out of Vi enti ane - 3 government -oper ated and the others commerci al; 17
provinci al stations operati ng wit h nearl y all pr ogr ammi ng r elayed vi a satellit e from the government -
operat ed stations in Vienti ane; Chinese and Viet namese programming rel ayed via satellit e from Lao
Nati onal TV; br oadcasts availabl e from stati ons in Thailand and Vi etnam i n bor der areas; multi -channel
satellite and c abl e TV syst ems pr ovi de access to a wi de r ange of f orei gn st ations; state -contr olled radi o
with stat e-operat ed Lao National Radi o ( LNR) broadcasting on 5 frequencies - 1 AM, 1 SW , and 3 FM;
LNR's AM and FM programs are rel ayed vi a sat ellite c onstituti ng a l arge part of the programmi ng
schedul es of the pr o vinci al radi o stations; Thai r adio broadc asts avail abl e in border areas and
transmissions of multipl e i nter nati onal broadcasters are also accessible ( 2012)
28 ( 2010)
.la
Internet hosts:
1,532 (2012)
Internet users:
total: 300, 000
percent of population: 5. 8% (2009)
 Hide
Transportation :: LAOS
Panel - Expanded
 Airports:
41 ( 2013)
total: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2013)
total: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 22 (2013)
Pipelines:
refined products 540 km (2013)
Roadways:
total: 39,586 km
paved: 5,415 km
unpaved: 34, 171 km (2009)
Waterways:
4,600 km (primarily on the Mekong River and its tributaries; 2,900 additional km are intermittently
navi gabl e by craft dr awi ng less than 0. 5 m) (2012)
 Hide
Military and Security :: LAOS
Panel - Expanded
Lao Peopl e's Armed Forces (LPAF): Lao People's Ar my (LPA; i ncludes Ri verine Force), Air Forc e
(2011)
18 years of age f or compul sory or vol untar y milit ary s ervice; c onscript ser vice obligation - mi nimum 18-
months (2012)
NA% ( 2012)
0.23% of GDP (2011)
Military - note:
serving one of the world's least devel oped countries, the Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF) is small,
poorly f unded, and i neffect ivel y res ourc ed; its mission focus is bor der and i nter nal securit y, primarily i n
counteri ng ethnic Hmong i nsurgent gr oups; toget her with the Lao Peopl e's Revolut ionar y Part y and t he
government, the Lao Peopl e's Army ( LPA) is the t hird pillar of state mac hinery, and as such is expected
to suppr ess political and ci vil unrest and similar nati onal emergencies; there is no percei ved ext ernal
threat to t he stat e and the LPA mai nt ains strong ti es with the nei ghboring Vi et namese milit ary ( 2012)
 Hide
Transnational Issues :: LAOS
Panel - Expanded
sout heast Asian stat es have enhanced border sur veill anc e to check the spre ad of avi an fl u; talks
conti nue on compl etion of demarcati on with Thail and but disputes remai n over islands in t he Mekong
River; conc ern among Mekong Ri ver Commission members that Chi na's construction of dams on the
Mekong Ri ver and its tribut aries will af fect water l evel s; Cambodia and Viet nam are concer ned about
Laos' extensive upstream dam construction
current situation: Laos is a source and, to a lesser extent, transit and desti nati on c ountry f or men,
women, and c hildr en s ubjected to f orced labor and s ex trafficking; Lao economic migrants may
enc ounter c onditions of f or ced l abo r or sexual expl oit ation in destination countri es, most oft en Thail and;
Lao women and girls are expl oit ed i n Thail and’s commercial sex trade, domestic service, factori es, and
agricult ure; a small, possibly gr owi ng, number of Lao women and girls ar e sol d as brides i n China and
South Kor ea and s ubs equently sex tr afficked; Lao men and boys are victims of f orced l abor i n the Thai
fishing, constructi on, and agricultur e industries; some Lao chil dren, as well as Vi etnamese and Chi nes e
women and girls ar e subjected to s ex tr afficking i n Laos; other Vi et namese and Chi nes e, and possibly
Burmese, adults and girls transit Laos for sexual and l abor exploit ation i n nei ghboring countri es,
particul arl y Thail and
tier rating: Tier 2 W atch List – Laos does not f ull y compl y wit h t he mini mum standards f or the
elimi nati on of trafficking; however, it is making signifi cant eff orts to do so; authorities sustained
moder ate efforts to i nvesti gat e, pr osec ute, and convi ct trafficking off enders; the government fail ed t o
make progress in proactively identifyi ng victims expl oi ted withi n the countr y or among t hos e deport ed
from abroad; the gover nment conti nues t o rel y almost entir ely on local and i nter national or gani zati ons
to pr ovi de and f und s ervices to trafficking victims; although Lao men and boys ar e trafficked, most
prot ective servic es are onl y available t o women and girls, and l ong -t erm support is lacking; modest
preventi on efforts incl ude t he promoti on of anti -traffic king awareness on stat e -contr olled medi a ( 2015)
Illicit drugs:
estimat ed opium poppy cul tivati on i n 2008 was 1,900 hect ares, about a 73% i ncreas e from 2007;
estimat ed potential opium producti on i n 2008 mor e than tri pled to 17 metric tons ; unsubstanti ated
reports of domestic met hamphet ami ne production; gr owi ng domestic methamphetami ne pr obl em ( 2009)
 Hide
Introduction :: VIETNAM
Panel - Expanded
 Background:
The conquest of Vi etnam by Fr anc e began in 1858 and was compl et ed by 1884. It became part of
French Indochi na i n 1887. Viet nam declar ed i ndependenc e aft er W orld W ar II, but France continued t o
rule until its 1954 defeat by communist forces under Ho Chi MI N H. Under t he Geneva Accords of 1954,
Viet nam was di vided i nt o the c ommunist North and anti -communist South. US economic and militar y ai d
to Sout h Vi et nam gr ew thr ough the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the gover nment , but US armed forc es
were withdrawn fol lowing a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces
overran the South r euniti ng the country under communist rule. Despite t he ret urn of peac e, for over a
dec ade the country experienced little economic growth bec aus e of conser vat i ve l eadership policies, the
persec ution and mass exodus of indi viduals - many of them s uccessful Sout h Vi et names e merc hants -
and growi ng int ernati onal i solati on. However, sinc e the enactment of Viet nam's "doi moi " (renovati on)
polic y in 1986, Vi etnamese aut horiti es have committed to i ncreased economic li ber alizati on and
enacted structur al ref orms needed to moderni ze t he economy and t o produc e more competiti ve, export -
driven i ndustries. The communist leaders mai ntai n tight contr ol on politic al expr ession b ut have
demonstrat ed some modes t steps toward better prot ection of human ri ghts. The country conti nues to
experience small-scale protests, the vast majorit y connect ed t o eit her l and - use i ssues, calls for
increas ed political space, or the lack of equit abl e mechanisms for resol vi ng disputes. The small -scal e
prot ests in the ur ban areas are often or gani zed by human rights activists, but many occur in rur al ar eas
and i nvolve vari ous ethnic minorities such as the Montagnards of t he Central Highlands, H'mong i n t h e
Northwest Highlands, and t he Khmer Krom i n the sout her n delt a region.
 Hide
Geography :: VIETNAM
Panel - Expanded
 Location:
Southeastern Asia, bor deri ng t he Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and Sout h Chi na Sea, as well as
Chi na, Laos, and Cambodi a
16 10 N, 107 50 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
land: 310,070 sq km
Area - comparative:
about thr ee times the size of Tennesee; slightl y l arger than New Mexico
Land boundaries:
total: 4, 616 km
border countries (3): Cambodi a 1, 158 km, Chi na 1, 297 km, Laos 2,161 km
Coastline:
3,444 km (excl udes islands )
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of t he c onti nent al mar gin
Climate:
tropical i n south; monsoonal in nort h wit h hot, rai ny seas on (May to September) and warm, dry season
(October to March)
Terrain:
low, flat delta i n south and nort h; central highlands; hi lly, mountai nous in f ar nort h and northwest
Elevation:
elevation extremes: l owest point: Sout h China Sea 0 m
highest poi nt: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m
Natural resources:
phosphates, coal, manganese, rar e earth el ements, bauxit e, chromat e, offshor e oil and gas deposits,
timber, hydr opower, ar abl e land
Land use:
arable l and 20.6%; per manent crops 12.1%; permanent pastur e 2. 1%
forest: 45%
other: 20.2% ( 2011 est.)
Irrigated land:
46, 000 sq km ( 2012)
884. 1 cu km (2011)
total: 82.03 cu km/ yr (1%/ 4%/95%)
per capita: 965 cu m/ yr (2005)
Natural hazards:
occasional t yphoons (May t o January) with ext ensive floodi ng, especiall y in t he Mekong Ri ver delt a
loggi ng and slas h-and- burn agricult ural practices cont ribut e to def or estation and soil degr adati on; wat er
poll ution and overfishi ng t hreat en mari ne lif e popul ati ons; gr oundwat er cont ami nation limits potabl e
wat er suppl y; gr owi ng urban industrialization and populati on migr ation are r api dl y degrading
environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Mi nh City
party to: Bi odi versity, Cli mate Change, Cli m at e Change-Kyoto Prot ocol, Desert ification, Endangered
Species, Envir onment al Modification, Hazar dous W astes, Law of t he Sea, Ozone Layer Prot ection, Ship
Poll ution, W etlands
Geography - note:
ext endi ng 1, 650 km north t o south, t he country is onl y 50 km across at its narr owest poi nt
 Hide
People and Society :: VIETNAM
Panel - Expanded
 Nationality:
noun: Viet namese (singul ar and pl ural)
adjective: Vi et names e
Ethnic groups:
Kinh (Vi et) 85.7%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1. 8%, Muong 1.5%, Khmer 1. 5%, Mong 1.2%, Nung 1. 1%, ot hers
5.3% ( 1999 census)
Languages:
Viet names e (official), Engli sh (increasingl y f avored as a second l anguage), some French, Chi nese, and
Khmer, mount ain area languages (Mon -Khmer and Malayo-Pol ynesian)
Religions:
Buddhist 9. 3%, Cat holic 6. 7%, H oa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1. 1%, Pr otest ant 0.5%, Muslim 0. 1%, none
80. 8% ( 1999 c ens us)
Population:
94, 348, 835 (Jul y 2015 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 24. 1% (male 11,948,130/f emale 10,786,381)
15-24 years: 17.22% (mal e 8, 411, 108/femal e 7 ,833, 327)
population pyramid:
Dependency ratios:
Median age:
total: 29.6 years
male: 28. 5 years
0.97% ( 2015 est.)
Birth rate:
Death rate:
Net migration rate:
-0.3 mi grant(s)/1,000 popul ation (2015 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 33.6% of total population (2015)
Ho Chi Mi nh City 7. 298 mill ion; HANOI (cap it al) 3. 629 million; Can Tho 1. 175 mill ion; Hai phong 1. 075
million; Da Nang 952,000; Bien Hoa 834, 000 ( 2015)
Sex ratio:
total population: 1 mal e(s)/femal e (2015 est.)
male: 70. 69 years

78. 1% ( 2011)
6% of GDP (2013)
Physicians density:
2 beds/1,000 popul ation (2010)
improved:
unimproved:
total: 2.4% of populati on ( 2015 est.)

improved:
unimproved:
total: 22% of populati on ( 2015 est.)
0.47% ( 2014 est.)
250, 200 (2014 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
10, 600 ( 2014 est.)
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, mal aria, and J apanes e encephalitis
3.5% ( 2014)
12% (2011)
6.3% of GDP ( 2012)
Literacy:
male: 96. 3%
female: 92.8% (2015 est.)
total: 6%
male: 5. 3%
female: 6. 8% (2013 est.)
 Hide
Government :: VIETNAM
Panel - Expanded
 Country name:
conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Viet nam
conventional short form: Viet nam
local long form: Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghi a Vi et Nam
local short form: Viet Nam
abbreviation: SRV
etymology: "Viet nam" translat es as "Vi et south" where "Vi et" is an ethnic self i dentificati on dating to a
second centur y B. C. kingdom and "nam" ref ers to its locati on i n rel ation t o ot her Viet kingdoms
Government type:
communist state
Capital:
name: Hanoi ( Ha Noi)
58 provi nces (tinh, singul ar and pl u r al) and 5 munici palities (thanh pho, si ngular and plur al)
provinces: An Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Li eu, Bac Ni nh, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Di nh,
Binh Duong, Bi nh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau, Cao Bang, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai,
Dong Thap, Gi a Lai, Ha Gi ang, Ha Nam, Ha Ti nh, Hai Duong, Hau Giang, Hoa Bi nh, Hung Yen, Khanh
Hoa, Ki en Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Nam Di nh, Nghe An,
Ninh Bi nh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Bi nh, Quang Nam, Quang Nga i, Quang Ni nh, Quang
Tri, Soc Tr ang, Son La, Tay Ni nh, Thai Bi nh, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thi en - Hue, Ti en Giang,
Tra Vi nh, Tuyen Quang, Vi nh Long, Vi nh Phuc, Yen Bai
municipalities: Can Tho, Da Nang, Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh Cit y (Sai gon)
Independence:
2 September 1945 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 2 Sept ember (1945)
Constitution:
several previous; lat est adopt ed 15 April 1992, effecti ve 1 Januar y 1995; amended 2001, 2013 ( 2016)
Legal system:
civil law s ystem; not e - the civil code of 2005 refl ects a European -styl e civil law
has not submitt ed an ICJ jurisdiction declar at ion; non-part y state t o the ICCt
Citizenship:
citizenship by descent only: at l east one par ent mus t be a citizen of Vi etnam
Suffrage:
Executive branch:
chief of state: Pr esident Tran Dai QUANG (since 2 Ap ril 2016); Vice Presi dent Dang Thi Ngoc THINH
(since 7 April 2016)
head of government: Prime Mi nister Nguyen Xuan PHUC (since 7 April 2016); Deput y Prime Mi nisters
Truong Hoa BINH (since 9 April 2016), Vuong Dinh HUE (since 9 April 2016), Vu Duc DAM (since 13
November 2013), Trinh Di nh DUNG (sinc e 9 April 2016), Pham Binh MI NH (since 13 November 2013)
cabinet: Cabinet pr opos ed by prime minist er, appoi nted by the pr esident, and confirmed by t he
Nati onal Assembl y
elections/appointments: president indirectl y el ected by Nati onal Assembl y from among its members
for a singl e 5- year term; el ection last hel d on 2 April 2016 (next t o be hel d in s pring 2021); prime
minister appointed by the president from among members of the National Assembly, confirmed by
Nati onal Assembl y; deput y prime ministers appoi nt ed by t he prime mi nister, confirmed by National
Assembl y
election results: Tran Dai QUANG (CPV) elect ed president; percent of National Assembl y vot e -
98. 9%; Nguyen Xuan PHUC el ected prime mi nister; percent of National Assembl y vote - 91. 0%
Legislative branch:
description: unic amer al National Assembly or Quoc H oi (500 seats; members directly el ected by
abs olut e majorit y vot e with a second r ound if needed; members ser ve 5 -year ter ms)
elections: l ast hel d on 22 May 2011 ( next to be held i n May 2016)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seat s by part y - CPV 458, non- part y CPV- approved 38,
self-nominated 4; note - 500 candi dat es were elect ed; the 496 CPV and non - part y CPV-approved
del egat es wer e members of the Viet names e Fatherland Fr ont and wer e vetted prior to t he electi on
Judicial branch:
highest court(s): Supreme Peopl e's Court (consists of the chi ef justice and 13 judges)
judge selection and term of office: chi ef justice el ected by t he Nati onal Assembl y on the
recommendation of the pr esident for a 5 - year, renewable t erm; ot her judges appoint ed by the pr esident
for 5- year terms
subordinate courts: Court of Appeals; administrati ve, civil, criminal, economic, a nd l abor courts;
Central Milit ary Court; People's Speci al Courts; not e - the Nati onal Assembl y can establis h special
tribunals
Communist Party of Vi etnam or CPV [Nguyen Phu TRONG]
note: ot her parties pr oscribed
8406 Bl oc
Democratic Party of Vi etnam or DPV
Peopl e's Democr atic Part y Viet nam or PDP - VN
Alliance f or Democrac y
note: these groups advocate democracy but are not recogni zed by t he gover nment
ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, CICA, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, I BRD, I CAO, I CC ( NGOs), ICRM, I DA,
IFAD, I FC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Int erpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, I TU, MIGA, NAM, OIF,
OPCW , PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNW TO, UPU, W CO, W FTU (NGOs), W HO, W IPO,
W MO, W TO
chief of mission: Ambassador Pham Quang VINH (since 23 Februar y 2015)
chancery: 1233 20th Street NW , Suite 400, W ashingt on, DC 20036
telephone: [ 1] (202) 861-0737
FAX: [ 1] (202) 861-0917
consulate(s) general: Houston, San Francisco
consulate: New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Ted G. OSIUS III (since 16 December 2014)
embassy: Rose Garden Building, 170 Ngoc Khanh St. , Hanoi
mailing address: 7 Lang Ha Str eet, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi; 4550 Hanoi Pl ace, W ashingt on, DC 20521 -
4550
telephone: [ 84] ( 4) 3850-5000
FAX: [ 84] ( 4) 3850-5010
consulate(s) general: Ho Chi Mi nh City
Flag description:
red fi eld with a lar ge yellow five -point ed star in t he c ent er; red symbolizes revol ution and bl ood, t he
five- poi nt ed star r epr esent s the five elements of the popul ace - peasants, worker s, intellect uals,
traders, and sol di ers - that unit e to build soci alism
National symbol(s):
yell ow, fi ve- point ed st ar on red fi eld; l otus blossom; national colors: red, yell ow
National anthem:
name: "Ti en quan ca" ( The Song of the Marchi ng Troops)
lyrics/music: Nguyen Van CAO
note: adopt ed as the nati onal anthem of the Democratic Republic of Vi etnam i n 1945; it became the
nati onal ant hem of t he unif ied Soci alist Republic of Vi etnam i n 1976; although it consists of two verses,
onl y the first is used as the official ant hem
 Hide
Economy :: VIETNAM
Panel - Expanded
Viet nam is a densel y popul ated devel oping country that has been transitioni ng fr om the rigi diti es of a
centrall y- planned ec onomy since 1986. Agricult ure's shar e of economic output has shrunk from about
25% in 2000 to 18% in 2014, while i ndustry's share i ncreased from 36% to 38% i n the same peri od.
Stat e-owned enter prises now account for onl y about 40% of GDP.
Viet names e authorities have reaffirmed their commitment t o ec onomic moderni zation and a more open
economy. Viet nam joi ned t he W orld Trade Organizati on i n Januar y 2007, which has promot ed more
competitive, export -driven industries. Vi etn am was one of t he 12-nations that concluded the Trans -
Pacific Part nership fr ee tr ade agreement negotiati ons in 2015.
Hanoi has oscillated bet ween promoti ng gr owt h and emphasi zing macroec onomi c stability i n recent
years. Duri ng 2015, Vi et nam's managed curre ncy, t he dong, depr eciat ed about 5%. Poverty has
decli ned significantly, and Viet nam is working t o creat e jobs to meet the challenge of a labor force t hat
is growi ng by more t han one million people ever y year.
Viet nam is trying to r eform its economy by res truct uring public investment, stat e - owned ent erprises,
and the banking sector, alt hough Hanoi’s progress in meeting its goals is laggi ng behind the propos ed
schedul e. Vi etnam's economy continues to fac e challenges from an undercapitali zed banking sector an d
nonperf orming l oans.
$552.3 billion (2015 est.)
$517.7 billion (2014 est.)
$488.5 billion (2013 est.)

$191.5 billion (2015 est.)
6.7% ( 2015 est.)
6% (2014 est.)
5.4% ( 2013 est.)
$6, 000 ( 2015 est.)
$5, 700 ( 2014 est.)
$5, 400 ( 2013 est.)
29% of GDP ( 2015 est.)
31. 9% of GDP (2014 est.)
31. 1% of GDP (2013 est.)

agriculture: 17. 4%
industry: 38. 8%
services: 43. 7% ( 2015 est. )
rice, coffee, r ubber, tea, pepper, soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas; poultry; fish,
seaf ood
Industries:
food pr ocessing, garments, shoes, machi ne-buildi ng; mini ng, coal, steel; cement , chemical f ertilizer,
glass, tires, oil, mobil e phones
7.5% ( 2015 est.)
Labor force:
54. 93 million (2015 est.)
agriculture: 48%
industry: 21%
services: 31% (2012)
Unemployment rate:
3% (2015 est.)
3.4% ( 2014 est.)

11. 3% ( 2012 est.)
lowest 10%: 3. 2%
highest 10%: 30. 2% ( 2008)
37. 6 (2008)
36. 1 (1998)
Budget:
19. 9% of GDP (2015 est.)
-3.9% of GDP (2015 est.)
Public debt:
52. 7% of GDP (2015 est.)
52. 9% of GDP (2014 est.)
note: official data; dat a cover general government d ebt, and i ncludes debt i nstruments issued ( or
owned) by government enti ties other than the treasur y; the dat a incl ude treasur y debt hel d by for ei gn
entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra -governmental debt; intra -
governmental debt consists of treasur y borr owi ngs fr om sur plus es in the soci al funds, such as for
retirement, medical car e, and unempl oyment; debt ins truments for the soci al funds are not sold at
public auctions
Fiscal year:
calendar year
0.6% ( 2015 est.)
4.1% ( 2014 est.)
9% (31 December 2012)
15% (31 December 2011)
8.1% ( 31 December 2015 est.)
8.67% ( 31 December 20 14 est.)

$235 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$26 billion (31 December 2011)
$37 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
$2. 764 billion (2015 est.)
$9. 33 billi on ( 2014 est.)
Exports:
$158.7 billion (2015 est.)
$150.2 billion (2014 est.)
clothes, shoes, electr onics , seafood, crude oil, rice, coffee, wooden products, machi ner y
Exports - partners:
US 20%, Chi na 10.4%, Japan 10.3%, Sout h Korea 5% (2014)

Imports:
$150.4 billion (2015 est.)
$138.1 billion (2014 est.)
machi nery and equipment, petr oleum products, steel products, raw materi als for t he cl othi ng and s hoe
industries, el ectronics, plastics, automobil es
Imports - partners:
Chi na 30.4%, Sout h Korea 15%, Japan 8. 9%, Thailand 4.9%, Singapore 4. 7%, US 4.4% ( 2014 )
Debt - external:
$7. 7 billi on (31 December 2009 est.)
$5. 3 billi on (31 December 2008)

Exchange rates:
dong (VND) per US dollar -
21, 928 ( 2015 est.)
21, 189 ( 2014 est.)
21, 189 ( 2013 est.)
20, 859 ( 2012 est.)
20, 649 ( 2011 est.)
 Hide
Energy :: VIETNAM
Panel - Expanded

298, 400 bbl/ day (2014 est.)
179, 500 bbl/ day (2012 est.)

4.4 billion bbl ( 1 January 2015 est.)
150, 500 bbl/ day (2012 est.)
471, 000 bbl/ day (2013 est.)
34, 670 bbl/ day ( 2012 est.)
298, 400 bbl/ day (2012 est.)
0 cu m ( 2013 est.)
0 cu m ( 2013 est.)
131. 7 million Mt ( 2012 est. )
 Hide
Communications :: VIETNAM
Panel - Expanded
total: 136. 1 milli on
Telephone system:
general assessment: Viet nam is putti ng consi der able eff ort int o moderni zation and expansion of its
telec ommunic ation system
domestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized and connected to Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh
City by fi ber - optic cable or microwave radio r el ay net works; main li nes have been increas ed, and t he
use of mobil e tel ephones i s growi ng r api dl y
international: country code - 84; a l andi ng point f or the SEA -ME-W E-3, the C2C, and Thailand -
Viet nam-Hong Kong submarine cabl e systems; t he Asia -America Gat eway s ubmarine cabl e system,
compl eted i n 2009, provided new access links to As ia and the US; sat ellite eart h stations - 2
Intersput nik (Indi an Ocean regi on) ( 2011)
Broadcast media:
government contr ols all broadc ast media exercising oversight t hrough t he Ministr y of I nformati on and
Communicati on (MI C); government -contr olled nati onal TV provider, Vi etnam Tel evisi on ( VTV), oper ates
a network of 9 c hannels wit h sever al regional br oadcasting ce nters; pr ogramming is relayed nationwi de
via a network of provinci al and munici pal TV stati ons; law limits access to sat ellit e TV but many
households ar e abl e to access forei gn programmi ng vi a home sat ellite equi pment ; gover nment -
controll ed Voice of Vi etna m, the national r adi o broadcaster, broadcasts on 6 channels and is repeat ed
on AM, FM, and s hort wave stations t hroughout Viet nam (2008)
67 (i ncludes 61 r elay, pr ovi ncial, and city TV stati ons) (2006)
.vn
Internet hosts:
189, 553 (2012)
Internet users:
 Hide
Transportation :: VIETNAM
Panel - Expanded
 Airports:
45 ( 2013)
total: 38
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 9 (2013)
total: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 3 (2013)
Heliports:
1 (2013)
Pipelines:
condensat e 72 km; condensate/gas 398 km; gas 955 km; oil 128 km; oil/gas/water 33 km; refined
products 206 km; wat er 13 km (2013)
Railways:
total: 2, 600 km
standard gauge: 178 km 1.435-m gauge; 253 km mixed gauge
Roadways:
total: 195, 468 km
paved: 148, 338 km
unpaved: 47, 130 km (2013)
Waterways:
47, 130 km (30, 831 km wei ght under 50 tons) (2011)
Merchant marine:
total: 579
by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 142, cargo 335, chemic al tanker 23, contai ner 19, li quefi ed gas 7,
passenger/car go 1, petr oleum tanker 48, r efrigerat ed cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, s peci alized tanker 1
registered in other countries: 86 (Cambodi a 1, Kiribati 2, Mongolia 33, Panama 43, Taiwan 1, Tuvalu
6) (2010)
major seaport(s): Cam Pha Port, Da Nang, Hai phong, Phu My, Quy Nhon
river port(s): Ho Chi Minh (Mekong)
container port(s) (TEUs): Haiphong (1, 018, 794), Sai gon New Port ( 3,071, 777)
and hijacked both at anchor and w hile underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo
diverted t o ports in East As ia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift
 Hide
Military and Security :: VIETNAM
Panel - Expanded
Peopl e's Armed Forc es: Peopl e's Army of Viet nam (PAVN; i ncludes Viet nam Peopl e's Navy (with Naval
Infantry), Vi et nam Peopl e's Air and Air Def ense Force, Bor der Def ens e Command, Coast Guard) (2013)
18- 25 years of age f or mal e compuls ory and vol untar y militar y ser vice; femal es may volunt eer f or active
dut y milit ary ser vice; conscription typicall y tak es pl ac e twice annuall y and ser vice obligati on is 18
months (Army, Air Def ens e), 2 years (Navy and Air Force); 18 - 45 years of age (male) or 18 -40 years of
age (femal e) for Militi a For ce or Self Defense Forc e service; mal es may enr oll in military schools at age
17 ( 2013)
2.37% of GDP (2012)
2.17% of GDP (2011)
2.37% of GDP (2010)
 Hide
Transnational Issues :: VIETNAM
Panel - Expanded
sout heast Asian stat es have enhanced border sur veill anc e to check the spread of avi an fl u; Cambodi a
and Laos pr otest Vi etnamese squatters and armed encroachments along bor der; Cambodi a accus es
Viet nam of a wi de variet y of illicit cross -border activiti es; progress on a joi nt development area wit h
Cambodi a is hamper ed by an unresol ved dispute over soverei gnt y of offshore isl ands; an estimated
300, 000 Vi etnamese r efugees resi de i n Chi na; establ ishment of a maritime boundar y wit h Cambodi a is
hampered by unr esol ved di sput e over t he s overei gnty of offshore isl ands; the dec ade -long demarcati on
of the China-Vi et nam l and boundary was compl eted i n 2009; Chi na occupi es the Par acel Islands also
claimed by Viet nam and Taiwan; Br unei claims a marit ime boundary ext endi ng b eyond as far as a
median wit h Vi etnam, t hus asserting an implicit claim to Lousi a Reef; t he 2002 "Declar ation on t he
Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code
of conduct" desired by several of the dis put ants; Viet nam conti nues to expand c onstructi on of facilities
in the Spratl y Islands; i n March 2005, t he national oil companies of Chi na, the Philippi nes, and Vi etnam
signed a joi nt accord t o conduct mari ne seismic activi ties in the Spr atly Island s; Economic Exclusi on
Zone negoti ations with I ndonesia are ongoing, and the two countri es in Fall 2011 agreed to work
together to r educe ill egal fi shing al ong t heir maritime boundary
stateless persons: 11, 000 (2013); not e - Vi etnam's statel ess ethnic Chinese Cambodi an popul ation
dat es to t he 1970s when thous ands of Cambodi ans fled to Viet nam to escape t he Khmer Rouge and
wer e no longer r ecogni zed as Cambodian citizens; Vi etnamese women who gave up t heir citizenshi p to
marry f orei gn men have found thems elves statel ess after di vorcing and ret urni ng home t o Vi etnam; t he
government addr essed this problem in 2009, and Vi et names e women are begi nni ng t o recl aim their
citizenship
Illicit drugs:
minor producer of opium poppy; pr obable mi nor transit poi nt for Southeast Asian her oin; government
conti nues to f ace domestic opi um/ her oin/ met ha mphet ami ne addiction problems des pite l ongstanding
crackdowns; enforces t he deat h penalt y for drug traff icking

THAILAND

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THAILAND

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THAILAND

total: 513, 120 sq km

country comparison to the world: 5 1

Area comparison map:

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200- m dept h or to t he dept h of exploit ation

mean elevation: 287 m

elevation extremes: l owest point: Gulf of Thail and 0 m

highest poi nt: Doi Int hanon 2,576 m

agricultural land: 41.2%

other: 21.6% ( 2011 est.)

64, 150 sq km ( 2012)

Total renewable water resources:

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 57.31 cu km/ yr (5%/ 5%/90%)

per capita: 845. 3 cu m/ yr (2007)

Environment - current issues:

Environment - international agreements:

signed, but not ratified: Law of t he Sea

controls onl y land route fr om Asia t o Mal aysia and Si ngapore

People and Society :: THAILAND

Thai (official) 90. 7%, Burmese 1.3%, other 8%

note: Englis h is a secondary language of the elit e (2010 est.)

67, 976, 405

country comparison to the world: 2 1

0-14 years: 17. 41% ( mal e 6,062,868/f emale 5, 774,631)

15-24 years: 14.78% (mal e 5, 119, 387/femal e 4, 927, 250)

25-54 years: 46.69% (mal e 15,675,425/femal e 16,061,864)

55-64 years: 11.26% (mal e 3, 600, 695/femal e 4,053, 977)

youth dependency ratio: 24. 7%

elderly dependency ratio: 14.6%

potential support ratio: 6.9% (2015 est.)

total: 36.7 years

male: 35. 7 years

female: 37.7 years (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 6 7

Population growth rate:

0.34% ( 2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 1 6 8

11. 19 birt hs/1,000 popul ati on ( 2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 1 7 6

7.8 deat hs/1, 000 popul ati on (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 1 0 4

Net migration rate:

0 migr ant(s)/1,000 popul ation ( 2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 8 1

urban population: 50. 4% of tot al popul ation (2015)

Major urban areas - population:

BANGKOK (capital) 9.27 million; Samut Prak an 1.814 million (2015)

at birth: 1. 05 mal e(s)/female

0-14 years: 1. 05 mal e(s)/female

15-24 years: 1. 04 mal e(s)/femal e

25-54 years: 0. 98 mal e(s)/femal e

55-64 years: 0. 89 mal e(s)/femal e

65 years and over: 0.78 mal e(s)/femal e

total population: 0. 97 mal e(s)/femal e (2015 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth:

23. 3 (2009 est.)

Maternal mortality rate:

20 deat hs/100, 000 li ve birt hs (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 1 1 0

Infant mortality rate:

total: 9. 63 deat hs/1,000 li ve births