Laos
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic
conventional short form: Laos local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao local short form: none |
| Gevernment type | Communist state |
| Capital |
name: Vientiane
geographic coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 36 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Flag description | three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band |
| Currency | kip (LAK) |
| Internet country code | .la |
| Ports and terminals | Kheyrabad, Shir Khan |
| Agriculture products | sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry |
| Industries | copper, tin, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement |
| Geography |
| Location | Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam |
| Coordinates | 18 00 N, 105 00 E |
| Continent | Southeast Asia |
| Area |
total: 236,800 sq km
land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km |
| Boundaries |
total: 5,083 km
border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Climate | tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) |
| Terrain | mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus |
| Natural resources | timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones |
| Natural hazards | floods, droughts |
| People |
| Population | 6,368,481 (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1% |
| Religions | Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%) |
| Languages | Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages |
