| Overview
 Laos was under the control of Siam (Thailand)
from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part
of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current
Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the Communist Pathet Lao took control of
the government, ending a six-century-old monarchy. Initial closer ties to
Vietnam and socialization were replaced with a gradual return to private
enterprise, a liberalization of foreign investment laws, and the admission
into ASEAN in 1997.
Laos is a landlocked, mountainous country, widely covered by largely
unspoilt tropical forest. Less than 5% of the land is suitable for
subsistence agriculture, which nevertheless provides around 80% of
employment.
Facts
Location: Southeastern Asia,
northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 105 00 E
Population: 6,521,988 (2007, estimated)
Capital: Vientiane
Major languages: Lao, French (for diplomatic purposes)
Major religion: Buddhism
Life expectancy: 53 years (men), 56 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 new kip = 100 ath
Main exports: Clothing, timber products, coffee
GNI per capita: US $390 (World Bank, 2005)
Internet domain: .la
International dialling code: +856
Area: total: 236,800 sq km land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative: Slightly
larger than Utah
Land boundaries: total: 5,083 km border countries: Burma 235 km,
Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand (est.) 1754 km, Vietnam 2130 km
Coastline: 0 km landlocked
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: Tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season
(December to April)
Terrain: Mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Elevation extremes: lowest point:
Mekong River 70 m highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
Natural resources: Timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Land use: arable land: 3.8% permanent crops: 0.35% other: 95.85%
(2001)
Irrigated land: 1,640 sq km
(1998 est.)
Natural hazards: Floods, droughts
 Environment - current issues:
Unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population
does not have access to potable water
Environment - international
agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the
selected agreements (not ratified)
Geography - Note: Landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and
thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western
boundary with Thailand
Courtesy of Yahoo World Factbook |
