United States
Laos Travel and Destination Guide
BACKGROUND INFO
Full Name
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Capital City
Vientiane
Area
236,000 sq km
Population
6,520,000
Time Zone
GMT/UTC +7
Daylight Saving Start
not in use
Daylight Saving End
not in use
Weights Measures System
Metric
Geography
Laos is bordered by Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China and Myanmar (Burma). Rivers and mountains dominate the country's topography. The largest river, the Mekong (Nam Khong), runs the entire length of the country, providing fertile flood plains for agriculture and forming the country's border with Thailand. It is also Laos' main transportation artery. Over 70% of the country consists of mountains and plateaus. The Annamite Chain, bordering Vietnam, runs parallel to the Mekong for half the length of the country. The rugged mountains average 1500-3000m (4920-9840ft) in height, and at their southern extremity open up to form the Bolaven Plateau, a 10,000-sq-km (6200-sq-mi) area that produces mountain rice, coffee, tea and other high-altitude crops. The highest mountain is Phu Bia (2819m/9246ft) in northern Laos.
Languages
• French (other)
• English (other)
• Lao (official)
Lao dialects (closely related to Thai) are also spoken
People
Lao Loum (lowland Lao - 68%), Lao Theung (lower-mountain dwellers - 22%), Lao Sung (Hmong or Mien high-altitude hill tribes - 9%), ethnic Vietnamese and Chinese (1%)
Religion
Buddhist (65%), animist and spirit cults (33%), Christian (1.3%), other (0.7%)
Government Type
Communist State
Government Leaders
Chummaly Sayasone
President (head of state)
Bouasone Bouphavanh
Prime Minister (head of government)
Country Dialing Code
856
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