Country Guide • Laos
Laos was a former French Indochinese state, but is the least developed of the three. It is a landlocked country located on the Indo-Chinese Peninsula of South East Asia. It is bound by Vietnam to the east, Myanmar (Burma) and China to the north and north east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west.
Official Name | Lao People's Democratic Republic |
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Area | 236,800km² (91,429mile²) |
Population | 5,920,000 |
Continent | Asia |
Population per mile² | 65 |
Capital City | Vientiane |
Religions | The Lao Lum and Lao Thai are mostly Buddhists, (60%), while the Lao Theung are Animists and the Lao Soung are a mixture of Animists, Christians and Confucianists, (40%) |
Language | Lao and Lao dialects (closely related to Thai), French and English |
Government | Socialist republic |
Currency | New Kip |
GDP | $9.9 billion |
GDP per Head | $1,700 |
Natural Resources | Timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones |
Land Use | Arable Land 3.5% |
Agriculture | Sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry |
Industry | Rice, tobacco, coffee, tin mining, timber, and opium |
Tourism | Laos is the least developed and most enigmatic of the three former French Indochinese states |
Natural Hazards | Droughts and Floods |
Health Risks | Cholera, dengue fever, hepatitis, Japanese encephalitis, malaria, rabies, typhoid and HIV/AIDS |
Climate | Laos has a tropical climate and two seasons. A wet season during the SW Monsoon which occurs between May - October and a dry season during the NE Monsoon from November - April. Rainfall is at its heaviest in July and August with average annual rainfall ranging from 50 - 90 inches) Average temperature ranges in Vientiane are from 14 to 34°C throughout the year |
Time | GMT/UTC+7 hours |
National Days | December 2 |
Visas | Tourist visas may be obtained at the Vientiane and Luang Prabang international airports and the Thai Laos Friendship Bridge on arrival on payment of 30 American Dollars cash and provision of a passport photograph. These are valid for 14 days and can be renewed at the Department of Immigration. At all other international border crossing points open to foreigners (not all are), a visa must be obtained prior to arrival. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic does not have an embassy in the United Kingdom. Visa applications can be made before arrival at: Laotian representation in the UK |
British Embassy | Embassy Details |
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