Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is a country in Mainland Southeast Asia, and the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and southwest. Laos has a population of more than 7.5 million, and its capital and most populous city is Vientiane. It has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the town of Luang Prabang, the temple complex of Vat Phou, and the Plain of Jars. Laos participates in the Greater Mekong Subregion economic cooperation programme and is a member of ASEAN, the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, East Asia Summit, La Francophonie, and the World Trade Organization. The kingdom of Lan Xang existed from the 13th to 18th centuries and was a hub for overland trade through its territory. In 1707 it split into three kingdoms: Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Champasak. In 1893, these kingdoms were unified under French rule as part of French Indochina. Laos was under Japanese administration during World War II, gaining independence in 1945 before returning to French administration until achieving autonomy in 1949. It regained full independence in 1953 as the Kingdom of Laos, with a constitutional monarchy under Sisavang Vong. A civil war from 1959 to 1975 saw the communist Pathet Lao (supported by China, North Vietnam, and the Soviet Union) oppose the Royal Lao Armed Forces (backed by the United States). It ended with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party's establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic in 1975.
Etymology In the Lao language, the country is colloquially called Muang Lao (ເມືອງລາວ, lit. 'Lao Country') or Pathet Lao (ປະເທດລາວ). The official state name is the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ). In English, the country name is written as Laos, while Lao serves as both the primary demonym and adjective; the term Laotian is also used to refer to citizens or inhabitants of the country. The terminal "s" in Laos was introduced by French colonial administrators in 1893 to pluralise the name across the former kingdoms of Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Champasak. Traditional Lao historiography presents several explanations for the origin of the word Lao (ລາວ). One theory connects the name to the Pali word lābu, referring to the bottle gourd, a central element in traditional Lao origin myths from which humanity emerged. Another account traces the name to Tai-Lao tribes migrating southwards from Yunnan, originally known as Kao Long (referring to nine dragons or legendary chieftains), which was shortened to Luang and eventually transformed into Lao. A folk etymology suggests that indigenous valley dwellers referred to high-altitude migrants as Dao (ດາວ, 'star') due to their proximity to the sky, a term that later shifted phonetically to Lao. In modern linguistics, the ethnonym is linked to Chinese Han dynasty records mentioning the Ai Lao (Chinese: 哀牢) confederation. French linguist Michel Ferlus proposed that Lao stems from an Austroasiatic root, *k.raw, denoting "human being" or "person".
Geography
Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia and lies mostly between latitudes 14° and 23°N, and longitudes 100° and 108°E. Its forested landscape consists mostly of mountains, the highest of which is Phou Bia at 2,818 metres (9,245 ft), with some plains and plateaus. The Mekong River forms a part of the western boundary with Thailand, where the mountains of the Annamite Range form most of the eastern border with Vietnam and the Luang Prabang Range the northwestern border with the Thai highlands. There are two major plateaus: the Xiangkhoang in the north and the Bolaven Plateau at the southern end. In 1993, the government set aside 21% of the land area for habitat conservation preservation. Laos had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 5.59/10, ranking it 98th globally out of 172 countries. It is one of three nations in the opium poppy growing region known as the "Golden Triangle". According to the October 2007 UNODC fact book Opium Poppy Cultivation in South East Asia, the poppy cultivation area was 15 square kilometres (5.8 sq mi), down from 18 square kilometres (6.9 sq mi) in 2006.
Climate
The climate is mostly tropical savanna and influenced by the monsoon pattern. There is a rainy season from May to October, followed by a dry season from November to April. The latter two months of the climatologically defined dry season are hotter than the earlier four months.
Wildlife
Laos, with its forests and river systems, is home to an array of wildlife. National parks like Nam Et-Phou Louey and Nakai-Nam Theun are refuges, supporting endangered species such as the northern white-cheeked gibbon and the saola. These forests shelter more than 50 mammal species and nearly 300 bird species, along with a variety of reptiles and amphibians. Some of the native species are listed as endangered, from Asian elephants to gibbons and tigers, and conservation efforts are in place to protect them.
Administrative divisions
Laos is divided into 17 provinces and one prefecture, which includes the capital city Vientiane.
Note: (a) The 2015 Census total was estimated to have an under-enumeration of 2.76%, resulting in a revised 2015 estimate of 6,671,680.
History
Prehistory In 2009, an anatomically modern human skull was recovered from Tam Pa Ling Cave in the Annamite Mountains. At least 46,000 years old, the skull was the oldest modern human fossil discovered in Southeast Asia at the time. Stone artifacts, including Hoabinhian types, have also been found at Pleistocene sites in northern Laos. Archaeological evidence indicates that an agricultural society developed during the 4th millennium BCE, with bronze artifacts appearing around 1500 BCE and iron tools by 700 BCE. The proto-historic period was characterized by contact with Chinese and Indian civilizations. Linguistic and historical evidence indicates that Tai-speaking groups migrated southwest from Guangxi into present-day Laos and Thailand between the 8th and 10th centuries.
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