Country at glance

1. Geography
The mighty Mekong in the west and the Annamite Mountains in the east offer natural borders to Thailand and Vietnam respectively, while Laos also shares borders with China in the north, Myanmar in the northwest and Cambodia in the south. With over half of this landlocked country's 236,800sq. km densely forested, and 70% of it mountainous, it is hardly surprising that a profusion of rare flora and over 1,200 species of wildlife finds a home beneath its tropical canopy.

The country's highest peak, at 2,820m, can be found in the mountainous ranges of northeastern Laos, in the province Xiang Khouang, However, nearly equally as impressive are the mountains at the southern end of the Annamite range which reach heights of 2,600m. The Khammouanne and Bolaven plateaus dominate the central region of the Annamites.

Almost all of the rivers and streams in Laos eventually end up feeding into the Mekong through one of its 15 tributaries, making a total of 2,400km of waterways and feeding the Mekong with more than half of its overall water flow. Though averaging rainfalls of between 1360mm, in Luang Prabang, to 3700mm on the Boloven Plateau during the June to October monsoon season, Laos regularly suffers from water shortages in the low-lying Mekong Delta plains. This can adversely effect the rice crops that account for almost 80% of the country's agricultural land.

2. Climate
Temperatures during the March to May hot season can reach high into the 30s, however, at higher elevations and during the dry season's cooler months of December and January - it can become rather chilly as temperatures drop as low as 15 degrees C and below.

3. Laos - A Brief History
The human history of Laos stretches back more than 10,000 years as stone tools and skulls unearthed in Huaphan and Luang Prabang provinces can confirm. The famous giant jars in Xieng Khouang province and stone columns in Huaphan province date from the neolithic period. Over centuries, rural settlements grew slowly to from muang (townships) along the Mekong River.

The charismatic King Fa Ngoum (1349-1357) began grouping the muang into a unified Lan Xang Kingdom, basing the capital at Xiengdong Xiengthong, now known as Luang Prabang. Fa Ngoum was also a warrior, and between 1353 and 1371 he invaded and conquered territories that include all of present-day Laos and much of what makes up northern and eastern Thailand. Under his fierce and dynamic rule, construction, development and national defence was established, and remains the religion of the majority of Lao people today.

The capital was moved to Vientiane in 1560 during the reign of King Setthathirath, who erected the That Luang Stupa, a venerated religious shrine which is the well known symbol of the Lao nation. The warring Burmese occupied the capital for seven years from 1575, reflecting their dominance over Southeast Asia at that time. In 1591 the two Laotian kingdoms in Luang Prabang and Vieng Chan were reunited under King Nokeo Koumane.

In the seventeenth century, under the region of King Souliyavongsa, the Kingdom entere its "glodeb age" and gained increasing attention from Europe. Reports written by Dutch merchants from the East Indian Company describe a land of magnificent palaces, temples, and awe-inspiring religious ceremonies. Vientiene was then considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Southeast Asia.

At the end of the reign of King Souliyavongsa, feudal lords challenged the throne, which in 1713, led to the division of the country into three Kingdoms: Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Champassack. This rift and disunity create excellent opportunities for invasion, in particular, from Siam. By the end of the 18th century, most of Laos was under Siamese (Thai) domination, leading to the costly war with Siam in the 1820s that ended in all three Kingdoms being ceded to the Thais. However, with the expansion of French Indochina in yhe late 19th century, the Thais eventually relinquished Laos to the French and in 1893, Laos became a French colony. The French organised this territory as a protectorate, with its administrative centre at Vientiane, and allowed it autonomy in local matters. The catalyst for change was the WW2 Japanese occupation of Indochina, when a Lao resistance group named Lai Issara was formed to prevent the return of the French. Independence was granted in 1953, but internal feuding between neutralist and communist factions was continue for several years.

When the USA bombed North Vietnamese troops on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in eastern Laos in 1964, it fomented the conflict between the royalist Vientiane government and the communist Pather Lao who supported the North Vietnamese. A coalition government was formed, but with the fall of Saigon in 1975, most of the royalists fled to France. The Pathet lao took control of the country and the Lao People's Democratic Republic was established in December 1975. Through out the 1980s Laos maintained friendly relations with the Vietnamese communists. Since 1989, there has been a move towards a market economy, and a general relaxation of restrictions, including the emergence of a fledgling tourism industry. In a landmark event, Laos joined hands with its neighbors and became a member of Asean in July 1997.

4. Language:
The official language used in Laos is Lao language. However, the usage of the language can differ from north and south. English, French and Russian are spoken in business or by some senior government officials. Many shopkeepers can understand basic English and French.

5. Government
The highest position in the Lao government is the President, who is elected every five years by the National Assembly. This head of state also acts as the Commander in Chief of the country's armed forces. The highest executive organ in the Lao government is the Council of Ministers, this is headed by a Chairman, who also acts as Prime Minister, with Vice Chairmen overseeing the work of government ministers.

The country's 16 provinces (khoueng) are further divided into districts (muang) and villages (baan). Vientiane contains its own municipality - or kampheng nakhon - and the special zone of Xaisomboun, in the northeast of the province, was established in June 1994. A further special zone was set up in mid-1992 with the integration of two districts of Xaignabouri.

Heavily reliant on foreign aid - mainly from Sweden, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan and Australia - the Lao economy had been making remarkable progress up until 1997. Economic reforms, introduced by the government in 1986, had spurred growth to an average of 7% a year between 1988 and 1996. However, when Thailand - it's chief trading partner - was brought low by the 1997 economic crisis, Laos was also badly hit, with growth rates dropping to just 1.5%.

A member of both the Asian Development Bank and the Colombo Plan, which promotes economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific, Laos still struggles with a very basic infrastructure. Many roads are impassable during the monsoon and there are no railways. Only large urban areas have access to regular power supplies, while telecommunications are still very basic.

Were it not for the persistent problems of regional flooding, drought and insect infestation, Laos would be permanently self-sufficient in food. 80% of the country's workforce is involved in subsistence agriculture, which makes up about half of the GDP, with glutinous rice the country's main agricultural produce. Also grown for local use are maize, cassava, pulses, groundnuts, fruits, sugar cane, and tobacco, while main exports include timber and wood products, garments, coffee, and tin, mainly to France, Germany, Thailand and Vietnam.

Laos also has, largely untapped, reserves of tin, lead and zinc, as well as iron ore, coal and timber.

6. Economy:
The economic structure of the Lao PDR consists of many sectors under different forms of ownership and economic organizational system, but these sectors are equal before law and operate under the management of the state with the view to freely cooperate and compete in their business activities.
Were it not for the persistent problems of regional flooding, drought and insect infestation, Laos would be permanently self-sufficient in food. 80% of the country's workforce is involved in subsistence agriculture, which makes up about half of the GDP, with glutinous rice the country's main agricultural produce. Also grown for local use are maize, cassava, pulses, groundnuts, fruits, sugar cane, and tobacco, while main exports include timber and wood products, garments, coffee, and tin, mainly to France, Germany, Thailand and Vietnam. Laos also has, largely untapped, reserves of tin, lead and zinc, as well as iron ore, coal and timber.
A member of both the Asian Development Bank and the Colombo Plan, which promotes economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific, Laos still struggles with a very basic infrastructure. Many roads are impassable during the monsoon and there are no railways. Only large urban areas have access to regular power supplies, while telecommunications are still very basic.