Laos Political Map

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Introduction    Laos Top of Page Background: Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th Century under King FA NGUM. For three hundred years Lan Xang included large parts of present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came 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 and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1986. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997.    Geography    Laos Top of Page Location: Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 105 00 E Map references: 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 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 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: 4.01% permanent crops: 0.34% other: 95.65% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,750 sq km (2003) Total renewable water resources: 333.6 cu km (2003) Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): Total: 3 cu km/yr (4%/6%/90%) Per capita: 507 cu m/yr (2000) 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 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    People    Laos Top of Page Population: 6,521,998 (July 2007 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.2% (male 1,349,352/female 1,338,252) 15-64 years: 55.7% (male 1,795,029/female 1,835,168) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 90,188/female 114,009) (2007 est.) Median age: total: 19 years male: 18.7 years female: 19.3 years (2007 est.) Population growth rate: 2.37% (2007 est.) Birth rate: 34.98 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) Death rate: 11.28 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.008 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.978 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.791 male(s)/female total population: 0.984 male(s)/female (2007 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 81.44 deaths/1,000 live births male: 90.91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 71.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 55.89 years male: 53.82 years female: 58.04 years (2007 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.59 children born/woman (2007 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,700 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian Ethnic groups: Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1% Religions: Buddhist 65%, animist 32.9%, Christian 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.8% (1995 census) Languages: Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 68.7% male: 77% female: 60.9% (2001 est.) This page was last updated on 24 January, 2008 - The Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook -