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Laos is a landlocked socialist republic in southeast Asia, bordered by Myanmar (Burma) and the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west. Laos traces its history to the Kingdom of Lan Xang or Land of a Million Elephants, which existed from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. After a period as a French colony, it gained independence in 1949. A long civil war ended when the communist Pathet Lao came to power in 1975.
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Full country name : Lao People's Democratic Republic |
Area : 236,000 sq km (92,040 sq m) |
Population : 5.5 million |
Capital city : Vientiane (pop 500,000) |
People : 50% Lao Loum (lowland Lao), 30% Lao Theung (lower-mountain dwellers of mostly proto-Malay or Mon-Khmer descent), 10-20% Lao Sung (Hmong or Mien high-altitude hill tribes) and 10-20% tribal Thais |
Language : Lao and Lao dialects (closely related to Thai), French |
Religion : 60% Buddhist, 40% animist and spirit cults |
Government : Socialist republic |
President : Khamtai Siphandon |
Prime Minister : Bounyang Volachit |
Currency : the kip |
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GDP : US$9.7 billion |
GDP per head : US$1700 |
Annual growth : 4% |
Inflation : 6% |
Major products/industries : Rice, tobacco, coffee, tin mining, timber, and opium |
Major trading partners : Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan |
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Visas : Fifteen-day visas are now available for US$30 on arrival at Vientiane's Wattay International Airport and at the International Friendship Bridge at the Nong Khai border crossing between Laos and Thailand, though you'll need to meet a series of conditions to get one. Fifteen-day and 30-day visas are generally issued through embassies, consulates and authorised travel agencies. |
Health risks : Cholera, dengue fever, hepatitis, Japanese encephalitis, malaria, rabies, typhoid |
Time : UTC plus seven hours |
Electricity : 220V |
Weights & measures : Metric with local variations in rural areas |
| The best time to visit is between November and February - during these months it rains least and isn't too hot. If you're heading up into the mountains, May and July can also be pleasant. Roads can be washed out during rainy season (July to October), but there's plenty of river travel. Peak tourist months are December to February and during August, although there are relatively few visitors at any time. |
Festivals in Laos are generally linked to agricultural seasons or historical Buddhist holidays. The lunar new year begins in mid-April and the entire country comes to a halt and celebrates. Houses are cleaned, offerings are made in wats and everyone gets dowsed by water. Bun Bang Fai (the rocket festival) takes place in May. It's an irreverent pre-Buddhist celebration with plenty of processions, music and dancing, accompanied by the firing of bamboo rockets to prompt the heavens to send rain. The week-long That Luang Festival in Vientiane in November has the whole repertoire of fireworks, candlelit processions and music. |
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