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Laos flag
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxôn Lao
   Laos is a country in Southeast Asia, the only landlocked country, but in a central position since it borders on all the other states of Indochina. The territory is mainly mountainous, especially in the north, the few flat areas are found along the Mekong and the border with Thailand; Laos is among the poorest countries in Asia, despite some economic improvements in recent decades.
Government type Socialist republic
Area 236,800 km² (91,429 sq mi)
Population 6,492,000 inh. (2015 census)
Population 7,647,000 inh. (2024 est.)
Population density 32 inh/km² (84 inh/mi²)
Capital Vientiane (732,000 pop., 1,029,000 urban aggl.)
Currency Lao kip
Human development index 0.607 (140th place)
Languages Lao (official), French
Life expectancy M 66 years, F 70 years
Location in Asia

Boundaries:

Myanmar NORTH-WEST
Thailand SOUTH-WEST
China NORTH
Vietnam EAST
Cambodia SOUTH

GEOGRAPHY DATA OF LAOS


Largest cities
Vientiane 732,000 pop., 1,029,000 urban aggl.
Savannakhét 126,000 pop.
Pakse 88,000 pop.
Highest mountains
Phou Bia 2,819 m (9,249 ft)
Longest rivers
Mekong 4,350 km (2,703 mi) total, 1,898 km (1,179 mi) in Laos
Nam Ou 448 km (278 mi)
Largest lakes
Nam Ngum (artificial) 250 km² (97 sq mi)

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS OF LAOS

   Laos is administratively divided into 17 provinces, with the capital also being a separate prefecture; the province of Savannakhet is both the largest, as well as the only one over 20,000 square kilometers, and the most populated and sole, togheter with the capital district, with over a million inhabitants.

   At the last census of 2015, only the capital Phnom Penh exceeded one hundred thousand inhabitants, with the remaining major cities below this threshold; the distribution is however quite homogeneous in the whole territory.



Vientiane



Useful links

Lao Statistics Bureau
Laos Tourism