Laos is the only nation in Southeast Asia without
access to the sea. It is surrounded by Vietnam in the East and
North, Thailand in the West and South, as well as by China and
Burma in the North and Cambodia in the South. The Mekong River
flows through Laos and forms much of its border with Thailand.
This river is a main transportation artery.
The terrain of Laos is mostly mountainous with
some inland plains and plateaus. The region has thick forest
cover and has abundant water from rivers, lakes and rains. The
climate is tropical in nature with monsoon rains deluging the
nation from May to October, followed by the dry and "cold"
season from November through February and the hot dry season
from March to the end of May.
Vientiane, the capital, is situated on the banks
of the Mekong River and is the business, political and cultural
center of the country. Most of the country is rural with only
a handful of provincial towns that can be classified as urban.
Luang Prabang is the most important city after the capital and
it has long been a religious center.
Agriculture still provides about 80 percent
of the total employment and much of the GNP; there is no significant
industrial or manufacturing sector. The main crops are rice,
corn, tobacco and coffee. In addition, Laos is still a major
grower of opium poppies, and, along with Northern Thailand,
Burma, and Yunnan province of China, forms the so-called "golden
triangle" of opium production. While mineral resources
such as tin and gypsum are present, these have not been heavily
exploited. However, Laos does export hydroelectric power to
neighboring Thailand.
The transportation network in Laos is rudimentary
with no rail network and only a skeletal road network. Much
of this is due to the constant fighting during and after the
Vietnam war as much of the infrastructure was destroyed and
has yet to be rebuilt; land mines are a constant problem in
rural areas. The Mekong and its tributaries still provide much
of the transportation. Communication is underdeveloped and electricity
is not available in all rural areas.
The largest ethnic group is the Lao Loum group
which lives in the lowland area of the country and which is
similar in language and culture to the Lao Theung from the uplands
of the country. Together these two groups, which are ethnically
related, form the majority of the population of 4.8 million.
There are a number of tribal minority groups in Laos, including
the Yao, Hmong, Mon-Khmer (Cambodian) and others which comprise
around 35% of the population. In urban areas, there are significant
concentrations of ethnic Vietnamese and Chinese. In spite of
this diversity, Laos has few ethnic tensions and the various
groups seem to live in reasonable harmony.
The major religion is Theravada Buddhism which
most Laotians practicing its tenets. Buddhism is combined with
shamanism and animism as it is throughout Southeast Asia. In
addition, there are a few Roman Catholics, who were converted
during the French colonial period. The official language is
Lao while many of the older generation speak French and many
in the younger generation speak English. The various ethnic
groups also speak their own languages.
