Laos

Lao People's Democratic Republic
ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ
*Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxôn Lao*
Lao People's Democratic Republic ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ; Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxôn Lao
	Flag Emblem
	Motto: "ສັນຕິພາບ ເອກະລາດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ເອກະພາບ ວັດທະນາຖາວອນ"; "Peace, independence, democracy, unity and prosperity"
	Anthem: Pheng Xat Lao; "Hymn of the Lao People"
	Location of Laos (red) in ASEAN (dark grey) — [Legend]
Capital	Vientiane; 17°58′N 102°36′E / 17.967°N 102.600°E
Official languages	Lao
Demonym(s)	Laotian, Lao
Government	Unitary Marxist-Leninist communist and single-party state
• General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and President	Thongloun Sisoulith
• Prime Minister	Sonexay Siphandone
• Party Standing Secretary and Vice President	Bounthong Chitmany
• Vice President	Pany Yathotou
• President of the National Assembly	Saysomphone Phomvihane
Independence From France
• Autonomy	19 July 1949
• Declared	9 Nov 1953
Area
• Total	236,800 km2 (91,400 sq mi) (83rd)
• Water (%)	2
Population
• 2009 estimate	6,800,000 (104th)
• 1995 census	4,574,848
• Density	26.7/km2 (69.2/sq mi) (177th)
GDP (PPP)	2010 estimate
• Total	$15.693 billion (130th)
• Per capita	$2,435 (48th)
GDP (nominal)	2010 estimate
• Total	$6.341 billion (137th)
• Per capita	$984 (147th)
Gini (2008)	34.6; medium
HDI (2010)	0.497; low · 122nd
Currency	Kip (LAK)
Time zone	UTC+7
Driving side	right
Calling code	856
ISO 3166 code	LA
Internet TLD	.la

Lao People's Democratic Republic is a country in Southeast Asia.

Laos is landlocked. It is bordered by Myanmar and by China to the northwest, by Vietnam to the east, by Cambodia to the south and by Thailand to the west. The Mekong river forms a part of the western boundary with Thailand. Boats from Laos cannot get to the ocean using the Mekong because of rapids and waterfalls in the south of the country.^[4] Laos is the least densely populated country in Southeast Asia, with 32 people per square kilometer.^[5] Trains to and from Thailand will start in July 2024; that line has an endpoint in Vientiane prefecture's Khamsavath railway station.^[6]

History

Laos became a French colony in 1893 and became part of French Indochina. In 1949 it became independent from France, as the Kingdom of Laos. The Laotian Civil War started in 1953. In 1975 Laos became a one-party state under the leadership of the communist party.^[7]

On July 20, 1954 an agreement was signed - Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities in Laos. That agreement ended France's rule of Laos.^[8] 2 months later, the authorities of North Vietnam, established a support group for Pathet Lao, in Ban Nameo.^[9]

From the middle of the 1960s, Laos was used by North Vietnam as a route to attack South Vietnam. U.S. forces dropped bombs on Laos, to try to stop the supplies coming thru the Ho Chi Minh trail.^[10]

South Vietnam was taken (or fell) in April 1975. On May 14, 1975 Vang Pao escaped from Laos, thru the military base at Long Tieng.^[11]

References

↑ "Background notes – Laos". US Dept. of State. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 "Laos". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
↑ "Human Development Report 2009. Human development index trends: Table G" (PDF). The United Nations. January 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
↑ "The World Factbook: Laos". 1 March 2011. CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
↑ "Population density in South East Asia". TheGlobalEconomy.com. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
↑ https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2822566/bangkok-vientiane-train-service-begins-july-19. Retrieved 2024-07-03
↑ "Laos country profile". 7 February 2011. BBC News. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20041031095421/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd%2Fcstdy%3A%40field%28DOCID%2Bla0004%29
↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20170904014932/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?cstdy%3A1%3A.%2Ftemp%2F~frd_6n5k%3A%3A
↑ "By the mid-60s, Laos had become a theater for the U.S. to cut off the Ho Chi Minh Trail, largely through bombing. They basically viewed their Laotian allies as an anvil to hammer the North Vietnamese. "
↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/28/opinion/heirs-of-the-secret-war-in-laos.html?_r=0

[Background_notes_-_Laos-1] "Background notes – Laos". US Dept. of State. Retrieved 20 January 2011.

[imf2-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 "Laos". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 30 April 2011.

[UN-3] "Human Development Report 2009. Human development index trends: Table G" (PDF). The United Nations. January 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.

[4] "The World Factbook: Laos". 1 March 2011. CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2011.

[5] "Population density in South East Asia". TheGlobalEconomy.com. Retrieved 2023-03-22.

[6] ttps://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2822566/bangkok-vientiane-train-service-begins-july-19. Retrieved 2024-07-03

[7] "Laos country profile". 7 February 2011. BBC News. Retrieved 12 March 2011.

[8] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20041031095421/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd%2Fcstdy%3A%40field%28DOCID%2Bla0004%29

[9] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20170904014932/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?cstdy%3A1%3A.%2Ftemp%2F~frd_6n5k%3A%3A

[10] "By the mid-60s, Laos had become a theater for the U.S. to cut off the Ho Chi Minh Trail, largely through bombing. They basically viewed their Laotian allies as an anvil to hammer the North Vietnamese. "

[11] ttps://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/28/opinion/heirs-of-the-secret-war-in-laos.html?_r=0

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