Country Information on Laos 

Terrain

Laos is landlocked; 90% of the country consists of mountains that are covered in jungles. Its highest peak is Phu Bia (almost 2,820 m). Only 10% of the country is considered suitable for agriculture given the country's mountainous topography.

The largest river is the Mekong, which runs from north to south along the country, forming its border with Thailand. The Mekong is not just Laos' main transportation artery; it also fertilises the land that runs along it.

Climate

Asia's annual monsoon cycle means that Laos has two distinct seasons: the rainy season from May to October and the dry season from November to April. Temperatures vary according to altitude. However, in the Mekong Valley, temperatures reach 38°C between March and April and the lowest temperatures are between December and January (15°C). During the rainy season, the daytime temperature is around 29°C in the lowlands and 25°C in the mountains.

Fauna/Flora

Laos has one of the best preserved environments in South-East Asia. Its vegetation consists primarily of species that just grow in monsoon forests, such as teak, ironwood and bamboo. About 50% of the country is covered with virgin forests and another 30% with secondary vegetation.

Species found in greater numbers include the Black Gibbon, Douc Langur, Red Panda, and Raccoon Dog. Rare species include the Javan Mongoose, Siamese hare, Bengal tiger, Irrawaddy dolphin, and a few Javan rhinos.

History/Politics

Laos has been inhabited for more than 10,000 years. Around the 4th century BC, trade relations developed between the Indochina Peninsula and India; over the centuries that followed, a number of kingdoms formed in the Central Mekong Valley that would expand in size and political power to finally cover the entire peninsula.

Between the 10th and 13th centuries AD, Lao people of Thai descent migrated from China and established villages and kingdoms on the plains and the Mekong Valley. The 14th century saw the rise of the first Lao state, the Kingdom of Lang Xang, which was to rule right up until the 18th century when it was divided into three kingdoms as a result of a power struggle over succession.

The decades that followed were marked by armed conflict with Siam, which dominated the region after gaining victory over the Vietnamese Kingdom in 1827. The 19th century saw increasing French supremacy in the region and in 1893, after the French had taken the most important cities, Siam became a French protectorate.

Laos and the rest of the region became part of the French Colony of Indochina. Indochina was occupied by Japanese troops during World War II. After Japan's defeat, an independence movement emerged in Laos and a provisional government declared the country independent in September 1945.

French troops occupied the country again in 1946 and the members of the provisional government found refuge in Thailand, from which they organised a resistance movement against the armed forces of the colonial rulers. In the face of the resistance movement, France approved the promulgation of a constitution in 1947, which was the basis for Laos becoming an independent country within the French Union in 1949. However, the leaders of the opposition felt that independence was imminent. Backed by Vietnamese Communists, the opposition fought against the French, gained control over Laos and established a new treaty of independence in 1953.

The years that followed were dominated by conflict between monarchists and Communists; the latter won the 1958 elections. American threats of withdrawing economic aid led to the downfall of the government and to the installation of a pro-American government. Soon after, armed conflict broke out between the two political factions, and this was aggravated by the Vietnam War and the bombing of Laos in the mid-1960s, intended to cut the supply lines of the Vietnamese Communists.

A cease-fire was declared in 1973 and a coalition government with a Communist majority came to power. The Communists finally gained the upper hand in 1975 and proclaimed the Democratic People's Republic of Laos. A new constitution was adopted in 1991, which renounced Communist principles, but retained the one-party system. General Khamtai Siphandon was the country's president from 1998-2006. A year after he was elected, he stepped up the fight against drug trafficking and Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, China and India signed a declaration in which they agreed to work together in the fight against drug trafficking in 2003. Choummaly Sayasone was elected president in 2006.

Economy

Despite a decrease in productivity and agricultural potential, resulting from the bombing during the Vietnam War, guerrilla activity, and the defoliation of forests, about 85% of the population still depends solely on subsistence agriculture. The industrial sector is small and is restricted to the processing of agricultural products and the textiles industry.

The government of Laos introduced measures to encourage private enterprise in 1986, which resulted in the swift privatisation of state-owned businesses. In 2003, the unemployment rate was 5.7% and the inflation rate was 15.6%.

Culture

Festivals in Laos are generally linked to agricultural seasons or traditional Buddhist celebrations. The lunar new year is celebrated across the country in April. The Bun Bang Fai (the rocket festival) is celebrated in May, which is a pre-Buddhist celebration with processions, music and dancing, that culminate in the firing of bamboo rockets to ask the heavens for rain.