HowStuffWorks "Maps of Laos"

maps of laos

Country (long form)	Lao People's Democratic Republic
Capital	Vientiane
Total Area	91,428.99 sq mi 236,800.00 sq km (slightly larger than Utah)
Population	5,635,967 (July 2001 est.)
Estimated Population in 2050	13,170,523
Languages	Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Literacy	57.0% total, 70.0% male, 44% female (1999 est.)
Religions	Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40%
Life Expectancy	51.58 male, 55.44 female (2001 est.)
Government Type	Communist state
Currency	1 new kip (NK) = 100 at
GDP (per capita)	$1,700 (2000 est.)
Industry	tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments
Agriculture	sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry
Arable Land	3%
Natural Resources	timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones

Laos, or Lao People's Democratic Republic, a landlocked country of southeast Asia.

The Lao people originally occupied parts of southern China. They were gradually driven southward into the Indochinese Peninsula by the Chinese.