Laos, officially Lao People’s Democratic Republic, independent state in South East Asia, bounded on the north by China and Vietnam, on the east by Vietnam, on the south by Cambodia, on the west by Thailand, and on the north-west by Myanmar (Burma). Laos is South East Asia’s only landlocked nation. The total area is 236,800 sq km (91,430 sq mi). The capital and largest city of Laos is Vientiane.


POPULATION

The people of Laos are of three main groups. The largest group is composed of Lao, who are closely related to the Thai. They constitute about half of the population and live mainly in the lowlands along the Mekong River and its tributaries. An Indonesian people, called Lao Theung (“mountain people”), live in the highlands, and minority groups of Sino-Tibetan origin, such as the Hmong (Miao) and Yao, inhabit the northern mountains. Smaller minority groups include Vietnamese and Chinese.

LANGUAGE

The official and national language of the country is Lao, a Tai-Kadai language spoken by around 3 million people as a mother tongue. Around 80 other indigenous languages are spoken by minority groups, from the Tai-Kadai, Austro-Asiatic, Daic, and Sino-Tibetan language families.

RELIGION

The principal religion of Laos is Theravada Buddhism. Many of the mountain peoples follow animist beliefs, sometimes in combination with Buddhism.