The Lao People’s Democratic Republic Capital: Vientiane Official language: Lao Official currency: Kip

National flag The white disk symbolizes the unity of the people under the leadership of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the country's bright future. The red stripes stand for the blood shed by the people in their struggle for freedom . The blue stripe symbolizes their prosperity.

Laos national flower is the Plumeria (champa).

Geography Lao PDR is a landlocked country and lies among Thailand, Myanmar, China, Vietnam and Cambodia. The total land area is approximately 237,000 sq km—an area similar to that of the United Kingdom.

Geography The main features of the country are its mountains and the Mekong River valley. Over half of Laos is forest. Mekong River

Climate Laos has a monsoon climate with a dry and a wet season. The dry season lasts from November to May with the cooler period in December and January. The rainy season and rainfall varies according to altitude. Generally, the rainy season produces heavy rains that last for short periods of time.

History For much of its history, Laos has been under the thumb of its neighbors —at various times, the Cambodians, Burmese, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Siamese ( Thais ). After experiencing many wares caused either by foreign invaders or domestic fighters, Laos people declared their independence and the founding of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic on December 2, 1975.

Population The Lao people are known for their gentle polite nature and for their charming hospitality. There are three major ethnic groups in Laos: Laos Loum (老龙族), Lao Theung (老听族), and Lao Sung (老松族), which are further divided in to 68 ethnic groups

Economy 1 CNY=1206.0038 LAK Laos is one of the poorest and least visited countries in the world. 80% of the country’s workforce is involved in subsistence agriculture, which makes up about half of the GDP, with glutinous rice the country’s main agricultural product.

Economy Heavily reliant on foreign aid —mainly from Sweden, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan and Australia—the Lao economy hah been making remarkable progress up until 1997. However, when Thailand—Laos’s chief trading partner—was brought low by the 1997 economic crisis, Laos was also hardly hit, with growth rates dropping to just 1.5%.

Economy Laos still struggles with a very basic infrastructure: Many roads are impassable during the monsoon, and there are no railways. Only large urban areas have access to regular power supplies. Telecommunications are still very basic. Tuktuk – “taxi” in Lao

Main cities Vientiane 万象 Luang Prabang City 琅勃拉邦 Vang Vieng 万荣

Vientiane It is is the capital and largest city of Laos. The original meaning of the name is "city of sandalwood", this tree being highly valued in classical India for its fragrance.

Pha That Luang (塔銮) It is a Buddhist stupa (舍利塔), one of the most famous in Laos. It is the most important national cultural monument and very popular amongst foreign tourist.

Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan) 佛像花园（香昆寺） It is a sculpture park located 25 km southeast from Vientiane. The statues are made of cement and are ornate, and sometimes bizarre, in design.

Patuxai 凯旋门 Patuxai, literally meaning Victory Gate or Gate of Triumph, is dedicated to those who fought in the struggle for independence from France.

Energetic visitors can climb to the top of the monument, which reveals an excellent panoramic view of the city.

Luang Prabang City Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage city, is an outstanding example of the fusion of Lao traditional architecture and its urban structure built by the European colonial authorities in the 19 century. The city is well known for its numerous Buddhist temples and monasteries.

Every morning, hundreds of monks from the various monasteries walk through the streets collecting alms.

Vang Vieng Vang Vieng is a tourism-oriented town in Laos. The most notable feature of the area is the karst hill landscape surrounding the town.

Vang Vieng today is mainly a backpacker town. One of the main attractions of the town is inner tubing on the river

Don’t forget to preview the customs and culture of Thailand! Next week: Thailand Don’t forget to preview the customs and culture of Thailand!