Outline of Laos



The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Laos:

Laos is a landlocked, sovereign nation in Southeast Asia. Laos borders Burma (Myanmar) and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west. Laos traces its history to the Kingdom of Lan Xang or "Land of a Million Elephants", which existed from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. After a period as a French protectorate, it gained independence in 1949. A long civil war ended officially when the communist Pathet Lao movement came to power in 1975, but strife between competing between factions continued for several years.

Private enterprise has increased since the late-1990s when economic reforms, including rapid business licensing, were introduced. Laos is still ranked low for economic and political freedom. The economy of Laos grew at 6.89% in 2017, 35th fastest in the world. Eighty percent of the employed practice subsistence agriculture. The country's ethnic make-up is diverse, with around 70% belonging to the largest ethnic group, the Lao.

General reference

 * Pronunciation:
 * Common English country name: Laos
 * Official English country name: The Lao People's Democratic Republic
 * Adjectives: Lao, Laotian
 * Demonym(s):
 * Etymology: Name of Laos
 * International rankings of Laos
 * ISO country codes: LA, LAO, 418
 * ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:LA
 * Internet country code top-level domain: .la

Geography of Laos


Geography of Laos
 * Laos is: a landlocked country
 * Location:
 * Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere
 * Eurasia
 * Asia
 * South East Asia
 * Indochina
 * Time zone: ICT
 * Extreme points of Laos
 * High: Phou Bia 2817 m
 * Low: Mekong 70 m
 * Land boundaries: 5,083 km
 * Vietnam 2,130 km
 * 🇹🇭 Thailand 1,754 km
 * 🇰🇭 Cambodia 541 km
 * 🇨🇳 China 423 km
 * 🇲🇲 Myanmar 235 km
 * Coastline: none


 * Population of Laos: 7,275,560 (2020) (105th most populous country)
 * Area of Laos: 230,800 km2 (89,112 mi2)
 * Atlas of Laos
 * Atlas of Laos

Environment of Laos



 * Climate of Laos
 * Protected areas of Laos
 * Wildlife of Laos
 * Fauna of Laos
 * Birds of Laos
 * Mammals of Laos

Natural geographic features of Laos

 * Rivers of Laos
 * World Heritage Sites in Laos: None

Ecoregions of Laos
List of ecoregions in Laos

Administrative divisions of Laos
Administrative divisions of Laos
 * Provinces of Laos
 * Districts of Laos

Provinces of Laos
Provinces of Laos

Districts of Laos
Districts of Laos

Municipalities of Laos

 * Capital of Laos: Vientiane
 * Cities of Laos

Demography of Laos
Demographics of Laos

Government and politics of Laos
Politics of Laos
 * Form of government:
 * Capital of Laos: Vientiane
 * Elections in Laos
 * Political parties in Laos

Branches of the government of Laos
Government of Laos

Executive branch of the government of Laos

 * Head of state: President of Laos,
 * Head of government: Prime Minister of Laos,

Legislative branch of the government of Laos

 * Parliament of Laos (bicameral)
 * Upper house: Senate of Laos
 * Lower house: House of Commons of Laos

Judicial branch of the government of Laos
Court system of Laos

Foreign relations of Laos
Foreign relations of Laos
 * Diplomatic missions in Laos
 * Diplomatic missions of Laos
 * Laos-Vietnam relations

International organization membership
The Lao People's Democratic Republic is a member of:


 * Asian Development Bank (ADB)
 * Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT)
 * Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
 * Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF)
 * Colombo Plan (CP)
 * East Asia Summit (EAS)
 * Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
 * Group of 77 (G77)
 * International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
 * International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
 * International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
 * International Development Association (IDA)
 * International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS)
 * International Finance Corporation (IFC)
 * International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
 * International Labour Organization (ILO)
 * International Monetary Fund (IMF)
 * International Olympic Committee (IOC)
 * International Organization for Standardization (ISO) (subscriber)
 * International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM)


 * International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
 * Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
 * Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
 * Nonaligned Movement (NAM)
 * Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF)
 * Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
 * Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
 * United Nations (UN)
 * United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
 * United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
 * United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
 * Universal Postal Union (UPU)
 * World Customs Organization (WCO)
 * World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU)
 * World Health Organization (WHO)
 * World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
 * World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
 * World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
 * World Trade Organization (WTO) (observer)

Law and order in Laos
Law of Laos
 * Constitution of Laos
 * Crime in Laos
 * Human rights in Laos
 * LGBT rights in Laos
 * Freedom of religion in Laos
 * Law enforcement in Laos

Military of Laos
Military of Laos
 * Command
 * Commander-in-chief:
 * Forces
 * Army of Laos
 * Navy of Laos: None
 * Military history of Laos

History of Laos
History of Laos
 * Timeline of the history of Laos
 * Current events of Laos
 * Military history of Laos

Culture of Laos
Culture of Laos
 * Cuisine of Laos
 * Festivals in Laos
 * Languages of Laos
 * List of museums in Laos
 * National symbols of Laos
 * Coat of arms of Laos
 * Flag of Laos
 * National anthem of Laos
 * Lao people
 * Prostitution in Laos
 * Public holidays in Laos
 * Religion in Laos
 * Buddhism in Laos
 * Christianity in Laos
 * Hinduism in Laos
 * Islam in Laos
 * World Heritage Sites in Laos: None

Art in Laos

 * Literature of Laos
 * Music of Laos
 * Theatre in Laos

Sports in Laos
Sports in Laos
 * Football in Laos
 * Laos at the Olympics

Economy and infrastructure of Laos
Economy of Laos
 * Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 141st (one hundred and forty first)
 * Agriculture in Laos
 * Communications in Laos
 * Internet in Laos
 * Companies of Laos
 * Currency of Laos: Kip
 * ISO 4217: LAK
 * Energy in Laos
 * Tourism in Laos
 * Transport in Laos
 * Airports in Laos
 * Rail transport in Laos

Education in Laos
Education in Laos

Health in Laos
Health in Laos