| Kingdom of Laos ອານາຈັກລາວ Timeline: Differently | ||||||
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| Motto: ປະເທດຊາດ, ສາດສະຫນາ, ກະສັດ, ເສລີພາບ, ວັດທະນະທໍາ. Nation, religion, king, freedom, culture. |
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| Anthem: ເພງຊາດລາວ "Hymn of the Lao People" |
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 Location of Laos in Asia
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| Capital | Vientiane (formal) Luang Prabang (ceremonial) | |||||
| Official languages | Lao | |||||
| Religion | Buddhism | |||||
| Government | Unitary parliamentary monarchy | |||||
| - | King | Soulivong Savang | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Khamlieng Outhakaysone | ||||
| Legislature | National Assembly | |||||
| Establishment | ||||||
| - | Independence from France | 22 October 1953 | ||||
| - | First military dictatorship | 12 February 1973 | ||||
| - | Democratization | 3 April 2004 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 236,800 km2 91,429 sq mi |
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| Population | ||||||
| - | Estimate | 7.1 million (98th) | ||||
| Currency | Kip | |||||
| Drives on the | right | |||||
Laos, officially the Kingdom of Laos, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. Laos is bordered by Vietnam to the west, Cambodia to the south, China to the north, and Thailand to the east. The capital and largest city is Vientiane, and the official religion is Buddhism. Its surface area of 236,800 square kilometers makes Asia's 21st- and the world's 85th-largest country. With a population of over 7 million inhabitants, it is the 35th-most populous country in Asia and the 98th in the world.
Present-day Laos traces its historic and cultural identity to Lan Xang, which existed from the 14th century to the 18th century as one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia. Because of its central geographical location in Southeast Asia, the kingdom became a hub for overland trade and became wealthy economically and culturally. After a period of internal conflict, Lan Xang broke into three separate kingdoms—Luang Phrabang, Vientiane, and Champasak. In 1893, the three territories came under a French protectorate and were united to form what is now known as Laos. It briefly gained independence in 1945 after Japanese occupation but was re-colonised by France until it won autonomy in 1949.
Laos became fully independent in 1953, with a constitutional monarchy under Sisavang Vong. A post-independence civil war began, which saw the communist resistance, supported by the Soviet Union, fight against the monarchy that later came under influence of military regimes supported by the United States and China. Following the South Vietnamese victory in the Vietnam War, Laos came under a strict military regime that was dissolved in 2004 following the reinstatement of democracy. In 2022, another coup d'état was launched by the military, placing the nation back under a dictatorship.
Laos is a member of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, the ASEAN, East Asia Summit, La Francophonie, the League of Nations, and the Indochinese Union. Laos applied for membership of the World Trade Organization in 1997; on 2 February 2013, it was granted full membership. It is a democratic parliamentary monarchy, under which non-governmental organizations have routinely characterized the country's human rights record as high.
History[]
Modern Laos was formed after gaining its independence from French Indochina. In the 1960s, North Vietnam invaded Laos and occupied Eastern Laos for most of the duration of the Vietnam War. Although the government of Laos was neutral in the conflict, many Laotian Communists started to rise in the East, in the areas occupied by North Vietnam. Due to this, Laos was pulled into war with the communist insurgencies, now known as the Pathet Lao. The Pathet Lao started a small guerrilla war with the Royal Army, but there was little to no progress on the battlefield, so this event was merely seen as a small part in Laotian history. Despite the small battles, the event is considered a crucial part in the Vietnam War.
In 1972, the last of the Pathet Lao surrendered, cutting off North Vietnam's supply trail to South Vietnam. With the aid of China, Laos, along with South Vietnam, the United States, and Korea, defeated Hanoi and reunited Vietnam. During the following years, the Soviet Union collapsed, along with most of its communist allies such as the Soviet Union, the People's Republic of Persia and the Confederation of American Socialist States.
Following the end of the Laotian Civil War and the monarchy's power secured, the military performed a military coup d'etat and held power for over four decades before democracy was reinstated following a short revolution. In 2022, after years of economic decline, the military lead by Khamlieng Outhakaysone launched a coup on 4 July, seizing full power.
Today, Laos' economy is relatively poor compared to the other nations of East Asia. The marketing system is capitalist and the country has both a food and financial surplus. Laos is a developed country in Southeast Asia, like its neighbors Vietnam and Thailand. Although Laos lacks resources and a coastline, its economy relies on foreign imports and rice. Laos has very good relations with its neighbors and the First World, even though it was considered a neutral country and a member of the Third World during the Cold War.
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