Facts about Laos

Facts

About Laos

If you're interested in traditional Asian cultures, Laos offers the perfect opportunity for the conscientious and thoughtful traveler to gain a glimpse of this life style of the past. It is country that remains largely isolated from world affairs and foreign cultural influences. Laos' rich landscape includes the rich and verdant lowland valleys nestled along the Mekong River and the rugged, rock strewn Annamite highlands.

Due to this isolation, Laos is also a very underdeveloped nation and one still rife with mysteries all its own. Formerly one of three French Indochinese states, Laos' history is one of terrible colonial domination, brutal civil unrest, as well as Socialist dogmatism combined to nearly destroy the country in the 1970s.

Laos Facts

Full Name: Lao People's Democratic Republic
Capital City: Vientiane
Area: 236,000 sq km/91,120 sq miles
Population: 6,350,000
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +7 ()
Languages: Lao (official) Lao dialects (closely related to Thai) are also spoken
French (other) English (other)
Religion: 60% Buddhist, 40% animist and spirit cults
Currency: Kip (KN)
Electricity: 230V 50HzHz
Electric Plug Details: Japanese-style plug with two parallel flat blades
American-style plug with two parallel flat blades above a circular grounding pin
European plug with two circular metal pins
Country Dialing Code: 856