Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
18 00 N, 105 00 E
Southeast Asia
total: 236,800 sq km
land: 230,800 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
about twice the size of Pennsylvania; slightly larger than Utah
total: 5,274 km
border countries (5): Burma 238 km, Cambodia 555 km, China 475 km, Thailand 1845 km, Vietnam 2161 km
0 km (landlocked)
none (landlocked)
tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
highest point: Phu Bia 2,817 m
lowest point: Mekong River 70 m
mean elevation: 710 m
timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
agricultural land: 10.6% (2018 est.)
arable land: 6.2% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.7% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 3.7% (2018 est.)
forest: 67.9% (2018 est.)
other: 21.5% (2018 est.)
3,100 sq km (2012)
333.5 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
most densely populated area is in and around the capital city of Vientiane; large communities are primarily found along the Mekong River along the southwestern border; overall density is considered one of the lowest in Southeast Asia
floods, droughts
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand
NOTE: The information regarding Laos on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Laos 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Laos 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 16 Dec 23, Copyright © 2023 ITA all rights reserved.