PROFIL NEGARA: LAOS

Laos, officially Lao People’s Democratic Republic, independent state of Southeast Asia. Formerly part of the Indochinese Union, also known as French Indochina, Laos gained independence in 1953. The country was drawn into the Vietnam War (1959-1975), and in 1975 a revolution toppled Laos’s six-centuryold monarchy and established a people’s republic. Laos is a mountainous, landlocked country, bounded on the north by China, on the east by Vietnam, on the south by Cambodia, and on the west and northwest by Thailand and
Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). It is rich in resources and has an ethnically varied population. The official language is Lao, and the capital and largest city is Vientiane (Viang Chan).

Laos has a total area of 236,800 sq km (91,400 sq mi). From northwest to southeast its maximum length is about 1,080 km (about 670 mi), while its narrowest width is about 120 km (about 75 mi).
Topographically Laos has three distinct features. The first is the steep, heavily forested mountains that lie principally in the north but extend southeast as the Truong Son (Annam Highlands). The spine of this mountain chain forms the border between Laos and Vietnam. Elevations in the north reach 2,819 m (9,249
ft) at Phou Bia (Phu Bia), the country’s highest peak. In the south, heights reach about 1,980 m (about 6,500 ft), and the limestone terraces mounting to the east are more sparsely forested. Laos’s second distinctive topographic feature is the narrow but fertile floodplains of the Mekong River, which traverses Laos’s entire
north-south length, and its tributaries. These plains are very narrow in the north but are wider farther south. Finally, three high plateaus are strategically situated through the country: the Plain of Jars in the north, the Khammouan Plateau in the center, and the Bolovens Plateau in the south.

Laos has a tropical monsoon climate, with a summer rainy season from May to October followed by a cool dry period from November to February, and a hotter dry period in March and April. Wide variations in temperature are due more to differences in elevation than to seasonal change. Temperatures range from as
high as 40°C (104°F) in the Mekong lowlands in April to as low as 5°C (41°F) in the mountains in winter. In Vientiane, temperatures vary from an average of 29°C (84°F) in April to 22°C (72° F) in January. Rainfall varies regionally but averages about 1,780 mm (about 70 in) annually.

POPULATION

Laos has a population of 6,068,117 (2004 estimate), yielding a population density of 26 people per sq km (68 per sq mi). The population is increasing rapidly at a rate of 2.44 percent per year. Births, at 37 per 1,000, significantly exceed deaths, at 12 per 1,000, while life expectancy at birth is 55 years. These trends have
created a youthful nation: More than 45 percent of Laos’s people are under the age of 15. If the current rate of growth continues, Laos will have a population of nearly 10 million by the year 2025. About one-quarter of Laos’s people live in mountainous regions. The rest live in upland valleys or on the flood plains of the
Mekong and its tributaries. Just over three-quarters of the population live in rural areas, although the proportion of people living in urban areas is steadily increasing.

Vientiane is the capital and largest city of Laos. Louangphrabang, the former royal capital, is an increasingly popular tourist destination. Other major cities are the regional capitals of Savannakhét in central Laos and Pakxé in the south.

A Ethnic Groups
More than a hundred indigenous ethnic groups and subgroups inhabit Laos, many spilling across borders into neighboring countries. Small minorities of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Indians also live in Laos, mostly in urban areas.
The Lao government has classified Laos’s many indigenous groups into three broad categories: the Lao Lum, the Lao Thoeng, and the Lao Sung. The Lao Lum (lowland Lao) account for 66 percent of the population and comprise those groups who live at lower altitudes, speak Tai languages, and practice wet-rice cultivation. Major groups in this category include the ethnic Lao, who make up just over 50 percent of the total population of Laos; the Leu and the Phu-tai; and the Black Tai and the Red Tai, so called because of the colors of their traditional costumes. Modern Lao and Tai ethnic groups descended from Tai peoples who
migrated to the Southeast Asian peninsula from the north, arriving in the area of present-day Laos by the 10th century.
The Lao Thoeng (Lao of the mountain slopes) make up 24 percent of the population, live at medium altitudes, speak Mon-Khmer languages, and practice slash-and-burn agriculture. They are believed to be Laos’s earliest inhabitants, having migrated to the area from the south in prehistoric times. The principal members of this group are the Khamu and the Lamet in northern Laos, and the Laven, Sedang, and Nyaheun of the Bolovens region in southern Laos.
The Lao Sung (Lao of the mountaintops), who make up the remaining 10 percent of the population, migrated to Laos beginning in the early 19th century, making them the most recent arrivals among the ethnic groups. They live at high altitudes in northern Laos, where they also use slash-and-burn methods of farming, and speak either Tibeto-Burman or Hmong-Mien languages. The Hmong (also known as the Meo or Miao) are the most numerous and politically influential of the Lao Sung. Others include the Mien (or Yao), Akha, and Phu Noi.

ECONOMY

In the late 1980s the government opened the economy to foreign investment. As a result, the average growth rate between and was percent, and by 2002 Laos’s gross domestic product (GDP) had climbed to $1.7 billion. Average GDP per capita rose to $300, compared to $440 in Vietnam and $320 in Cambodia. Like the economies of other countries in the region, the Lao economy suffered badly when the value of several Asian currencies fell sharply in the late 1990s.
Agriculture is the principal economic activity in Laos, contributing 51 percent of GDP. Only 4 percent of Laos’s total land area is cultivated, but 80 percent of the cultivated land is planted in rice (both glutinous and white). Other crops include corn, coffee (the only substantial export crop), soybeans, sugarcane, and sweet
potatoes. Cotton, tobacco, and cardamom are also grown. The government encourages animal husbandry, and livestock numbers have steadily increased since the late 1970s. Lao farmers raise water buffalo, cattle, pigs, horses, goats, and poultry.
Timber is a major export for Laos, with production estimated at 6.5 million cu m (228 million cu ft) in 2002. Some timber is processed as sawn boards and plywood, but most is exported in the form of logs. Despite government attempts to regulate and manage the industry, illegal logging and smuggling of timber
remain widespread. Fish is an important item in the Lao diet, but the catch of 80,000 metric tons (in 2001) is sufficient only for local consumption.

GOVERNMENT

The present government of Laos is a republic, effectively controlled by the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP). The Lao People’s Democratic Republic was proclaimed on December 2, 1975, replacing the Kingdom of Laos, which gained independence from France in 1953. In 1989 national elections were held
for the first time, and in 1991 Laos’s first constitution was enacted. All citizens who are aged 18 years or older may vote.

A Executive
Under the 1991 constitution, executive power is vested in a president, who is chosen by the National Assembly for a five-year term. The president is assisted by a vice president. The president appoints a prime minister, whose cabinet must be approved by the National Assembly. The prime minister and his government
also serve a five-year term.

B Legislature
Legislative power rests with the National Assembly. Its 109 members are elected every five years. The National Assembly has the power to amend the constitution, pass laws, and approve the budget.

C Judiciary
Justice is administered by the Supreme People’s Court and by provincial and district people’s courts. Both the president of the Supreme People’s Court and the public prosecutor general are appointed by the National Assembly. Judges are appointed by the Ministry of Justice.

D Local Government
Laos is divided into 16 provinces, the special region of Xaisomboun, and the municipality of Vientiane. Provinces are divided into districts comprising towns and villages. All are administered by people’s administrative committees, whose activities are closely monitored at the district and provincial levels by parallel committees of the LPRP.