Official name: The Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Capital: Vientiane

Currency: the KIP

(1$ = 8,000 Kip or 1€  = 11,000 Kip - June 2011)

Surface: 236.800 km² (comparison - Cambodia: 181.035 km ² - Vietnam: 330.000 km ²).

Laos is a landlocked country in the middle of the Indochinese peninsula
- bordered in the east and north by Vietnam and China
- limited to the west and the south by Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.

Highest point: Phou Bia (Xieng-Khouang): 2,820m.

Main river: Mekong: 1.898 km in Laos, on a total course of 4.200 km.

Climate

Two seasons with distinct tropical climate of Laos:
- From October to April: dry season (15°C/20°C in Dec/Jan and 30°C/40°C in March/April).
- From May to September: rainy season.

Population

Patterns of settlement

Urban population: 31%
Rural population: 69%
Active population (older than 10 years old): 70% (3 157.417 people)
Men: 51,75%
Women: 48,25%

Distribution of commercial activities according to the branch of industry
Agriculture and fishing: 85%
Secondary industry: 5%
Tertiary sector: 10%