Laos is a landlocked country bordered to the north by China, to the east by Vietnam, to the south by Cambodia and to the west by Thailand and Myanmar. Until 1988 tourists were not allowed access to Laos, but the country has recently opened up and it is perfectly feasible to travel all over the … Read more Laos Country Information
Laotian literature is predominantly religious and linked to the Buddhist tradition. There is also a secular literary tradition based on themes of the Hindu epic poems, which have been transmuted into popular language. Laotians have a variety of folk arts, including weaving, basketmaking, wood and ivory carving, and silverwork and goldwork. Professional dance troupes draw … Read more Laos Culture
Laotian is from a large group of related languages, the Thai-Lao or Tai-Kadai languages, which includes Thai, Shan in Burma, Zhuang in Yunnan, Li in Hainan Island, and other languages on the Chinese-Vietnamese border. Their original homeland seems to have been in Yunnan and Southern China. The movement of many speakers into Burma and Southeast … Read more Laos Kings
The first comprehensive national population census of Laos was taken in 1985; it recorded a population of 3.57 million. Annual population growth was around at between 2.6 and 3.0 %, and the 1991 population was around at 4.25 million. The national crude birth rate was around at about forty-five per 1,000, while the crude death … Read more Lao People
Laos Life Laotian society is above all else characterized by semiindependent rural villages engaged in subsistence agricultural production. Ethnic, geographic, and ecological differences create variations in the pattern of village life from one part of the nation to another, but the common threads of village selfreliance , limited regional trade and communication, and identification with … Read more Laos Life
Of the many ethnic groups in Laos, only the Lao Loum had a tradition of formal education, reflecting the fact that the languages of the other groups had no written script. Until the midtwentieth century, education was primarily based in the Buddhist wat, where the monks taught novices and other boys to read both Lao … Read more Lao Education
January Bun Pha Wet – Falling on different dates throughout the month – so that people can exchange invitations with friends and families in different villages to join in their celebrations – this festival is a commemoration of the Jataka, the life story of Lord Buddha as Prince Vestsantara. The story is recited in temples … Read more Laos Festivals
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – 2007 Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor – March 11, 2008 The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is an authoritarian, communist, one-party state ruled by the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP). The 2005 census estimated the population to be 5.6 million. The most recent National Assembly election … Read more Laos Human Rights Report 2007