Location of Laos

Lao PDR is in the heart of the Indochina peninsular in Southeast Asia. For centuries known by outsiders as the land of a million Elephants. Lao is a landlocked country and covered by high mountainous ranges but crises-crossed by many rivers and stream. The Mekong River flows through 1865 km of the country from north to south. And this inland waterway system provides great potential for hydropower development. Over half of the power potential in the lower Makong basin is contained with in Lao.

With an area of some 236800 square kilometers, three-quarter of which is mountains and plateaus. The population of Lao PDR has reached 5,218,000. About 85% of the population are rural dwellers and the 1999 census revealed that there were 60.000 more women than men. The average population density is 21 per square kilometer and the lowest population density is in Saysomboun Special Zone at 8 per square kilometer while the highest population in Laos is in Vientiane municipality, with 149 per square kilometer.

The estimated populations of the major Provinces are:

1.598,000 in Vientiane Municipality
2.766,000 in Savannakhet
3.572,000 in Champasack
4.416,000 in Luang Prabang
5.333, 000 in Sayaboury

Lao PDR shared border with China to the north, Cambodia to the south, Vietnam to the east, Thailand to the west and Myanmar to the northwest. The country stretches for 1,700 km north to south, with an east-west width of over 500 a km at its widest, only 140 km at the narrowest point.

Lao PDR is divided in to three district regions: The north is dominated by

The central plain comprises large and small plains along the Mekong River, one of most fertile rice and fruit growing areas. The Largest is the Vientiane plain, on the lower reaches of the Nam Ngum River. Also significant are the Savannakhet plain on the lower reaches of the Se Bang Fai and Se Bang Hieng rivers, and the Champassck plain, which is on the Mekong River, stretching between the Thai and Cambodia borders, where people make trade with Cambodia along the river. Blessed with fertile soil, these plains represent on quarter of the total area and the granaries of the country.

Lao History

Stone tools discovered in Huaphanh and Luang Phrabanng provinces attest the presence of prehistoric man in its stage of hunters and gatherers over the Lao territory since at least 40,000 years ago. Agriculturist society seemed to appear during the 4th millenia BC as evidences have been found by archeologists-jar burials and other kinds of sepulchres have revealed a complex society in which Bronze objects appeared around 1500 BC and iron tools were known since 700 BC. The proto historic period is characterized by contacts with Chinese and Indian civilisations. As a result between the fourth and eighth century.

Between the fourth and eighth century communities along the Mekong River began to form into towships, so called muang. This development culminated in the formmation of the Lane Xang (Million Elephants) Kingdom.In 1340 AD, Kind Fa Ngum led an army of 10,000 men in conquests in all directions: to the south, as far as the Khmer border; to the north as far as Sipsong Phanna (Yunnan, southwestern China), to the east to the watershed of the Mekong and Red Rivers; to the northwest as far as Chiang Saen Lanna; and westward to Korat-Dong Phannaphay. King Fa Ngum established the mighty and glorious Kingdom of Lane Xang in 1353. Meanwhile, he introduced Buddhism (Hinayana) in to the kingdom, took the sacred Phra Bang Buddha image from the khmer kingdom and installed it in Swa (now Luang Prabang).

Chao Ounheuane succeeded King Fa Ngum to the throne in 1373. In his 43 years reign, King Ounheuane maintained the territorial integrity of the kingdom, which his father has united. After repelling an invasion by Burmese feudalism, King Ounheuane conducted a population census, which showed that there were 300.000Tai Lao people and 400,000 people of other ethnic groups. The census gave King Ounheuane the new name of King Samsenethai, meaning “ Three hundred thousand Tai people”.

Throughout the fifteenth century, 14 monarchs ruled the kingdom of Lane Xang. In 1520 AD Prince Phothisarath ascended the throne, following King Visounnarath. Prince Phothisarath was born in 1506 and married a princess of Chiang Mai. In 1548, he made prince Sayasetthathirath King of Chiang Mai (at that time the kingdom of Lanna was a sister kingdom to Lane Xang). When, in the same year, King Phothisarath suddenly died, Prince Sayasetthathirath returned to Swa to take the throne of the kingdom of Lane Xang. Between 1563 and 1565, King Sayasetthirath moved the capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. In this same year, a Burmese army led by Ba Ying Nong raided King Sayasetthathirath, but forced Chiang Mai and Vientiane, to retreat. In 1569-1570 the Burmese made another attempt and suffered another reverse, being forced again to retreat. “ These were the two victorious struggles (1563 and 1569) under the able command of King Sayasetthathirath, a hero of national salvation against the aggression of the Burmese feudalism, then a strong enemy. There were continued uprisings and struggles of the masses over the last 24 years of the sixteenth century against the yoke of vassalage of Burmese feudalism, including the overthrow of a throne under Burmese vassalage (1579).”2

After the reign of King Sayasetthathirath, the Kingdome of Lane Xang fell into chaos for years before Prince Sourignavongsa assumed the throne in 1637. He reigned for 57 years, during that time the Kingdom of Lane Xang was at peace. The kingdom also began to open up for trade with the rest of the world. Education and literature developed noticeably, and the most outstanding works of poetry and literature of the Kingdom of Lane Xang were created during this period.

The eighteenth century brought the decline of the Lane Xang monarchy. The Kingdom split into three hostile dynasties and was invaded and controlled by Siamese feudalism. However, the Lao people maintained their unity, frequently rebelling against Siamese dominance. The most outstanding movement was the nation wide campaign in(1827-1828) led by King Anouvong, a national hero. Through the uprising was quelled, the movement was a significant page in Lao history in the case of national defence and has ever been remembered as such.

Between 1828 and 1829 Siamese forced 100,000 Lao people to cross the Mekong River and resettled as prisoners of war. The Siamese ransacked and burned 6,000 houses in the capital, stealing valuable from all temples in Vientiane (except Sisaketh temple). They also took the Emirald Buddha to Bangkok where it remains till today.

In 1870 King Ounkham ascended the throne of the Luang Prabang dynasty of the Kingdom of Lane Xang. In the late 19th century, as foreigners expanded their colonies, the country was plunged into darkness. In 1893, Laos (on the east bank of the Mekong River) was captured by the French army. And the west bank has remained isarn park of Thailand

King Sackarin reigned from 1888 to 1903, and was succeeded by King Sisavangvong.

In the early 20th century, heedless of the subservience of the privileged classed to foreign rule, the Lao people of various ethnic groups rose in waves against French colonialism. Some resistance movements were quite large-scale. Some outstanding examples include:
*The movement of the Lao people in the central region under the guidance of Father Kadouad ( Pau Kadouad) (1901-1902);
*The 36-year uprising of the people in the south (1901-1937) led by Ong Keo and Ong Komadam;
*The resistance movement of the Hmong ethnic group in the north led by Chao Fa Padchay ( 1918-1922);
*The Tai-Lue movement in Meuang Sing ( now Luang Namtha Province) ( 1914-1918);
*The Red Tai movement in Samneua (Houaphanh Province)(1916).

In 1930, the Communist Party of Indochina was established and led by President Ho Chi Minh. “ This marked the turning point in the history of the revolutions in the three Indochinese countries. From then onwards, under the leadership of the genuine Marxist Leninist party and under the banner of nationalism and democracy, the revolutionary struggle of the Lao people of all ethnic groups entered a new period of sure new qualities."3

“In 1945, the Red Army of the Soviet Union defeated the German, Italian and Japanese Nazis, forcing them to surrender unconditionally, ending the Second World War. Our Party resolutely led the people’s struggle in co-ordination with the August revolution of the Vietnamese people, seized administrative power from the Japanese fascists and the French colonialists, and declared to the world the independence of Laos on 12 October, 1945.”4

Not long after that, the French colonialists sent their mercenary and henchmen to raid and occupy towns, suppressing the Lao people cruelly, and restoring French control. They pretended to hand over “ independence” to Laos in 1949 and formed a puppet army. They tied the three Indochinese countries together under the “French Union of Indochina” rule over by the Governor General and the Commander of the French Union Army.

On 20 January 1949, the Lao Issara Unit was set up, which later became the Lao People’s Liberation Army.

On 13 August,1950, a national Congress of the Lao Resistance Front agreed to set up the Neo Lao Issara (Free Lao Front), laid out a 12-point political programme, and set up a resistance government with Kayson Phomvihane as Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense. The resistance movement of the Lao people developed to a new level.

In 1953, the armed forces of Pathet Lao in collaboration with the Vietnamese volunteer army launched a series of battles, which liberated vast areas of the country: Samnuea, Xiengkhouang, Khammouane, Attopeu, Boliven Plateau. In early 1956, the northernmost Phongsaly Province and most of Luang Prabang Province were liberated by the victory in Dien Bien Phu (Vietnam), this forced the French imperialists to sign the 1954 Geneva Accord to restore peace in Indochina, and to acknowledge the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Lao, Vietnam and Cambodia. The Accord further acknowledges the legitimate position of the Lao revolutionary forces and the status of the province of Phongsaly and Samneua as the concentration zone of the Pathet Lao forces.

Not long after the signing of the Geneva Accord, the American imperialists, who had been involved in the Indochina War from the outset., jumped in, kicked the French out, and invaded Laos. The US had forced the French to sign an US-France joint communiqué in Washington on 29 September 1954, as a legal basis for direct US assistance. The document also allowed the US to take over from the French in training the Royal Army of the kingdom of Laos, and the armies of South Vietnam and Combodia.

The situation worsened during the Vietnam war although the Geneva accord of 1962 had recognised the neutrality of Laos and forbade the presence of all foreign military perssonel. By bombing the portion of the Ho Chi Minh trail crossing Laos, US forces dropped more bombs on Laos than they did world-wide during World War II. On a per capita basis Laos is hence the most heavily bombed nation in history. Especially in Huaphanh and Xieng Khuang provinces, where international teams are still clearing the terrain of unexploded ordinance, people still suffer from the legacy of the war.

It took 20 years of struggle against US imperialism before the Lao people of all ethnic groups could rid themselves of the yoke of foreign domination, abolish backward feudalism, and proudly and gloriously establish a new regime, the regime of Lao people’s democracy on 2nd December 1975. At present the multi ethnic Lao people are making afforts to defend and develop Laos in line with the new policy of the Party and Government in order to lead the country to progress and prosperity

Climate, Time, People, Relition and Language

Climate

Most of the year is hot and humid. Lao PDR has three distinct seasons– the dry or cool Season arrives end of October continue untill February, with cooler weather and reduced humidity. Average temperature might drop to 12°c or 14°c. Summer from March to June, with temperature up to 41°c. Rainy during June to October with cloudy days and may through Augest. The average annual temperature 29c ranging in Vientiane and 35c in April to 20c in December or January.

Time: Time in Laos is 7 hours Greenwich Mean time (GMT * 7)

People
The population of Lao PDR to day is about 5 millions consisting of 49 Ethnic Groups in four main linguistic families, according to preliminary figures given to Symposium on the name of ethic group on August 13-14/2000.

1.The Lao-Tai family includes eight groups
2.The Mone-Khmer family has 32 ethnic groups
3.The Hmong-Ioumien category has two main tribes: Hmong
and Ioumien (Yao).
4.The Tibet-Burmese family includes seven ethnic groups.

Religion

Buddhism first appeared in Laos during the eighth century A.D. as shown by both the Buddha image and the stone inscription founded at Ban talat (Talat village) near Vientiane, now exhibited at the Museumm of Ho Prakeo. After the foundation of the unified Kingdom of Lane Xang, King Fa Ngum (14th century) declared Buddhism as the state relition and urged the people to abandon animism or other beliefs such as the cult of spirits. His poplicy meant to develop the Lao culture based on a common faith: the Theravada Buddhism. Today Theravada Buddhism is the professed religion of about 90 percent of Lao people. Buddhism is an inherent feature of daily liffe and casts as strong influence on Lao society. Lao women can be seen each morning giving alms to monks, earning merit to lessen the number of their rebirth. Lao men are expected to become monks for at least a short time in their lives.

traditionally they spend three months during the rainy season in a Vat, a Buddhist temple. But nowadays most men curtail their stay to one or two weeks.

Language
Lao language is the national language. Languages used widely particularly in Vientiane are French, English, Chinese and Vietnamese. French and English languages are used widely for commercial or telecommunicational languages. These languages are spoken in most hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and shops in main cities but some in local areas.

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