WELCOME TO LAOS

**Just a note there is a huge Las Vegas style Casino just over the hill. The Thai people come to Laos and Myanmar to gamble as gambling is illegal in Thailand)
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Laos
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Lao People's Democratic Republic
??????????? ?????????? ??????????Sathalanalat PaxathipataiPaxaxon Lao
Flag
Emblem
Motto: "???????? ??????? ????????? ??????? ????????????""Peace, Independence, Democracy, Unity and Prosperity"
Anthem: Pheng Xat Lao
Location of Laos
Capital(and largest city)
Vientiane17°58?N 102°36?E? / ?17.967°N 102.6°E? / 17.967; 102.6
Official language(s)
Lao
Official scripts
Lao script
Demonym
Laotian, Lao
Government
Socialist republic,Communist single-party state
Area
Total
236,800 km2 (83rd)91,428.991 sq mi
Water (%)
2
Population
2009 estimate
6.8 million [1] (101st)
Density
26.7/km2 (177th)69.1/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
2010 estimate
Total
$15.693 billion[2]
Per capita
$2,435[2]
GDP (nominal)
2010 estimate
Total
$6.341 billion[2]
Per capita
$984[2]
Gini (2008)
34.6 (medium)
HDI (2007)
0.619[3] (medium) (133rd)
Currency
Kip (LAK)
Time zone
(UTC+7)
Drives on the
right
Internet TLD
.la
Calling code
856
Laos (English pronunciation: i /?la?s/, /?l??.o?s/, or /?le?.?s/)[4][5][6] Lao: ??????????? ?????????? ?????????? Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west. Its population was estimated to be 6.8 million in 2009.[1]
Laos traces its history to the Kingdom which existed from the 14th to the 18th century when it split into three separate kingdoms. In 1893, it became a French protectorate, with the three kingdoms, Kingdom of Luang Phrabang, Kingdom of Vientiane and Kingdom of Champasak, uniting to form what is now known as Laos. It briefly gained independence in 1945 after Japanese occupation, but returned to French rule until it was granted autonomy in 1949. Laos became independent in 1954, with a constitutional monarchy under Sisavang Vong. Shortly after independence, a long civil war ended the monarchy, when the Communist Pathet Lao movement came to power in 1975.
Laos is a single-party socialist republic. The capital city is Vientiane. Other large cities include Luang Prabang, Savannakhet and Pakse. The official language is Lao. Most people are Lao with a significant proportion of indigenous religion as well. It is a rising power in electricity to neighboring countries such as Thailand, China and Vietnam and the economy is accelerating rapidly with the demands of its metals.[7][7] It is a member of the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), East Asia Summit and La Francophonie. Laos applied for membership of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1997.