Laos

The Laos People’s Democratic Republic is the common name Laos. Geographycally, the
country landlocked location : Northside is China, East side is Vietnam, Southside is Cambodia,
Westside is Myanmar and Thailand. The total area is 236,800 km2. The capital is Vientiane (Lao :
Viangchan), located on the Mekong River in the northern portion of the country. The International
Airport Wattay in Vientiane. Currency is Klip Laos, 1 Klip Laos = 1,64 Rupiahs.
The Lao people, the predominant ethnic group in present-day Laos, are a branch of
the Tai peoples who by the 8th century had established a powerful kingdom, Nanzhao, in
southwestern China. From Nanzhao the Tai gradually penetrated southward into the Southeast
Asian mainland; their migration was accelerated in the 13th century by the Mongol invasions of
southern China by Kublai Khan.
Laos is the comminsm country system. The only legal political party is the Laos People’s
Revolutionary Party (LPRP). Head of Country is the President from parlementery 5 years. Head
of Government is prime minister.
Laos is approximately 60% Theravada Buddhist, which roughly falls along ethnic lines
with the majority of practitioners being Lao Loum. There are over 90 distinct native languages
spoken by the different ethnic populations of Laos. Lao, the official language of Laos. Laos has an
estimated population of 6.5 million.
Laos has the typical tropical monsoon (wet-dry) climate of the region, though the
mountains provide some variations in temperature. Minimum temperatures average between 60
and 70 °F (16 and 21 °C) in the cool months of December through February, increasing to highs
of more than 90 °F (32 °C) in March and April, just before the start of the rains. In the wet season
the average temperature is 80 °F (27 °C).
The adult literacy rate exceeds two thirds. The total literacy rate is 73 percent (2010
estimate). In 2004 the net primary enrollment rate was at 84 percent. The National University of
Laos is the Lao state's public university. As a low-income country, Laos faces a brain-drain
problem as the most educated people migrate to developed countries. It is estimated that about
37% of educated Laotians live outside of Laos. In the past the teaching of much cultural lore and
reading and writing took place in Buddhist temples and was available only to men. The French
introduced European-style education in the early 20th century, and over the next several decades
the number of elementary school students reached hundreds of thousands. The LPDR government
assumed responsibility for education in 1975 and inaugurated a program to bring primary
education to all areas of Laos within a decade. The new regime also launched a major
adult literacy campaign in the mid-1980s
Laos is located in the mountainous, landlocked area provides an abundance of water,
forests, and mineral resources, especially hydropower, timber, gold and copper.
A Popular snack, Kaipen (Fried Seaweed) is made of freshwater green algae, peppered
with sesame seeds and sundried into paper-thin sheets. These raw Kaipen stored away in rolls. For
consumption, the Kaipen sheets are flash-fried in a pan and usually served with jaew bong (chili
paste).
Most families in Laos are involved in farming. Members of households work the land
together, with a division of labour by gender. In wet rice cultivation, men plow and prepare the
seedbed, control water flow to the fields, and thresh the crop. Women transplant the seedlings,
weed the fields, and carry the sheaves of rice to the threshing place. In upland rice cultivation, men
cut and clear the swiddens, while women do the sowing and weeding. Wet rice cultivation begins
with the onset of the rains in April or May and ends with the harvest in October and November. In
upland areas, fields are burned and cleared at the end of the dry season in February and March,
and harvesting takes place in November.
Every December 2nd in Laos is the country’s National Day. It is a public holiday which
commemorates the creation of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in the year of 1975. The
holiday provides citizens with the opportunity to celebrate their country’s history and their present
independence through festivities and a day of rest.
Company in Laos mainly in the consumer services like, Boun Oum Airways, Lao Airlines,
Lao Central Airlines, and Lao Skyway. Besides, there is utilities company like Electricite du Laos,
Lao Holding State Enterprise and Nam Theun 2 Power Company.
Wat Si Muang is one of the popular tourist destinations in Vientiane. This Buddhist temple
is in the ruins of an ancient Khmer Hindu temple. The present temple, which was built in 1563, is
believed to be guarded by spirits, namely the spirit of a pregnant woman named Nang Si, who was
sacrificed when the temple was built.