Laos — (lä´ōs) |
About The People
Did You Know...... Laos was once known as Lan Xang, meaning “the Kingdom of a Million Elephants.” It was gi »» More
Fashion... Lao women wear western- style blouses with colorful calf-length, sarong-style skirts made of locally »» More
Socializing... The Lao are a frank, open and friendly people. They also have a strongly developed sense of courtesy »» More
Family... The Lao have large, close-knit families, often with three generations living together. The eldest ma »» More
Sports & Recreation... One popular traditional game is called kataw. It is played with a small ball woven out of rattan (mo »» More
| World Region: Southeast Asia

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Statistics
Capital Cities... Vientiane »» History of Vientiane Population: 6,521,998 GDP: $12,610,000,000 (USD) Total Area: 236,800 (sq km) 91,428 (sq mi) Currency: kip (LAK)
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Laos History
HISTORICAL RESEARCH SHOWS that the rudimentary structures of a multiethnic state existed before the founding of the Kingdom of Lan Xang in the thirteenth century. These prethirteenth-century structures consisted of small confederative communities in river valleys and among the mountain peoples, who found security away from the well-traveled rivers and overland tracks where the institutions and customs of the Laotian people were gradually forged in contact with other peoples of the region. During these centuries, the stirring of migrations as well as religious conflict and syncretism went on more or less continuously. Laos’s shortlived vassalage to foreign empires such as the Cham, Khmer, »» More |