Map of Laos
Laos is a country in Asia with its capital at Vientiane, home to about 7.87 million people across 236,800 km². The interactive map below plots 14 cities and towns, 5 rivers, 1 lakes and 2 mountain summits recorded for Laos in YearMaps.
- Population
- 7.87 million
- Area
- 236,800 km²
- Capital
- Vientiane
- Continent
- Asia
Interactive Map of Laos
Centred on Vientiane at 17.9667° N, 102.6000° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Laos
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is a country in Mainland Southeast Asia; it is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and southwest. Laos has a population of more than 8 million, and its capital and most populous city is Vientiane. It has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the town of Luang Prabang, the temple complex of Vat Phou, and the Plain of Jars. Laos participates in the Greater Mekong Subregion economic cooperation programme and is a member of ASEAN, the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, East Asia Summit, La Francophonie, and the World Trade Organization.
The kingdom of Lan Xang existed from the 14th to 18th centuries and was a hub for overland trade through its territory. In 1707 it split into three kingdoms: Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Champasak. In 1893, these kingdoms were unified under French rule as part of French Indochina. Laos was under Japanese administration during World War II, gaining independence in 1945 before returning to French administration until achieving autonomy in 1949. It regained full independence in 1953 as the Kingdom of Laos, with a constitutional monarchy under Sisavang Vong. A civil war from 1959 to 1975 saw the communist Pathet Lao (supported by China, North Vietnam, and the Soviet Union) oppose the Royal Lao Armed Forces (backed by the United States). It ended with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party's establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic in 1975.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Laos (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Laos
Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th century under King FA NGUM. For 300 years, Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century, when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. Following more than 15 years of civil war, the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government in 1975, ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a one party--the Lao People's Revolutionary Party--communist state. A gradual, limited return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in the late 1980s. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997 and the WTO in 2013. In the 2010s, the country benefited from direct foreign investment, particularly in the natural resource and industry sectors. Construction of a number of large hydropower dams and expanding mining activities have also boosted the economy. Laos has retained its official commitment to communism and maintains close ties with its two communist neighbors, Vietnam and China, both of which continue to exert substantial political and economic influence on the country. China, for example, provided 70% of the funding for a $5.9 billion, 400-km railway line between the Chinese border and the capital Vientiane, which opened for operations in 2021. Laos financed the remaining 30% with loans from China. At the same time, Laos has expanded its economic reliance on the West and other Asian countries, such as Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Nevertheless, despite steady economic growth for more than a decade, it remains one of Asia's poorest countries.
- Location
- Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam.
- Climate
- Tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
- Terrain
- Mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus.
- Highest point
- Phu Bia 2,817 m.
- Lowest point
- Mekong River 70 m.
- Coastline
- 0 km (landlocked)
- Land borders
- Total: 5,274 km; border countries: Burma 238 km; Cambodia 555 km; China 475 km; Thailand 1,845 km; Vietnam 2,161 km.
- Major rivers
- Mènam Khong (Mekong) (shared with China [s], Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam [m]) - 4,350 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth.
- Natural resources
- Timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 9.9% (2023 est.); arable land: 5.3% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 1.7% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 2.9% (2023 est.); forest: 56.8% (2023 est.); other: 33.3% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Floods, droughts.
- Geographic note
- Landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand.
- Languages
- Lao (official), French, English, various ethnic languages.
- Religions
- Buddhist 64.7%, Christian 1.7%, none 31.4%, other/not stated 2.1% (2015 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- Lao 53.2%, Khmou 11%, Hmong 9.2%, Phouthay 3.4%, Tai 3.1%, Makong 2.5%, Katong 2.2%, Lue 2%, Akha 1.8%, other 11.6% (2015 est.)
- Economy
- Lower middle-income, industrial Southeast Asian economy; high inflation due to 2022 currency depreciation brought on by persistently high debt; new Laos-China railway and dry port; rising inequities; ongoing labor shortages.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Laos in Numbers
- Population
- 7.87 million
- GDP
- US$18.3 billion
- GDP per person
- US$2,325
- Life expectancy
- 69.2 years
- Population growth
- 1.32% a year
- Population density
- 34 per km²
- Urban population
- 40.3%
- Surface area
- 236,800 km²
- Forest cover
- 56.6%
- Arable land
- 5.3%
- Access to electricity
- 96.5%
- Internet users
- 65.6%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Laos in Depth
History
In 2009, an anatomically modern human skull was recovered from Tam Pa Ling Cave in the Annamite Mountains. At least 46,000 years old, the skull was the oldest modern human fossil discovered in Southeast Asia at the time. Stone artifacts, including Hoabinhian types, have also been found at Pleistocene sites in northern Laos.
Archaeological evidence indicates that an agricultural society developed during the 4th millennium BCE, with bronze artifacts appearing around 1500 BCE and iron tools by 700 BCE. The proto-historic period was characterized by contact with Chinese and Indian civilizations. Linguistic and historical evidence indicates that Tai-speaking groups migrated southwest from Guangxi into present-day Laos and Thailand between the 8th and 10th centuries.
Geography
Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia and lies mostly between latitudes 14° and 23°N, and longitudes 100° and 108°E. Its forested landscape consists mostly of mountains, the highest of which is Phou Bia at 2,818 metres (9,245 ft), with some plains and plateaus. The Mekong River forms a part of the western boundary with Thailand, where the mountains of the Annamite Range form most of the eastern border with Vietnam and the Luang Prabang Range the northwestern border with the Thai highlands. There are two major plateaus: the Xiangkhoang in the north and the Bolaven Plateau at the southern end.
In 1993, the government set aside 21% of the land area for habitat conservation preservation.
Economy
Pakse has experienced growth based on cross-border trade with Thailand and Vietnam. In 2009, the Obama administration in the US declared Laos was no longer a communist state and lifted bans on Lao companies receiving financing from the US Export-Import Bank. In 2016, China was the biggest foreign investor in the Lao economy, having invested US$5.395 billion since 1989, according to the Laos Ministry of Planning and Investment's 1989–2014 report. Thailand (invested US$4.489 billion) and Vietnam (invested US$3.108 billion) are the second and third largest investors respectively.
Subsistence agriculture accounts for half of the GDP and provides 80% of employment. 4% of the country is arable land, and 0.3% is used as permanent crop land, the lowest percentage in the Greater Mekong Subregion.
Demographics
The population in 2024 is estimated to be 7,769,819, with an approximately even distribution of females and males (49.8% female). This makes Laos the 103rd most populous country in the world.
The people of Laos are categorised by their distribution by elevation (lowlands, midlands and uplands), as this somewhat correlates with ethnic groupings. More than half of the population is ethnic Lao—the principal lowland inhabitants.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Laos (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Laos: Key Facts
| Currency | Lao kip |
|---|---|
| Official language | Lao |
| Head of state | Thongloun Sisoulith |
| Head of government | Sonexay Siphandone |
| Form of government | people's republic, communist dictatorship |
| Calling code | +856 |
| Internet domain | .la |
| Highest point | Phou Bia |
| Lowest point | Mekong River |
| Established | 1949 |
Facts from Wikidata Q819 (CC0).
History of Laos: Empires and States
The atlas records 18 polities whose mapped territory included part of Laos, from Chenla in 555 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| Chenla | 555–717 CE | A large part |
| Land Chenla | 718–805 CE | A large part |
| The Khmer Empire | 806–1362 CE | Most |
| Sukhothai Kingdom | 1241–1362 CE | A large part |
| Lan Na Kingdom | 1294–1362 CE | A small part |
| Lan Xang | 1363–1708 CE | Nearly all |
| First Toungoo Empire | 1572–1587 CE | Nearly all |
| Vientiane | 1709–1827 CE | A small part |
| Kingdom of Champasak | 1709–1894 CE | A large part |
| Kingdom of Luang Phrabang | 1709–1894 CE | A large part |
| Chiangmai | 1783–1884 CE | A small part |
| Rattanakosin Kingdom | 1828–1904 CE | A large part |
| French Third Republic | 1895–1939 CE | Most |
| The French Colonial Empire | 1895–1955 CE | Most |
| French Indochina | 1895–1955 CE | Most |
| French Fourth Republic | 1946–1955 CE | Most |
| Kingdom of Laos | 1956–1975 CE | Most |
| Communist Laos | 1976–2024 CE | Most |
Historical Maps of Laos
Laos on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Laos
Laos (ເມືອງລາວ mư̄ang lāo or ປະເທດລາວ pa thēt lāo) is the only landlocked nation in Southeast Asia. Laos is rich in both the diversity of its people and its landscapes.
While the country lacks the mass tourism of neighbours like Thailand and Vietnam, the sector has been on the rise since the 1990s, and the country hosted five million tourists in 2024. In general, Laos' government has attempted to build Laos into a counterpoint to the tourist industries of Thailand and Vietnam, oriented around a slower pace and more wholesome vibe, although there is an increasing presence of Chinese capital and expansion of rail lines that connect Laos with Yunnan Province.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Laos (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Laos
14 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vientiane | 754,000 | Vientiane [prefecture] | National capital |
| 2 | Louangphrabang | 107,142 | Louangphrabang | Admin-1 capital |
| 3 | Pakxe | 102,775 | Champasak | Populated place |
| 4 | Savannakhet | 84,898 | Savannakhét | Admin-1 capital |
| 5 | Thakhek | 76,928 | Khammouan | Admin-1 capital |
| 6 | Xam Nua | 38,992 | Houaphan | Admin-1 capital |
| 7 | Xaignabouri | 16,200 | Xaignabouri | Populated place |
| 8 | Champasak | 12,994 | Champasak | Admin-1 capital |
| 9 | Ban Houayxay | 6,347 | Bokeo | Admin-1 capital |
| 10 | Phongsali | 6,000 | Phôngsali | Admin-1 capital |
| 11 | Saravan | 5,521 | Saravan | Admin-1 capital |
| 12 | Xiangkhoang | 5,189 | Xiangkhoang | Admin-1 capital |
| 13 | Attapu | 4,297 | Attapu | Admin-1 capital |
| 14 | Louang Namtha | 3,225 | Louang Namtha | Admin-1 capital |
Highest Mountains in Laos
2 mountains recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phou Bia | 2,830 m | 9,285 ft | Asia |
| 2 | Phu Soai Dao | 2,120 m | 6,955 ft | Asia |
Phou Bia
Mountain · 2,830 m
Phou Bia is a mountain rising to 2,830 metres (9,285 ft) in Laos, in the Asia region. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..
Phou Bia (Lao: ພູເບ້ຍ, pronounced [pʰúː bîa], literally "plant's seeding mountain", named by the Italian-American explorer Matteo Serpelloni) is the highest mountain in Laos. It is in the Annamite Range, at the southern limit of the Xiangkhoang Plateau in Xaisomboun Province.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Phou Bia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Elevation
- 2,830 m (9,285 ft)
- Global rank
- #270 of 641 indexed
- Region
- Asia (#108)
- Country
- Laos
- Coordinates
- 18.9800°, 103.1400°
Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Phou Bia ranks #270 by elevation, below Mount McMaster (2,830 m) and above Pico de Cano (2,829 m).
- Ranges:
- Dângrêk Range (Asia), Arakan Yoma (Asia)
- Neighbouring summits:
- Phu Soai Dao (2,120 m), Fan Si Pan (3,142 m), Doi Inthanon (2,580 m)
- Settlements below:
- Vientiane (126 km), Nong Khai (130 km), Louangphrabang (145 km)
More about Phou Bia
History
On 10 April 1970, an Air America C-130A aircraft crashed into the mountain.
The area is covered with jungle and has been used by Hmong guerrilla soldiers. In the 1970s, c. 60,000 Hmong supporting FAC operations took refuge at the Phou Bia massif. There have been reports of smaller Hmong hideouts in the area as recently as 2006.
In 2021, Xaisomboun Province officials announced the development of Phou Bia Mountain and Tchao Anouvong Cave as two "sustainable development tourism sites", valued at some US$500 million. The development will center especially on Tchao Anouvong Cave, Phou Houa Xang Village, in Anouvong District, Xaisomboun province, under a 99-year concession.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Phou Bia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Phou Bia: Key Facts
| Topographic prominence | 2,079 m |
|---|---|
| Mountain range | Annamite Range |
Facts from Wikidata Q239485 (CC0).
Phu Soai Dao
Mountain · 2,120 m
Phu Soai Dao is a mountain rising to 2,120 metres (6,955 ft) in Laos and Thailand, in the Asia region. The summit stands on the border between them. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..
Phu Soi Dao (French: Phou Soai Dao) is a mountain in Southeast Asia. It is 2,120 metres (6,960 ft) tall and rises at the south end of the Luang Prabang Range, on the border between Laos and Thailand. Phu Soi Dao National Park is on the Thai side of the range in Phitsanulok and Uttaradit Provinces.
Pinus kesiya, Betula alnoides, Schima wallichii and Shorea siamensis are among the species of trees present in the forest. Utricularia spinomarginata and Utricularia phusoidaoensis are endemic plants on Phu Soi Dao. There are numerous waterfalls in the range area.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Phu Soi Dao (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Elevation
- 2,120 m (6,955 ft)
- Global rank
- #395 of 641 indexed
- Region
- Asia (#145)
- Countries
- Laos, Thailand
- Coordinates
- 17.7300°, 101.0101°
Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Phu Soai Dao ranks #395 by elevation, below Hua Shan (2,130 m) and above Kebnekaise (2,111 m).
- Ranges:
- Dângrêk Range (Asia), Arakan Yoma (Asia)
- Neighbouring summits:
- Phou Bia (2,830 m)
- Settlements below:
- Vientiane (170 km), Louangphrabang (268 km), Thakhek (407 km)
More about Phu Soai Dao
Phu Soai Dao: Key Facts
| Topographic prominence | 1,664 m |
|---|---|
| Mountain range | Luang Prabang Range |
Facts from Wikidata Q7188265 (CC0).
Largest Lakes in Laos
1 lake recorded. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nam Ngum Reservoir | 518 km² | Reservoir |
Rivers in Laos
5 rivers recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Laos
3 World Heritage Sites recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luang Prabang | 1995 | Cultural | (ii) (iv) (v) |
| 2 | Champasak cultural landscape | 2001 | Cultural | (iii) (iv) (vi) |
| 3 | Plain of Jars | 2019 | Cultural | (iii) |
Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Laos
4 mountain ranges, deserts and other landforms recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.
| # | Name | Area | Type | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indochina Peninsula | 1.90M km² | Pen/cape | Asia |
| 2 | Khorat Plat | 155,104 km² | Plateau | Asia |
| 3 | Central Highlands | 65,512 km² | Range/mtn | Asia |
| 4 | Dângrêk Range | 55,940 km² | Range/mtn | Asia |
Countries Bordering Laos
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Asia
Laos: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Laos?
- The capital of Laos is Vientiane.
- What is the population of Laos?
- Laos has a population of about 7.87 million, the #103 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Laos?
- Laos covers 236,800 km², ranking #85 by area, with about 33 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Laos in?
- Laos is in Asia.
- Which countries border Laos?
- Laos shares a land or maritime border with China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam.
- What is the largest city in Laos?
- Vientiane is the largest city in Laos, with a metropolitan population of about 754,000.
- What is the highest mountain in Laos?
- The highest summit recorded for Laos in YearMaps is Phou Bia at 2,830 m (9,285 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.
- What is the largest lake in Laos?
- The largest lake recorded in or bordering Laos is Nam Ngum Reservoir, at roughly 518 km².