Laos

At a glance Land People Economy Achievements and challenges Links with Australia   Laos at a glance Did you know? The Mekong River,known as Mae Nam Khong or Mother of Waters, forms most of the western border between Laos and Thailand. Region South-east Asia Population 6,677,534 (July 2008 estimate) Land Geography: Land locked, mountainous with steep terrain and narrow river valleys. Climate: Tropical monsoon People Religion: Thervada Buddhism (67%), Christian 1.5%, animist and other Languages: Lao (official), French, English and various ethnic languages Economy GDP per person (PPP): $2039 GDP by sector: Agriculture 41%; Industry 33%; Services 26% Government One party communist state Land Geography Laos is one of the few landlocked countries in Asia. Its total land area is approximately 237,000 square kilometres, slightly larger than Victoria (227,416 square kilometres). Rivers and mountains dominate the country's landscape. The largest river, the Mekong, runs the entire length of the country and forming the country's border with Thailand. The rugged mountains of the Annamite Chain, bordering Vietnam, run parallel to the Mekong for half the length of the country. They average between 1500-3000 metres in height. In the south the land opens up to form the Bolaven Plateau, a 10,000 square kilometre area. The highest mountain is Phu Bia (2819 metres) in northern Laos. A number of rivers, most of them starting in the Lao-Vietnamese highlands, cross the country and flow into the Mekong. Climate Laos has a tropical monsoon climate with three seasons: rainy, hot and cool. Rainy season is from May to October, a cool dry season from November to February, and a hot dry season March and April. There are seasonal and regional variations of temperature. During the hot season temperatures can be as high as 40ºC while during cool season temperatures can be as low as 5°C or less in the uplands. The average annual rainfall increases from 1500-1700 millimetres in the west to 3000 millimetres in the mountains in the east. In Vientiane the average temperature in January is 21.1°C and July is 27.2°C with an average annual rainfall 1715 millimetres.   Environment Tropical forests which covered half of the country are being rapidly logged. Teak, Asian rose wood, bamboo, pine and mahogany are the major species. Laos has a variety of animals including the rare Quang Vu buffalo and the endangered Sumatran rhinoceros and Irrawaddy dolphin. Elephants, leopards and tigers are also found along with sambar, gaur, black bear and gibbon.  People Nearly 80% of its 6.6 million people live in rural areas mainly along the fertile river valleys. The main towns are Vientiane, the capital with 416,000 people, Savannakhet (50,690), Pakse (44,860) and Luang Prabang (44,244), which are all on the Mekong River. People Culture and ethnicity Laos's population is ethnically diverse, consisting of approximately 131 groups. More than half the country's people are ethnic Lao who are descended from the Tai people who began migrating southward from China in the first millennium A.D. They live mainly along the river valleys and are the politically and culturally dominant group. Khmer, Vietnamese and Thai cultural influences can be seen in Laotian language, arts and cuisine. The Lao people greet each other with a prayer-like gesture called a nop. The higher the hands are in front of the chest, the greater the sign of respect to people of higher status and age. It is also used as and expression of thanks, regret or saying good-bye. Laotians have a variety of folk arts, including cotton and silk weaving, bamboo basket making, wood and ivory carving, and silver and gold engraving and sculpturing.  Religion and beliefs Most of the lowland Lao practise Theravada Buddhism which emphasises the potential of the individual to attain nirvana or enlightenment, through prayer, meditation and leading a good life. They also believe in spirits of places and deceased persons. Animistic beliefs prevail among groups living in the mountainous areas of Laos. They believe in the protective powers of guardian spirits and the divine and curing powers of the shamans and spirit healers. Health Health indicators are poor but improving. Only half the population has access to safe water and 30% have access to sanitation facilities. Communicable diseases like malaria, acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea are the main causes of children’s death. Life expectancy at birth is 56 years and the infant mortality rate is about 80 deaths per 1,000 live births . About 50% of rural children under-5 years are severely malnourished and 40% of all under five children are moderately stunted. HIV/AIDS prevalence is currently very low (0.1%) but there are a range of risk factors present.   Food and shelter Rice is the staple food for Laotians. Fresh vegetables, freshwater fish, poultry, duck, pork, beef or water buffalo form a wider variety of dishes which may be flavoured with limejuice, lemon grass, coriander, hot chillies, garlic, mint, ground peanuts, tamarind juice, ginger and coconut milk. Rural homes are generally the traditional Lao home built on stilts with wooden planks for flooring, bamboo walls and grass or shingles for the roof. The house consists of a large open space for where people sit on low seats or cushions to eat and relax. The kitchen and a small room for washing and bathing are attached. City homes may be villas or apartment buildings. Economy Wealth and poverty Most people are subsistence farmers and with limited means of getting goods to market most live below the poverty line. The distribution of wealth is highly unequal as the top 10% of population have 30% of the income while the bottom 10% has about 3%.Most of the poor live in the remote and mountainous north and in the south east along the border with Vietnam. Education and work Educational statistics in Laos are poor and national budget allocations to the sector are amongst the lowest in the world. Since 1985 universal primary education has been introduced and 80% now attend but lack of infrastructure and trained teachers limit schooling in remote areas. The adult literacy rate is 68.7% (male: 77% and female: 60.9%). Secondary schooling is concentrated in provincial towns and there are only five tertiary institutions. Agriculture is the main economic activity and counts for 80% of total workforce. The industrial sector and service sectors are growing slowly. The unemployment rate is 2.4%. Industries and products The main industrial activities include construction, hydroelectric power, mining, clothing manufacturing, agricultural processing and forestry goods. Tourism is also growing. Trade In 2007 Laos exported wood products, coffee, electricity, tin, copper and gold worth $970 million to Thailand 34.6%, Vietnam 11% and China 6.2%. It imported $1.378 billion worth of machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel and consumer goods from Thailand 69.4%, China 9.4% and Vietnam 5.6%. Achievements and challenges Flooding and droughts are the main natural hazards which regularly occur in Laos. Logging and slash burn agriculture are causing rapid deforestation. Unexploded ordnance and chemical contamination from the American war in Vietnam still cause injury and limit the use of farm land. Building dams along the Mekong has improved access to power and export income but there are concerns about the displacement of people from their homes and the impact on the environment. Although human rights are improving people who speak out against the government are treated harshly. Laos relies heavily on donor assistance. Links with Australia Australia and Laos share over fifty years of diplomatic relations. The earliest Lao migrants arrived in Australia as Colombo Plan students in the 1960s and 1970s. Many Lao came to Australia as refugees after 1976 following the establishment of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic at the end of the war in Indochina. The 2006 Census recorded 9370 Laos born people in Australia, a decrease of 1.6 per cent from the 2001 Census. New South Wales had the largest number with 5030 followed by Victoria (2050), Queensland (1030) and Australian Capital Territory (610). Australian aid to Laos focuses on improving access to education, supporting the growth of a market economy, and reducing the vulnerability of poorer communities to disasters and unexploded ordnance. Annually up to 40 scholarships are awarded to directly address skills shortages within the country and improve capacity to create and implement sound policy and management. The Australian-built and funded Mittahap, 'Friendship’ Bridge linking Laos and Thailand opened in 1994 and is a focal point for trade and a symbol of Australian commitment to Laos and its integration with other economies. Since 2003 Australia has provided duty-free and quota-free access for Lao goods exported to Australia as part of its efforts to assist growth in the Lao economy. Australia has also supported Laos' accession to the WTO, including through training Lao officials for WTO accession.

There are big contrasts between town and village life