Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a socialist state and the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. At the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula, Laos is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and southwest. Its capital and largest city is Vientiane.
Evidence for modern human presence in the northern and central highlands of Indochina, that constitute the territories of the modern Laotian nation-state dates back to the Lower Paleolithic. These earliest human migrants are Australo-Melanesians — associated with the Hoabinhian culture and have populated the highlands and the interior, less accessible regions of Laos and all of South-east Asia to this day. The subsequent Austroasiatic and Austronesian marine migration waves affected landlocked Laos only marginally and direct Chinese and Indian cultural contact had a greater impact on the country.
Luang Phabang, or Louangphabang, commonly transliterated into Western languages from the pre-1975 Lao spelling ຫຼວງພຣະບາງ as Luang Prabang, literally meaning "Royal Buddha Image", is a city in north central Laos, consisting of 58 adjacent villages, of which 33 comprise the UNESCO Town Of Luang Prabang World Heritage Site. It was listed in 1995 for unique and "remarkably" well preserved architectural, religious and cultural heritage, a blend of the rural and urban developments over several centuries, including the French colonial influences during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Muang Phuan or Xieng Khouang was a historical principality on the Xiangkhoang Plateau, which constitutes the modern territory of Xiangkhouang Province, Laos.
The Plain of Jars is a megalithic archaeological landscape in Laos. It consists of thousands of stone jars scattered around the upland valleys and the lower foothills of the central plain of the Xiangkhoang Plateau. The jars are arranged in clusters ranging in number from one to several hundred.
Laos developed its culture and customs as the inland crossroads of trade and migration in Southeast Asia over millennia. As of 2012 Laos has a population of roughly 6.4 million spread over 236,800 km2, yielding one of the lowest population densities in Asia. Yet the country of Laos has an official count of over forty-seven ethnicities divided into 149 sub-groups and 80 different languages. The Lao Loum have throughout the country's history comprised the ethnic and linguistic majority. In Southeast Asia, traditional Lao culture is considered one of the Indic cultures.
Near Pak Ou the Tham Ting and the Tham Theung are caves overlooking the Mekong River, 25 km to the north of Luang Prabang, Laos. They are a group of two caves on the west side of the Mekong river, about two hours upstream from the centre of Luang Prabang, and are frequently visited by tourists.
Muang Xay, also referred to as Oudomxai or Oudomxay, is the capital city of Oudomxai Province, Laos.
Muang Ngoi Neua is a Lao town along the Nam Ou in Louangphrabang Province. It is part of Ngoi district 170 kilometres North-East of Luang Prabang.
Xiangkhouang is a province of Laos on the Xiangkhoang Plateau, in the nation's northeast. The province has the distinction of being the most heavily bombed place on Earth.
Houaphanh province is a province in eastern Laos. Its capital is Xam Neua.
Sainyabuli province is a province in northwest Laos. Sainyabuli town is the capital of the province. Sainyabuli is the only Lao province that is completely west of the Mekong River.
Oudomxay is a province of Laos, located in the northwest of the country. The province capital is Muang Xai.
Joyce C. White is an American archaeologist, an adjunct professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, and executive director of the new Institute for Southeast Asian Archaeology. Her research primarily concerns decades-long multidisciplinary archaeological investigations in Thailand and Laos covering the prehistoric human occupation of the middle reaches of the Mekong River Basin. She is considered the world's leading expert on the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ban Chiang, Thailand, and directs an archaeological fieldwork program in the Luang Prabang Province of Laos. She has become a strong advocate of cultural heritage preservation and has served as an expert witness in an antiquities trafficking case for the U.S. Department of Justice.
Operation Triangle was a military operation of the Laotian Civil War staged from 19—29 July 1964. Although planned by the General Staff of the Royal Lao Army, it was subject to American approval because the RLA depended on the Americans for finances, supplies, and munitions. Operation Triangle was an ambitious undertaking dependent on martial skills unfamiliar to the Lao. It not only called for coordination of infantry, artillery, and tactical air strikes among forces of three different nationalities; as a covert operation, it also had to have plausible deniability.
Ban Thapene is a village of Luang Prabang District, Luang Prabang Province, Laos. The village was first established about 130 years ago by Kha Hok families, one of the Khmu ethnic sub-groups. Like many other upland inhabitants in Luang Prabang, the livelihood and culture of ethnic groups such as Lao Loum, Kha Hok, Yao and Hmong in Ban Thapene is dependent on natural resources.
Long Lau May village, or Ban Long Lau May, is a village in the Luang Prabang District of Luang Prabang Province in Laos.
Cinema in Laos emerged later than in nearby Vietnam and Cambodia.
Ban Phou Pheung Noi is a Laotian village located on the mountain peak, Phou pheung, in the Xieng Khouang province, Laos. The height of this mountain is approximately 916 m (3,005 ft). During the Vietnam War, this mountain was a place of combat between the American allies, the Hmong, and their enemies: the Pathet Lao, the Laos Marxist government, and the communist North Vietnamese, the Vietnamese People's Army. The area was mainly mountainous and covered with tropical forests in the late 1960s. This mountain, Phou pheung, runs from East to West. It is south of Muang Soui - Nongtang-Nato, and west of Phou Douk, Muang Phuan, Phonsavan and Plain of Jars. On the east side, about 10 miles from Ban Phou pheung noi is the Num Ngum 4 hydroelectric dam. Down the village of Ban Phou pheung noi were its rocky mountains and the Nam Ngum River. This long river went through the bottom of the mountain of Phou Pheung before continuing west to the Mekong River in the Vientiane province. During the rainy season, navigation between Ban Phou pheung noi's village and its neighbors, located on the other side of the Nam Ngum River, was impossible due to the rocky cliffs. Both sides of the river were walled in by unclimbable rocky mountains. To reach the other side of the river, it was necessary to walk miles of detours on foot, which could only be attempted during the dry season.
