imported>PlebeianTribune: Created page with " '''Laos''', {{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɑː|oʊ|s|,_|ˈ|l|ɑː|ɒ|s|,_|ˈ|l|eɪ|ɒ|s}} {{respell|LOWSS|,_|LAH|ohss|,_|LAH|oss|,_|LAY|oss}}{{cite web|url=http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Laos|title=Laos|via=The Free Dictionary|access-date=8 September 2016|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225194143/https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Laos|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/d..."

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Created page with " '''Laos''', {{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɑː|oʊ|s|,_|ˈ|l|ɑː|ɒ|s|,_|ˈ|l|eɪ|ɒ|s}} {{respell|LOWSS|,_|LAH|ohss|,_|LAH|oss|,_|LAY|oss}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Laos|title=Laos|via=The Free Dictionary|access-date=8 September 2016|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225194143/https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Laos|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/d..."

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'''Laos''', {{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɑː|oʊ|s|,_|ˈ|l|ɑː|ɒ|s|,_|ˈ|l|eɪ|ɒ|s}} {{respell|LOWSS|,_|LAH|ohss|,_|LAH|oss|,_|LAY|oss}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Laos|title=Laos|via=The Free Dictionary|access-date=8 September 2016|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225194143/https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Laos|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/english/Laos|title=Laos – definition of Laos in English from the Oxford dictionary|date=9 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109212153/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/english/Laos |archive-date=9 November 2015 }}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20151130123751/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/laos Oxford Dictionaries (American English)]</ref>}} officially the '''Lao People's Democratic Republic''' ('''LPDR'''),{{efn|{{langx|lo|ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ|translit=Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao}}}} is the only [[landlocked country]] in [[Southeast Asia]]. Located on the [[Mainland Southeast Asia|Indochinese Peninsula]], 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. The country has a population of approximately 8 million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.na.gov.la/appf17/geography.html|title=About Laos: Geography |website=Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum|publisher=Government of Laos|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416191557/http://www.na.gov.la/appf17/geography.html|archive-date=16 April 2016}}</ref> Its capital and [[List of cities in Laos|most populous city]] is [[Vientiane]]. The country has [[Buddhist temple]]s, including the [[UNESCO]]'s [[World Heritage Site]] of [[Luang Prabang]], and French colonial architecture.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Vongvilay |first1=Xayaphone |last2=Shin |first2=Jai-Eok |last3=Kang |first3=Young-Hwan |last4=Kim |first4=E-Doo |last5=Choi |first5=Joong-Hyun |date=2015-05-01 |title=The Influence of French Colonial Rule on Lao Architecture with a Focus on Residential Buildings |journal=Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=279–286 |doi=10.3130/jaabe.14.279 |issn=1346-7581|doi-access=free }}</ref>

The country traces its historic and cultural identity to [[Lan Xang]], a kingdom which existed from the 13th to 18th centuries. Through its location, the kingdom was a hub for overland trade.<ref name="Stuart-Fox">{{Cite book|title=The Lao Kingdom of Lan Xang: Rise and Decline|last=Stuart-Fox|first=Martin|publisher=White Lotus Press|year=1998|isbn=974-8434-33-8|page=49}}</ref> In 1707, Lan Xang split into three kingdoms: [[Kingdom of Luang Phrabang|Luang Prabang]], [[Kingdom of Vientiane|Vientiane]], and [[Kingdom of Champasak|Champasak]]. In 1893, these kingdoms were unified under French protection 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. The country regained full independence in 1953 as the [[Kingdom of Laos]], with a constitutional monarchy under [[Sisavang Vong]]. A [[Laotian Civil War|Civil War]] from 1959 to 1975 saw the communist [[Pathet Lao]], supported by [[North Vietnam]] and the [[Soviet Union]], oppose the [[Royal Lao Armed Forces]], backed by the [[United States]]. The war ended with the establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic in 1975, a [[people's democratic state]] aligned with the Soviet Union until [[dissolution of the Soviet Union|its dissolution]] in 1991.

As one of the five fully sovereign and recognised [[Marxist-Leninist states]] as of 2025, and the only one that self-designates as a people's democratic state, Laos has been governed by the [[Lao People's Revolutionary Party]] (LPRP) since 1975. It has used market-oriented reforms.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.adb.org/publications/lao-pdr-accelerating-structural-transformation-inclusive-growth |title=Lao PDR: Accelerating Structural Transformation for Inclusive Growth – Country Diagnostic Study |date=2017-11-10 |publisher=Asian Development Bank |isbn=978-92-9257-993-7 |language=en |doi=10.22617/tcs179052-2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bird |first1=Kelly |last2=Hill |first2=Hal |date=June 2010 |title=Tiny, Poor, Land-locked, Indebted, but Growing: Lessons for Late Reforming Transition Economies from Laos |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13600811003753776 |journal=Oxford Development Studies |language=en |volume=38 |issue=2 |pages=117–143 |doi=10.1080/13600811003753776 |hdl=1885/52194 |issn=1360-0818|hdl-access=free |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Laos's development strategy emphasizes regional connectivity through infrastructure development. The 2021 completion of the [[Boten–Vientiane railway|Laos–China Railway]] (LCR), connecting Vientiane to [[Kunming]], has increased trade and tourism accessibility.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Osaka City University, Japan |last2=Yan |first2=Xuchong |date=2024-09-18 |title=A Study on the China-Laos Railway's Economic and Strategic Significance |url=http://www.su-journal.com/index.php/su/article/view/407 |journal=Souphanouvong University Journal Multidisciplinary Research and Development |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=115–123 |doi=10.69692/SUJMRD1001115|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Zongshi |last2=Zeng |first2=Wenge |date=2023-12-15 |title=What Would Be Necessary to Construct a Rule Framework for Sustainability in the New Western Land–Sea Corridor? An Analysis Based on Green International Rule of Law |journal=Sustainability |language=en |volume=15 |issue=24 |article-number=16888 |doi=10.3390/su152416888 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2023Sust...1516888Z |issn=2071-1050}}</ref> The country participates in the Greater Mekong Subregion economic cooperation program, focusing on cross-border infrastructure and energy projects.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Verbiest |first=Jean-Pierre A. |date=2013 |title=Regional Cooperation and Integration in the Mekong Region |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aepr.12015 |journal=Asian Economic Policy Review |language=en |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=148–164 |doi=10.1111/aepr.12015 |issn=1748-3131|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The World Bank has recognized Laos as one of [[Southeast Asia]] and Pacific's [[List of countries by real GDP growth rate|fastest growing economies]], with annual GDP growth averaging 7.4% since 2009, driven by expanding tourism, energy exports, and foreign investment. While classified as a [[Least developed countries|least developed country]] by the [[United Nations]], Laos is a member of [[ASEAN]], the [[Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement]], [[East Asia Summit]], [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|La Francophonie]], and the [[World Trade Organization]].<ref name="wto">{{cite web | url=http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/countries_e/lao_e.htm | title=Lao People's Democratic Republic and the WTO | publisher=World Trade Organization | access-date=9 August 2014 | archive-date=12 August 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812135345/http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/countries_e/lao_e.htm | url-status=live }}</ref>

Laos - Revision history