Location Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam

Geographic coordinates 18 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references Southeast Asia

Area
total: 236,800 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
land: 230,800 sq km

Area - comparative slightly larger than Utah

Land boundaries
total: 5,083 km
border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km

Coastline 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims none (landlocked)

Climate tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)

Terrain mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus

Elevation extremes
lowest point: Mekong River 70 m
highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m

Natural resources timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones

Land use
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 96% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 1,640 sq km
note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards floods, droughts

Environment - current issues unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water

Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand

NOTE: The information regarding Laos on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Laos Geography 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Laos Geography 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.