Laos Geography Profile 2008

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
land: 230,800 sq km
water: 6,000 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: 4.01%
permanent crops: 0.34%
other: 95.65% (2005)

Irrigated land

1,750 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources

333.6 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 3 cu km/yr (4%/6%/90%)
per capita: 507 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards

floods, droughts

Environment - current issues

unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, 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 River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand