Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Present day Lao PDR traces its historic and cultural identity to the kingdom of Lan
Xang Hom Khao (Kingdom of a Million Elephants Under the White Parasol), which
existed for four centuries as one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia.[11]
Due to Lan Xang's central geographical location in Southeast Asia, the kingdom was
able to become a popular hub for overland trade, becoming wealthy economically as
well as culturally.[11]
After a period of internal conflict, Lan Xang broke off into three separate
kingdoms Luang Phrabang, Vientiane, and Champasak. In 1893, it became a French
protectorate, with the three territories uniting to form what is now known as the
country of Laos. It briefly gained freedom in 1945 after Japanese occupation, but
was recolonised by France until it won autonomy in 1949. Laos became independent in
1953, with a constitutional monarchy under Sisavang Vong. Shortly after
independence, a long civil war ended the monarchy, when the Communist Pathet Lao
movement came to power in 1975.
Laos' ambitious strategies for development are based on generating electricity from
its rivers and selling the power to its neighbors, namely Thailand, China, and
Vietnam, as well as its initiative to become a 'land-linked' nation, shown by the
planning of four new railways connecting Laos to those same countries.[12] This,
along with growth of the mining sector, Laos has been referred to as one of East
Asia and Pacific's fastest growing economies by the World Bank, with annual GDP
growth averaging 7% for the past decade.[13][14]
Contents [hide]
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Early history
2.2 Lan Xang
2.3 French Laos (18931953)
2.4 Independence and Communist Rule (1953present)
3 Geography
3.1 Administrative divisions
3.2 Environmental problems and illegal logging
4 Government and politics
4.1 Military
4.2 Hmong conflict
4.3 Human rights
5 Foreign relations
6 Economy
6.1 Tourism
6.2 Infrastructure
7 Demographics
7.1 Ethnicity
7.1.1 Lao Loum (lowland people)
7.1.2 Lao Theung (midland people)
7.1.3 Lao Soung (highland people)
7.2 Languages
7.3 Religion
7.4 Health
7.5 Education
8 Culture
8.1 Polygamy
8.2 Media
8.3 Sport
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
Etymology[edit]
The English word Laos was coined by the French, who united the three Lao kingdoms
in French Indochina in 1893, and named the country as the plural of the dominant
and most common ethnic group, which are the Lao people.
In the Lao language, the country's name is Muang Lao (????????) or Pathet Lao
(????????) both literally mean Lao Country.[20]
History[edit]
Main article History of Laos
Early history[edit]