Laos

Laos is located on the continent of Asia, where it has a landlocked position and is bordered by Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. There are seven continents in the world: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Antarctica, Australia (Oceania). Asia is the largest continent in the world, it has 48 countries, with some countries belonging to both Asia and Europe. It spans a total area of 43,820,000 km2 and forms 29.5% of the world's landmass. Laos is a landlocked country that covers a total area of approximately 236,800 km2. It is a medium size country on the mainland continent of Asia.

The following details provide a guide to Laos' approximate border lengths:
Burma 238 km, Cambodia 555 km, China 475 km, Thailand 1,845 km, Vietnam 2,161 km.

Laos has a hot tropical monsoon climate with a rainy season that occurs from May to November. The geography of Laos is dominated by mountains and thick forest regions, some areas of plateau and plains. The Mekong is a major river system that occurs on the border of Laos and Thailand. The lowest point of Laos is the Mekong River at 70m, and the highest point of elevation is Phu Bia at 2,817m.

The official language of Laos is Lao. Other languages that are used in this country include French and English.

The primary religion of Laos is Buddhist at approximately 64% of the population. The remaining population either belongs to other religions or no religion at all.

Natural resources can be defined as materials and substances that occur naturally on Earth. Natural resources are very important across the world, and can be exploited for economic gain. An individual country's natural resources can depend on many factors including the climate, geography and location. Some countries, such as Russia, The United States, Saudi Arabia and Canada, are rich with natural resources, where as others have practically none. Food, construction and transport are three primary examples of uses of natural resources. The following information provides examples of these uses: fish occurs naturally in streams, rivers, lakes and oceans, and can be caught for food consumption. Wood/timber can be extracted from forests for construction purposes, i.e. to build homes and furniture. Crude oils can be refined into different kinds of fuels in order to power vehicles/cars. The natural resources of Laos include timber, hydropower (water power), gypsum, tin, gold and gemstones.

Every country has its own unique culture, history and identity. Flags, symbols, emblems, mottos, songs, anthems and colors are used by countries worldwide to represent national pride and identity. These national symbols are formed through the unique history of a nation and are symbolic of both hardship and prosperity, embodying freedom, strength and unity. Flags, emblems, colors, songs and mottos reflect the past, present and future aspirations of a country, and create an important image to the rest of the world. National symbols can represent a combination of things that are important to a country such as birds, animals, plants, geographical features, tools of agriculture, crops, and tools of war. Here are some important facts on the symbols, songs and colors of Laos: