HISTORY
The first Lao Kingdom,Lane Xang
was founded in the 14th century by King Fa Ngum after he conquered
and unified the lands north of Ventiane , including Luang Prabang, Xieng,
Khouang and the Khorat Plateau stretching into what is today, Nordeasten
Thailand. Luang Prabang remained the capital of Lane Prabang until King
Phothisarat moved the Kingdom’s administrative seat to Vientiane in 1545.
Even
after the capital moved to Vientiane,Luang Prabang remained the country’s
spiritual and religious center. The country’s first contact with western
emissaries occurred in the mid-17th century during the reign of King
Surigna Vongsa.After the death of Surigna Voongsa in 1694 Lane Xang broke up
into 3 separate Kingdoms: Vientiane,Champasak and Luang Prabang.
Part of French Indochina during
the 19th –early 20th century colonial period Laos
achieved complete independence in 1975 with the founding of the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic.
Today Laos is comprised of 17
provinces. It is least populated country in Southeast Asia, with nearly 63
million inhabitants in 2010 or about 26 people per km square. In comparison,
Vietnam has a population density of 230 people per km square and Thailand is
120. Roughly 85% of the population lives in rural areas. Although few in
absolute numbers, within the populations of Laos there is tremendous ethnic
diversity wit 49 officially recognized ethnic groups speaking over 48
languages.
The largest contributor to the
Gross Domestic Product is agriculture which provides a living for 80% of the
population. The principal crop is sticky rice but corn, tobacco, cotton and
coffee are also grown. Raising livestock for domestic and regional consumption
is also an important economic activity.
Harvest of non-timber forest products
such as resins, herbal medicine and forest foods for commercial and home use is
also a very important contributor to the Lao economy and rural people’s live
hoods.
The primary national industries include hydropower, garment manufacture,
agro –forestry, tourism, mining and production of some common consumer goods.
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