Laos Geography 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