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World > Asia >
Laos > Geography (Facts)
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) |
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 |
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