Laos: An Introduction.

At our last GAP meeting, each group presented a powerpoint about one particular aspect of Laos. The categories: military, government, geography, people, transport, economy, ethnic groups, and a general overview of Laos.

Firstly, Laos is located in SEA, with no coastline, and it is a tropical monsoon. It's land mostly consists of rugged mountains, with its average temperature 29 degrees Celsius. It houses a population of 6,834,942 people, with Buddhism its main religion. The nationality of Laos is Laotian, the nationality of most of Laos' population. The Laotian people descended from Tai people, the peoples who are now in southern China and northern Vietnam. There are six main ethnic groups in Laos - Katu, Khmuic, Tibrto - Burman, Hmong - Mien, Tai, and Chinese. French, English, and Lao are the main languages of Laos. We learnt how to say some phrases in Lao:

"Jao seu nyang?" - What is your name?

and

"Khap jai lao." - Thank you.

In Laos, there are two main armies - the Lao People's Army, and the Secret Army. The minimum age to join the Lao People's Army is fifteen, and it is a small army consisting of around 1.5 million people. The Secret Army is trained by the CIA to drive out the North Vietnamese, however the Lao People's Army is "killing it." Laos is a communist state, with its legal systems based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practise. The main political party is the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.

Laos has a total of 42 airports, with its national airlines being Lao Airlines. Out of these 42 airports, only 10 are paved. Thailand and the Vietnamese border are connected to Laos through highways, and in Laos it is right to drive on the right side of the road. Most of the transportation in Laos is done via the Mekong River, such as through ferries and fishing boats. The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of Laos is $3,403,670,000, 14% of which the country uses to aid itself and other countries in need. Laos' main agriculture products include sweet potato, vegetable, rice, pig, cattle, chicken, and water buffalo.

Laos is a country with a rich culture and history, as well as a wide variety of ethnic groups. I am very much looking forward to the Global Action Program.