World Factbook
Laos
Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
230,800 sq km
water
6,000 sq km
total
236,800 sq km
Climate
tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
Terrain
mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Land use
other
33.3% (2023 est.)
forest
56.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
9.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 5.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 1.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 2.9% (2023 est.)
Location
Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation
lowest point
Mekong River 70 m
highest point
Phu Bia 2,817 m
mean elevation
710 m
Irrigated land
4,410 sq km (2022)
Map references
Southeast Asia
Land boundaries
total
5,274 km
border countries
Burma 238 km; Cambodia 555 km; China 475 km; Thailand 1,845 km; Vietnam 2,161 km
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
floods, droughts
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
Natural resources
timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Area - comparative
about twice the size of Pennsylvania; slightly larger than Utah
Geographic coordinates
18 00 N, 105 00 E
Population distribution
most densely populated area is in and around the capital city of Vientiane; large communities are primarily found along the Mekong River along the southwestern border; overall density is considered one of the lowest in Southeast Asia
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Pacific Ocean drainage
Mekong (805,604 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Mènam Khong (Mekong) (shared with China [s], Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam [m]) - 4,350 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth