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The Lao people are a Tai ethnic group native to Southeast Asia. They primarily speak the Lao language, which belongs to the Kra–Dai language family. Lao people constitute the majority ethnic group of Laos, comprising 53.2% of the country's total population. They are also found in significant numbers in northeastern Thailand, particularly in ...
Laos, [c] officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), [d] is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and southwest. [ 12 ]
Northeastern Thai (including the Tai Kaleun and Isan people) Tai Nuea [ 2 ] Kassak (located to the south and southeast of Luang Prabang , in an area bounded by the Nam Khan River, Phu Hin Salik, Nam Sanane River, Nam Ming River, and Nam Khan River up to Xieng Ngeun District).
Below is a list of Lao people (persons from Laos, or of Lao descent). Resident Laotians. Kouprasith Abhay; Alexandra Bounxouei; Anouvong; Boua; Bounkhong; Bouasone ...
The demographic makeup of the population is uncertain as the government divides the people into three groups according to the altitude at which they live, rather than according to ethnic origin. The lowland Lao account for 68%, upland Lao for 22%, and the highland Lao (Lao Soung, including the Hmong and the Yao) for 9%.
Laos became independent in 1953 under King Sisavang Vong. The capital city is Vientiane. Other large cities include Luang Prabang, Savannakhet, and Pakse. The official language is Lao. Laos is a multi-ethnic country with the politically and culturally dominant Lao people making up approximately 60 percent of the population, mostly in the lowlands.
Laos has experienced several major wars and occupations since the eighteenth century. Laos holds distinction as the most heavily bombed country in world, as a result of the wars against the communist revolutions in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia during the 1960s and 1970s. Years of economic isolation have also taken a toll.
On 2 December 1975, the king was forced to abdicate his throne and the Lao People's Democratic Republic was established. Around 300,000 people out of a total population of three million left Laos by crossing the border into Thailand following the end of the civil war. [38] [16]