General Information

People and Population
•Population: 6 million.
•Density: 23 people/square km
•The population consists of 49 ethnic groups, in 4 main linguistic families:
1.The Lao-Tai Family includes 8 ethnic groups.
2.The Mone-Khmer Family includes 32 ethnic groups.
3.The Tibeto-Burmese Family includes 7 ethnic groups.
4.The Hmong-Ioumien category has 2 main tribes.

These multi-ethnic people are scattered across the country each with their own unique traditions, culture and language.

Festival
February: Wat Phou Festival in Champassack Province.
April: Lao New Year Festival (Pimai Lao).
May: Ban Fi (Rocket Festival).
October: Boat Racing Festival.
November: That Luang Festival in Vientiane.

Climate
Laos enjoys a tropical climate with two distinct seasons; the rainy season from the beginning of May to the end of September and the dry season from October through to April. The yearly average temperature is about 28c, rising to a maximum of 38c during April and May. In Vientiane a minimum temperature of 19c is to be expected during January. In mountainous areas, however, temperature drops to as low as 14-15c during the winter months, and during cold nights, can easily reach freezing point. The average precipitation is highest in southern Laos , where the Annamite mountains receive over 3,000 mm and in the northern provinces only 1,000-1,500 mm.

Language
Lao language is the national language. Other languages used are French, English, Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese.

Religion
Buddhism first appeared in Laos during the eighth century AD as shown by both the Buddha image and the stone inscription found at Ban Talat near Vientiane , now exhibited at Ho PraKeo Museum. After the foundation of the unified kingdom of Lanexang , King FaNgum (14 th century) declared Buddhism as the state religion and urged the people to abandon animism or other beliefs such as the cults of spirits. His policy was meant to develop the Lao culture based on a common faith: the Theravada Buddhism.

Today, Theravada Buddhism is the professed religion of about 90% of Lao people, Buddhism is an inherent feature of daily life and casts a strong influence on Lao society. Lao people each morning give alms to monks, earning merit to lessen the number of their rebirths. It is expected that every Lao man will become a monk for at least a short time in his life. Traditionally, men spent three months during the raining season in a Wat (Buddhist temple). Today however, most men curtail their stay to one or two weeks.