Human settlement in this region is known back dated to the centuries before Christ. The evidence of the pre-histoy item is known to be huge stone mortuary jars found on the north-centralXieng Khouangplateau, that is named “Plain of Jars”. No none knows who created the jars.
A little over half the population is Tai etho-linguistic origin This ethnic group is believed to be the people who emigrated from western China between seventh and 13th centuries AD. In the 13 th century they built their first state as Chiang Mai and Sukhotai both located in the today’s Thailand. The other one: Luang Prabang is shrouded in the myth.
It began with a royal prince, Fa Ngum who was born in 1316. He was a devout Therada Buddhist by marrying a Khmer princess . With Khmer forces he stablished the kingdom of Lan Xangin 1353. The capital was Luang Prabang. It was a Buddhist kingdom and renowned for the center of Buddhist scholarship. Lan Xang reached its highest under King Souligna Vongsa who came to throne in 1637. He made Vientiane the capital. Both cities were reduced from theirs glories as the result of antagonistics to each other: Luang Prabang under Thai patronage and Vientiane under Vietnamese patronage. Once again reunited under Lao prince Chao Anou when he ruled from Ventiane in 1805 but nor for long. Thai –Vietnamese warfare continued until 1835 and at the end Vietnamese got the eastern part while Lao, Thai got the western and southern provinces.
Cambodia and Vietnam came under the French colonial rule between 1860 and 1885. In 1893 Thailand reluctantly signed a Franco-Siamese treatywhich transfered all the Lao territories east of Mekong to French.
Most people of the region were subsistance farmers mainly growing wet-rice in the lowlands. In the mountain areas, the Hmong people and other mountain dwellers grow opium. This became the biggest revenue earner of the French colony.
Modernisation to Laos was very limited before the second world war. Ninety percent of the population were subsistance farmer. Communication, health care and other social services were almost non existent. Most primary education was conducted in the Buddhist temple schools. The Lao elite went to Vietnam or france to acquire an education, returning to form a small royal and aristocratic upper class.
After the war a Free Laos (Lao Issara) was set up by those who wanted to be independent . They set up a provisional government. The country split between those who wanted independent and those who wanted the French colonial to return. In 1949 Laos was declared independent. After an election in 1951 the royal Prince Souvanna Phouma became the first Prime Minister.
Some, like Prince Souphanouvong, half brother of the Prime minister, rebelled. In August 1950, he became the prime minister of Pathet Lao (Land of the Lao). By early 1954, Pathet Lao forces controlled large areas of the north-east Laos . The conflict continued into 1962 when a new coalition government came in with Souvanna still the Prime Minister. The conflict did not stop and the bombing of Laos began . With heavy bombing for 10 years (1964 – 1975) the Pathet Lao, instead got stronger assisted by well-armed DRV (Democratic Republic of Vietam). In February 1973 an agreement reached by USA and Pathet lao where USA and Thailand withdrew their military personnel leading to independent Lao by 1975 December - Lao People’s Democratic Republic with Prince Souphanouvong as the first president . The new government introduced socialist policies. The effect was hard – it took the country backward with political upheavals in 30 years. This country is still included as one of the poorest countries in the world at this moment.
OFFICIAL NAME: Lao People’s Democratic Republic
CAPITAL: Vientiane– 716,000 (2003)
AREA: 236,800 sq km (91,430 sq mi)
LOCATION: North and Northwest of Australia ( groups of 70,000 islands)
POPULATION: 6,677,534 (2008)
GOVERNMENT: Communist State
HEAD OF STATE: President .....
ETHNIC GROUPS: Lao Lum (low land Lao) – 66%; Lao Thoeng (mountain slope Lao) –24%; Lao Sung (mountain tops Lao) – 10%
LANGUAGE: Lao (Official); Numerous indigenous languages and dialects , French and English
RELIGIOUS GROUPS: Buddhist – 49%; Indigenous belief – 42%; Non religious – 4%; Christian – 2%; Other – 3%
MONETARY UNIT: 1 new kip (NK) or Ngeun Kip Mai - 100 at; GDP - $3’4 billion (2006); GDP per capita - $596.80 (2006)
EDUCATION: Compulsory schooling of 5 years (2003); Teacher Student Ratio is 1:31 (2002)
Comments (0)
