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 Geography
Laos
is landlocked and lies between Thailand, Myanmar, China, Vietnam
and Cambodia. The Mekong River forms the country's western
border and the Annamite mountains form its eastern border
with Vietnam. The total land area is approximately 237,000
sq km - an area similar to that of the United Kingdom.
The main features of the country are its mountains and the
Mekong River valley.
The
Mekong River and its 15 tributaries make up a total of 2,400
km of waterways, but only about one third of these are navigable.
70% of the country is mountainous. In the south, the
Annamite mountains reach 2,600m in height. The Khammouanne
plateau in the centre of the range is mass of limestone karst.
At the south of the range is the Bolaven Plateau. The
north of Laos is made of steep sloped mountain ranges with
the highest mountain in the country at 2820m in Xiang Khouang
province. Over half of Laos is forest.
Climate
Map showing
average annual rainfall in mm
Laos
has a monsoon climate of a dry and a wet season. The
dry season lasts from November to May with the cooler period
in December and January. At its coldest, the temperatures
can fall to as low as 15 deg C. The cold periods tend
to be at night and early morning with colder temperatures
at higher altitudes. During the hot period of the dry
season, between March and May, temperatures can reach the
high 30s. The rainy season is a lot cooler, and rainfall
varies according to altitude. Generally speaking, the
monsoon season produces severe rain that lasts for short periods
of time. The wet months vary according to location,
in Vientiane, they are from May to September, in Luang Prabang,
August is far wetter than any other month.
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