La·os (lous, l   s ) A country of southeast Asia. Originally part of the Khmer Empire, the region became a powerful Lao kingdom (14th-15th century) and was later incorporated into French Indochina in 1893. Laos gained its independence in 1953, but a Communist uprising soon drew the country into a civil war, and a Communist state was established in 1975. Vientiane is the capital and the largest city. Population: 6,520,000. |   |
Laos [laʊz laʊs]
n
(Placename) a republic in SE Asia: first united as the kingdom of Lan Xang (``million elephants'') in 1353, after being a province of the Khmer Empire for about four centuries; made part of French Indochina in 1893 and gained independence in 1949; became a republic in 1975. It is generally forested and mountainous, with the Mekong River running almost the whole length of the W border. Official language: Laotian. Religion: Buddhist majority, tribal religions. Currency: kip. Capital: Vientiane. Pop.: 5 636 000 (2001 est.). Area: 236 800 sq. km (91 429 sq. miles) Official name People's Democratic Republic of Laos
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  Laos - a mountainous landlocked communist state in southeastern Asia; achieved independence from France in 1949ASEAN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations - an association of nations dedicated to economic and political cooperation in southeastern Asia and who joined with the United States to fight against global terrorism Indochina, Indochinese peninsula - a peninsula of southeastern Asia that includes Myanmar and Cambodia and Laos and Malaysia and Thailand and Vietnam Mekong, Mekong River - an Asian river; flows through a large delta in southern Vietnam into the South China Sea |
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