Geography of Laos Geography of Laos Laos is an independent republic, and a landlocked nation in Southeast Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam. It covers 236,800 square kilometers in the center of the Southeast Asian peninsula and it is surrounded by Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, Thailand, and Vietnam. About seventy percent of its geographic area is made up of mountain ranges, highlands, plateaux, and rivers cut through. Its location has often made it a buffer between more powerful neighboring states, as well as a crossroads for trade and communication. Migration and international conflict have contributed to the present
Emblem of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN; the addition of four more rice stalks to represent the whole ten ASEAN nations. The three remaining nations; Laos, Burma, and Cambodia were scheduled to join ASEAN in July 1997, to commemorate this auspicious event, the new emblem of ASEAN was unveiled. Laos and Burma (Myanmar) joined on 23 July 1997, however the admission of Cambodia was postponed to 30 April 1999 due to their internal politic problems. Despite the Cambodian postponed membership, the ASEAN new emblem still consisted of ten rice stalks unveiled in July 1997. Emblem of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations The Emblem of the