Laos Exports

According to National Geographic MapMaker (mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org), the following items are major exports of LAOS: cassava, clothing and textiles, coffee, copper, corn (maize), gemstones, gold, gypsum, hydroelectricity to neighboring countries, rice, rubber, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, tea, timber, tin, tobacco, and wood products. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include Thailand (top importer), China, Vietnam, India, Japan, Germany, the United States, Sweden, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Cambodia, Denmark, Italy, Canada, Malaysia, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Belgium.

Laos Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for LAOS in Southeast Asia lists 34 critically endangered species and 68 endangered species. There are fortunately no extinct species in Laos, or at least none listed by the IUCN. However, some endangered species are in extreme risk of extinction, as my Golden Triangle post explains. Critically endangered species include the Black Crested Gibbon, Giant Ibis bird, Indochinese Box Turtle, Javan Rhinoceros, Kouprey bovine, Mekong Giant Catfish, Mekong Giant Salmon Carp, Siamese Crocodile, Siamese Tiger Perch, and Sunda Pangolin. Endangered species include the Asian Elephant, Black-bellied Tern bird, Double Flowered Paphiopedilum flower, Indochinese Lutung monkey, Laotian Rock Rat (less than 5,000 square kilometer range in central Laos), Large-antlered Muntjac deer (located in eastern and southeastern Laos and southern Vietnam), Masked Finfoot, Mekong Freshwater Stingray, Phayre’s Leaf Monkey, and Yellow-headed Tortoise.

Endangered Species in Peril in Laos' Golden Triangle

Located near Thailand's northern border and close to Myanmar in northwestern LAOS of the Indochina peninsula, the 3000-hectare (11.6-square-mile) Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone experienced over $80 million in investments from private Chinese developers and the Lao government. The region is economically booming, while endangered species in the area are left to suffer from anthropogenic development and illegal poaching activities, according to the International Business Times and the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency. Endangered species such as pangolins, tigers, and elephants are being smuggled in and out. While being bred in captivity - sometimes in claustrophobic, small cages - the species are being killed for food and "medicinal" qualities. Unauthorized local and international trade of endangered species is prohibited, yet the EIA reports this is occurring in the Golden Triangle SEZ.

Environmental Investigation Agency source (EIA's full report in PDF file format): http://eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/EIA-Sin-City-FINAL-med-res.pdf

International Business Times source: http://www.ibtimes.com/golden-triangle-haven-peddlers-endangered-species-meat-body-parts-report-1852092

Mekong River

Rivers around the world are important modes of transportation in both developed and developing countries, and the Mekong River in Southeast Asia is no exception! Providing a vital route for shipping goods like rice, cotton, vegetables, peanuts, timber, and minerals to the South China Sea and beyond, the Mekong originates in southern Qinghai Province in southern CHINA (where it is called the Lancang River), and then flows south and serves as part of the border for LAOS, MYANMAR (Burma), and THAILAND. Next, it flows through southern Laos and CAMBODIA before turning southeast through southern VIETNAM, then reaches the Mouths of the Mekong, Mekong Delta, and the South China Sea.

Cities Along the Mekong River
The largest city along the Mekong in southern China is Jinghong, which is in Yunnan Province. Laos' four largest cities - Louangphrabang, Vientiane (Laos' capital), Savannakhet, and Paxhé - are also located beside the Mekong. Further south, the Mekong flows past Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. Finally, Vietnamese cities such as Cao Lanh, Sa Dec, Vinh Long, My Tho, Ben Tre, and Tra Vinh are located beside the river and the distributaries in the Mekong Delta.

Plain of Jars in Laos

Louangphrabang, LAOS (GeoFact of the Day) — If you saw Bing.com's homepage image today, an interesting image illustrates humongous stone containers scattered across a field, resembling Stonehenge, but with jars instead of vertical and horizontal slabs! The site of the remains, fittingly-named the Plain of Jars, is the northern part of Laos, a Southeast Asian country east of Thailand and west of Vietnam. More specifically, the Plain of Jars is on the Xiangkhoang Plateau, east of the city of Louangphrabang (Luang Prabang). Starting in 2015, the Lao government sought to designate the Plain of Jars feature as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Laos

LAOS is an elongated country located in Southeastern Asia on the Indochinese Peninsula. Surrounding countries and areas include Cambodia to the south, a relatively small border with China to the north, Myanmar (Burma) to the northwest, Thailand to the west, and Vietnam to the east. The capital of Laos is Vientiane, also known as Viangchan. The currency is the Laos Kip (₭), and its ISO 4217 currency code is LAK.