This is the first atlas of Laos of its kind and scope. It is intended as an aid to the State Planning Committee in including spatial factors in its development strategies, in reducing territorial inequalities, in giving a regional dimension to planning and in involving Laos in the process of regional integration of the Geater Mekong Subregion, which consists of the Indochinese Peninsula and China’s Yunnan Province.
The statistics mapped in the atlas paint a picture of Laos at the end of the 1990s. The atlas provides an image of the country at a key moment in its development, 20 years after the founding of the Lao PDR. It measures the Lao PDR’s degree of integration, evaluates its resources and potential, and highlights its spatial structures and dynamics. It is an instrument for cooperation between Laotian and foreign development partners and an educational tool for teachers and students.
Chapter 1 Territory
Chapter 2 Settlement
Chapter 3 Population dynamics
Chapter 4 Level of education, activity and employment
Chapter 5 Agriculture
Chapter 6 Industry, mining and energy
Chapter 7 Transport, post and telecommunications
Chapter 8 Trade and tourism
Chapter 9 Education, health and culture
Chapter 10 Spatial organisation