country in the NW part of the Indochinese peninsula: formerly a
French protectorate, it became an independent kingdom (1949) & a
republic (1975): 91,400 sq mi (236,725 sq km); pop. 3,722,000;
cap. Vientiane See Laos in American Heritage Dictionary 4 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.