!!!Laos: Geography ||Location|Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam ||Geographic Coordinates|18 00 N, 105 00 E[{GoogleMap location='18.0,105.0' zoom='4'}] ||Area |''total: ''236,800 sq km\\''land: ''230,800 sq km\\''water: ''6,000 sq km\\[[__''Verified in 8 databases''__] ||Land boundaries|''total: ''5,083 km\\''border countries: ''Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km ||Coastline|0 km (landlocked) ||Elevation Extremes|''lowest point: ''Mekong River 70 m\\''highest point: ''Phu Bia 2,817 m ||Highest Mountains|__Due to difference in mountain rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists :__\\ According to [Wolfram|http://www.wolframalpha.com]: Phou Bia 2830 m\\According to [Geonames|http://www.geonames.org]: Phou Xai Lai Leng 2700 m; Phou San 2218 m; Phou Soaydao 2102 m; Phou Pan-Gnai 2079 m; Phou Khè 2079 m\\ \\__Attempted Explanation:__ Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to [office@global-geography.org|mailto:office@global-geography.org] ||Terrain|mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus ||Natural Hazards|floods, droughts ||Natural Resource|timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones ||Land Use|''arable land: ''5.91%\\''permanent crops: ''0.42%\\''other: ''93.67% (2011) ||Climate|tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) ||Irrigated Land|3,100 sq km (2005) ||Renewable Water Resources|333.5 cu km (2011) ||Environment_CurrentIssues|unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water ||Environment - international agreements|''party to: ''Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection\\''signed, but not ratified: ''none of the selected agreements ||Large Cities|Vientiane; Pakxe; Savannakhet; Luang Prabang; Xam Nua\\ __[[Verified]__\\[Important Cities|Geography/Asia/Laos/Geography/Important_Cities] ||Geography-note|landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand