Geography and climate

Geography Laos
The first characteristic of Laos is not to have access to the sea an area of ​​236,800 km ², the country stretches from north to south over a length of about 1500 km. It is bordered to the northeast by the Anna mite Cordillera and west by the Mekong. Nearly 80% of the area of ​​Laos are divided between plateaus and mountains.

Mekong waters the country over a length of 1800 km. It is theoretically navigable throughout the year but, increasingly, the water level becomes too low at the end of the dry season. Particularly in the north, when the Chinese dams upstream remain stubbornly close. In the south, it is rarely used for the improvement of the road network. The same fate probably awaits in the north, as and when open new routes.
Almost all arable land is located along the river, which focuses more than half of the population. The center of the country is occupied by limestone or sandstone plateaus. In the south, the Bolaven Plateau comprises a fertile and temperate region, suitable for upland crops such as coffee.

In the extreme south of the country, on the border of Cambodia, the Mekong is divided into a plurality of arms which embrace hundreds of islands. The greater Khong Island in the province of Champassak Fast and waterfalls prohibit navigation between the two countries, to the chagrin of French explorers of the nineteenth century (see below, "History. Protection France ")...

Climate and weather in Laos
- The best time to visit Laos is between November to March. We are then in the dry season, and temperatures are not too high for a reasonable humidity. At this time, the temperature varies greatly with altitude. Chilly, abstain, or else bring a heavy wool. And when it is already starting to get very hot in Vientiane, the temperature remains more lenient in Luang Prabang, due to the altitude ...

- From April to October, Laos is subject to monsoons. Then it rains a lot in the south from May to October, a little less in the north. The hottest months are April and May. In Vientiane and Luang Prabang, there are now air conditioning everywhere. During these hot summer months , fog burns the horizon and are raining ash on vegetation cities like Luang Prabang ...

From the end of March , when the first rains fall , the heat moves between 30 and 35 ° C, with a peak in May. In July, August and September, that is to say, during the monsoon, do not believe the journey impossible. In Vientiane, if the heat can be troublesome, rain falls usually in 1 or 2 daily showers, often in the evening. However, they are more frequent in Luang Prabang.