page_title: Culture of Laos
section_title: Religion
hierarchical_section_title: Culture of Laos / Religion
caption_attribution_description: Laos - Luang Prabang 100 - evening prayer at Wat Xieng Thong
context_page_description: Laos developed its culture and customs as the inland crossroads of trade and migration in Southeast Asia over millennia. As of 2012 Laos has a population of roughly 6.4 million spread over 236,800 km², yielding one of the lowest population densities in Asia. Yet the country of Laos has an official count of over forty-seven ethnicities divided into 149 sub-groups and 80 different languages. The Lao Loum have throughout the country's history comprised the ethnic and linguistic majority. In Southeast Asia, traditional Lao culture is considered one of the Indic cultures.
  Laos is geographically isolated and mountainous, bounded by the Annamite Range in the east, forming a traditional political and cultural boundary with Vietnam. Much of the western borders of Laos are formed by the Mekong River which provided the major means of inland trade despite limited navigability along the river's length. Prior to the 20th century Lao principalities and the Kingdom of Lan Xang extended to the Sipsong Panna, Sipsong Chau Tai, and Khorat Plateau where the river was used as a transportation artery to connect Lao peoples on both the right and left banks.
context_section_description: Laos is approximately 66% Theravada Buddhist, which roughly falls along ethnic lines with the majority of practitioners being Lao Loum. The remainder is largely animist, following their unique ethnic traditions and practices. Even among the Lao Loum there is a high degree of syncretism with most Lao acknowledging the traditional animist traditions known collectively as satsana phi.  Other religions are in the minority including Islam and Christianity and represent a combined total of less than 2% of the population.
caption: Monks gathered at evening prayer
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