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Is it a historical reason that Laos has such a small population?
There are both geographical and historical reasons.

Laos was called Nanzhang Kingdom in history, and the earliest Nanzhang Kingdom was larger than it is now. In addition to Laos, a large part of Thailand also belonged to Nanzhang.

From 1707 to 17 13, Nanzhang Kingdom was divided into three small countries: Luang Prabang in the north, Vientiane Kingdom in the middle and Chambasque Kingdom in the south.

After Nanzhang split, Siam (Thailand) took advantage. During Daoguang period of Qing Dynasty, Thailand successively annexed Luang Prabang, Vientiane Kingdom and Chambasque Kingdom by force. The former Nanzhang state was completely under the control of Thailand.

However, just a few decades after Thailand annexed Laos, the French came. Under the strong interference of the French colonists, a part of the territory in the northeast of the former Nanzhang Kingdom was dug up by the French from Thailand and merged into the later French Indian colony Zina.

This part of the land dug up by France is now the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

It is worth mentioning that in its heyday, Thailand was bordered by the Qing Dynasty. When France invaded Thailand, Britain invaded Thailand from Myanmar and incorporated part of northern Thailand (now Shan State, Myanmar) into British Burma. So Thailand and China are not bordered.

Seeing Britain and France attack eastward, Thailand is in danger of being completely colonized. At that time, King Chulalongkorn of Thailand used diplomatic means to strike a balance between the left and right factions. He joined hands with Britain and France to turn Thailand into a buffer zone for British and French colonies, and curbed the occupation of Thai territory by Britain and France.

Due to the timely stop loss, the relatively rich Luzhenla area of Nanzhang remained in Thailand. The present territory of Laos is only a relatively barren area in Nanzhang.

How barren is it?

According to the data, in the past, the proportion of hills and plains in Nanzhang was basically 40% to 60%, but in Laos today, about 80% of the country is hilly. Shangliao area in Laos is called "the roof of Southeast Asia", and the climate environment is not suitable for human survival. Therefore, the Lao people can only concentrate in the narrow space of the remaining 20%, which greatly limits the development of the Lao population. (In the area now controlled by Laos, Nanzhang has a small population in history. )

In addition to geographical factors, there is the Vietnam War.

1955 After France withdrew from Southeast Asia, Laos fell into the Vietnam War with Vietnam for 20 years.

Although the Vietnam War was nominally not fought in Laos, Vietnam regarded Laos as its own back garden, and the United States bombed Laos to cut off Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh Trail. So Laos was actually devastated during the Vietnam War.

PS: During the Vietnam War, the US military dropped about 200 million bombs in Laos. It is said that 80 million of them did not detonate, which has become one of the biggest headaches for the Lao government.

(Schematic diagram of US bombing Laos)

Generally speaking, the problem of sparsely populated Laos today is mainly caused by the following aspects.

①: The land is barren, and about 80% of the area is mountainous;

②: War factors, which were disastrous during the Vietnam War;

③: Economic backwardness. Due to the dual factors of geographical conditions and war, the economic level of Laos is not high at present. According to the data given by the World Bank, the current population growth rate in Laos is only 1.5%, which is relatively low among low-and middle-income countries. The main reason for this problem is the low survival rate of newborns caused by economic backwardness. Only about 94% of children can live to be five years old, which is lower than the average level of low-and middle-income countries. (96%)

1975 When American troops left Laos, the total population of Laos was about 2 million. With the reality of Laos and this population base, it is actually very good to grow to more than 7 million now. If Laos' economy can develop rapidly, its population will also increase.

Why is the population of Laos so small? Is it a historical reason?

First look at the population of Laos. In 20 18, the total population of Laos reached 70 10000, equivalent to the population of Changsha, China. Compare the population density of Laos and neighboring countries.

From the table 1, the population density in Laos is really low, which is only equivalent to110 in Vietnam.

What's the reason? Generally speaking, the small population in Laos is mainly due to geography, history, religion and culture.

(1) Geographical aspects

First of all, geographically, Laos is the only landlocked country without an ocean. Since the 20th century, the world has become a country with greater sea power than land power. The absence of a sea port means that the convenience of international trade is greatly reduced, and bulk goods must pass through neighboring land countries when entering or leaving the country. This has resulted in poor transportation facilities in Laos, which further determines Laos' economic poverty, and it is impossible to earn enough production and living materials through export trade, and naturally it is impossible to support a huge population.

Figure 1 Location of Laos

Secondly, let's look at the topography of Laos. 80% of Laos is mountainous and plateau, and most of it is covered by forests. Known as the "roof of zhina", but the cultivated land area is very small, only 4% of the land in China is cultivated land. Therefore, Laos has been facing the problem of food security in history. Until 1999, with the development of agricultural technology in Laos, food self-sufficiency was basically realized. This determines that the grain base in Laos cannot feed too many people.

Figure 2 Topographic map of Laos

Figure 3 Laos agriculture

(2) Historical aspects

In the history of Laos, there have been constant wars and heavy casualties, and countless people have died because of the war. From 1779 in history, it was conquered by Siam (Thailand), Vietnam and France and became a dependent country or colony. 1945 10 declared independence. Laos became independent in 1953. Then, under the secret wrestling between the two great powers, a civil war broke out in Laos. The Lao People's Party and the Lao Kingdom fought for 22 years, fought for 22 years and stopped for 22 years. Even during the Vietnam War, the biggest loss was not Vietnam, but Laos. From 1964 to 1973, the US military bombed Laos 24 hours a day, dropping 260 million bombs. With so many bombs, Laos is not a problem of ruins, but a scorched earth, and there are still many places where nothing grows. Years of war seem to mean that the Lao people will not live in peace and tranquility, and the population will naturally not continue to grow.

Figure 4 Laos in the war

Figure 5 Laos in the war

(3) Religious culture.

Laos is an ancient Buddhist country. 85% of Laos believe in Buddhism, and most of people's living customs are related to Buddhism. In Laos, from aristocrats to civilians, men have to become monks once in their lives, usually for several months to three or five days, before they can receive Buddhist training. A large number of Buddhist activities have caused a large number of Lao people to be more abstinent, have no concept of carrying on the family line, let nature take its course and compete with the world for profits, resulting in a very low birth rate. This is one of the reasons why Laos has a relatively small population.

Figure 6 Laos and Buddhism

Through the above three analyses, it can be concluded that the population of Laos is very small compared with neighboring countries, and the reasons for the small population mainly include geography, history, religion and culture, not just history.

Don't!

People have to die than people, and goods have to be thrown away. Compared with the country, you can't help but believe in fate.

Of course, this kind of fate is not another kind of fate. This kind of fate has a noun called "geographical environmental determinism".

What is "geographical environmental determinism"? In a word, this is a long story:

On a piece of land, geology, landform, hydrology, soil, mineral resources, biology and so on determine what kind of countries and nations exist on this land.

Let's make a comparison between countries! First compare a former big country with Laos! -England.

Laos covers an area of 236,800 square kilometers.

The land area of Britain is 246,5438+0,000 square kilometers (including inland waters).

The difference between them is only 0.42 square kilometers.

Then, Laos has a population of 7.06 million and Britain has a population of 66.05 million.

The difference between the two is nearly 10 times, and the population of Laos is only a little more than that of Britain.

The economy is not so boring.

Post two more pictures for comparison:

At first glance, one is an island country surrounded by the sea, and the other is a landlocked country surrounded by enemies.

Then compare Laos' neighbor Vietnam with him.

Vietnam, with a land area of 320,000 square kilometers, is only more than 80,000 square kilometers larger than Laos, but less than 90,000 square kilometers.

What's the population of Vietnam? 93 million, nearly 1 100 million people, three times that of Laos/kloc-0, and 83 million more than the population of Laos.

Because a large part of Vietnam faces the sea.

Countries near the sea will definitely hit the Great Plains, which will have a large area of cultivated land, good soil and water, easy life for people and a large population.

What about a country like Laos? Mountain country! There are limited things growing in the crevices of rocks on the mountain, so it is difficult to breed.

A country like Laos, given how long it takes to develop, will never develop into Britain.

List the data of some countries!

South Korea, 65,438+10,000 square kilometers, has a population of 52 million.

North Korea,10.2 million square kilometers, population 25 million.

The unified land area of the Korean peninsula has just caught up with Laos.

Hong Kong is only 1 100 square kilometers, 10 1000, with a population of more than 7 million.

Our enemy, Japan, covers an area of 370,000 square kilometers and feeds a population of 65.438+0.2 billion.

Look at the map of Cambodia:

Just because it has a little access to the sea, Cambodia uses 6.5438+0.8 million square kilometers, 50,000 square kilometers less than Laos. Cambodia has a population of 654.38+0.500, which is more than half that of Laos.

Therefore, the geographical location determines that Laos has a small population! Not history.

Laos is located in the southeast peninsula, and as everyone thinks, the country is very backward, and its economic pillars are mainly light industry and opium export. There are 7 million people living on a land of 230,000 square kilometers, and the population density is only 26.7 people/square kilometer.

Why is the population of Laos so small? This should be combined with its history and national conditions.

Laos is weak now, at least with such a small population, largely because of its long history of slavery.

The most powerful country in Laos is the Lancang Kingdom in13rd century. At that time, the country was strong and launched many wars of expansion.

However, in the17th century, because of the political turmoil, the territory began to split and its strength was not as good as before. It was quickly occupied by ancient Thailand, that is, Siam, and became their vassal state.

During the expansion of western capitalism, it became a colony of France and was invaded by Japan in World War II. Domestic resources have been cleaned up, and the perennial turmoil has also led to a sharp drop in population, forming today's situation.

In the ancient territorial struggle, the plains were the most popular, while those mountains and hills were ignored. There is a simple reason. In the period of low productivity, small-scale peasant economy is the pillar, and the plain terrain is suitable for the development of small-scale peasant economy. The mountains are full of stones, which are not only difficult to cultivate, but also vulnerable to geological disasters. There is no harvest all year round, and ghosts are farming there.

There are too many mountains to develop large-scale agriculture, and the scarcity of food is doomed to fail to feed more people.

The mountainous terrain has also led to the underdevelopment of national transportation, and the cost of building expressways on such rugged mountains is extremely high. As the saying goes, "If you want to be rich, build roads first". If roads cannot be built, the domestic economy will naturally fail.

Moreover, although Laos is located in Southeast Asia, it is a landlocked country and has no coastline at all, so it is impossible to develop maritime traffic.

Because of traffic restrictions, the domestic economy is neither alive nor dead, and there is no money in the pocket, so it is even more difficult to increase the population.

Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. After World War II, Laos gained independence. On February 2, the first National People's Congress was held in Vientiane, announcing the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. To this day, Laos still maintains the socialist system.

Perhaps many people think that the population growth of developing countries in Asia is very fast compared with developed countries, especially countries with socialist system, but Laos has only more than 7 million. Why is the population of Laos so small?

Of the 236,800 square kilometers of land in Laos, the cultivated land area is very small, and only 4% of the land is arable land. At present, Laos is one of the countries with the smallest arable land in Southeast Asia.

In this context, a series of food shortages will naturally occur in Laos, and it is true. It was not until the end of last century that Laos basically realized the problem of food self-sufficiency for millions of people.

Now, nearly 20 years have passed, and the growth of grain output in Laos has been greatly improved, which is about 40% higher than that at the end of last century.

However, although the overall grain output has improved, the domestic development in Laos is very uneven. Only the Mekong region can harvest more grain, and the grain output in other mountainous areas is still very small. This has also led to extremely fragile food security in most areas.

According to the survey of the United Nations Food Program, even today, nearly half of the people in Laos are malnourished.

There are many countries that are not self-sufficient in food, and there are many in Asia, and Japan is one of them. You know, Japan's grain output can only supply 40% of the country's population, and the other 60% of the population depends entirely on food imports.

As far as Japan's economic situation is concerned, the money that this developed Asian country spends on food imports every year is nothing compared with the annual GDP.

However, it is different for Laos. Laos is one of the poorest countries in Asia, ranking first in the world.

For many ordinary Lao families, they farm for a living, but if the harvest is not good, they have no money to buy food at all and can only starve.

Because of the lack of money, many infrastructures in Laos are not capable of perfection, especially transportation facilities. Because there are many mountainous areas here, even if neighboring countries are willing to help for free, traffic is a very big problem.

Moreover, according to the current situation, it is quite difficult for Laos to change this situation in the next decade. This country has no industries that can be called advantages in the world, and there is no basis for industrialization.

Many people don't know that Laos had a population of only 2 million in the middle of last century. Nearly 70 years have passed, and the number of Laos has increased 3.5 times.

However, the population of Laos is growing faster. Because of the small population base, compared with other Asian countries, the increase of 5 million in the past few decades is not worth mentioning, even if the total population is more than 7 million, it is not worth mentioning in front of other Asian countries.

According to 20 18 statistics, Laos has a population of 7 million and a land area of 240,000 square kilometers. The average population density in the world is 47 people per square kilometer, while the population density in Laos is 29 people per square kilometer, which is lower by more than half. The population densities of Britain, Uganda and Romania, which have the same land area as Laos, are 256, 147 and 86, respectively, which shows that the population density of Laos is much lower than that of other countries with the same land area.

Let's take a look at the comparison between Laos and neighboring countries. Bangladesh, smaller than Laos, has a population of 65.438+0.6 billion and a population density of over 654.38+0.200. Malaysia has 32 million people with a population density of 96; The Philippines has a population of 6,543.8 billion, with a population density of 350. Even Cambodia, which is a big circle smaller than Laos, is only 6.5438+0.8 million square kilometers, with a population of 6.5438+0.5 million and a population density of 90%. However, Laos has a land area of 240,000 square kilometers and a population of only 7 million. How can it be much less?

The main reason for this situation is that Laos is a mountainous and plateau country. More than 80% of Laos' territory is high mountains with abundant rainfall. There are more than 20 rivers over 200 kilometers, and the Mekong River flows through Laos. This has caused the mountains to be washed away by rain all the year round, forming valleys with complex terrain, mostly cliffs and dangerous beaches, with wanton floods, which are not suitable for large-scale population to live in.

Therefore, the only land suitable for living and reproduction in Laos is the plain area and the southern area along the lower Mekong River, accounting for only 20% of the national area. The population of the whole country is mainly concentrated here, and the terrain in the north is dangerous, with inconvenient transportation and sparsely populated.

Generally speaking, the population of Laos is very low in total population and density, but most of the population of Laos lives in 20% territory. In this way, 7 million people live in 20% of 240,000 land, and the population density is 145, far exceeding the world average population. In fact, the territory suitable for Laos is densely populated.

In fact, the population growth in Laos is ok. /kloc-In the 1950s, the population of Laos was only 2 million, but now it is 7 million. Such population growth is also possible in the world.

Of course, although Laos has a land area of 230,000 square kilometers, it is known as the "roof of zhina" because of its mountains and plateaus. The domestic population is mainly concentrated in less than one-fifth of the country, and the poor economic development in its inland hinterland greatly limits its population development.

Historically, Laos has always been a tragic country. Vietnam in the east and Thailand in the west often bully it. Laos was a vassal state of Thailand 1 15 years before the French established the Indian colony of Chinar in 1893.

Laos has been a colony of France for decades, and even after independence, it was controlled by Vietnam for many years. It was not until around the end of the Cold War that it gained a certain independent status, but in many ways, it was still greatly influenced by Vietnam.

Years of historical turmoil and endless wars have kept Laos in a weak position, which has also curbed its historical population growth.

Moreover, even in places with good natural environment such as plains, the population of Laos is relatively scattered. Even in Vientiane and Luang Prabang, two big cities in Laos, the population is only a few hundred thousand. Moreover, these cities are surrounded by mountain plateaus, and the development of cities is extremely limited, which also inhibits the growth of population.

There are several friends around me who are in the tourism industry. Two years ago, they sent a delegation to Laos to inspect the tourism development. It should be said that Laos' tourism resources are still good. Compared with Vietnam, Thailand and other mature tourism markets in Southeast Asia, Laos' tourism market is still in the ascendant, and its development momentum is still relatively rapid.

Like Thailand and other countries, Buddhism has a very high status in Laos. Basically every village has a temple. Every morning, villagers prepare food at the door and wait for monks to come and beg for alms. When monks beg for alms, most Lao people will kneel respectfully and present food to the monks.

Laos gives people the impression that they are "carefree" and very happy. If they set up factories and enterprises in the local area and recruit local people, they will find it very helpless: many Laos will ask for advance wages, and the general wages are daily wages. Some people will run away when they get paid on the same day, whether it's buying wine or going to all kinds of fun, and then come back to work after the money is spent. This is somewhat similar to the lazy character of Africans. Therefore, if there are qualified Chinese-funded enterprises,

Laos is actually easy to send away. People in tropical areas are relatively simple and casual, and they don't have high material requirements, such as eating. As long as there is a bowl of glutinous rice with simple vegetarian dishes and beer, it is a good meal.

Beer is very important in the life of Laos. Many people get paid. The first thing they do is to buy cold beer. Food can be simple, and this beer is essential.

If you want to develop any industry in Laos, it is actually quite difficult. First of all, land development is a big problem. The Lao government is a gesture of "doing nothing" from top to bottom. If you want to develop an industry, the government can help you with the relevant procedures and approvals (all kinds of money are indispensable), and you have to communicate with the local people. At the local level, the elders in the village basically say everything.

In addition, in the vast rural areas of Laos, polygamy is actually widespread. Many upper-middle class people in society will marry several wives. After all, they have money and can afford it. Laos itself is poor, and many ordinary girls don't care how many wives their husbands have in order to live a better life.

In short, Laos is a big country and a small society, with slow pace and inaction.

I'm Sasha I'll answer that.

At present, Laos has a population of more than 7 million, which is not small.

Although Laos covers an area of 236,800 square kilometers, 80% of its territory is mountainous, not a vast plain suitable for agricultural production like Vietnam and Cambodia.

Laos is divided into three regions, of which Shangliao has the highest terrain and is called "the roof of Southeast Asia". This kind of terrain is not suitable for agricultural development and it is impossible to have a large population.

Cambodia, Laos' neighboring country, is almost the same area, basically plain and rich in water resources, which is especially suitable for developing agriculture. Even so, the population of Cambodia in the 1980s was just over 7 million.

So from this perspective, the population of Laos is not small.

In addition to topography, Laos has a forest coverage of 60%, and a large territory is forest, not fertile land.

Due to the influence of topography and forests, agriculture in Laos has been relatively backward, and 2/3 of the arable land has not been developed and utilized.

Then, Laos is mainly suitable for developing agriculture in 20% plain areas, and most of the land is undeveloped, so agriculture is naturally not good.

It was not until the recent 10 year that Laos' agriculture developed greatly. In 20 16, the rice output was about 3.43 million tons, and about 77% of Lao farmers realized rice self-sufficiency.

In other words, Laos could not achieve basic food self-sufficiency before this.

Moreover, this country is an agricultural country with almost no industry and can't import much food.

This is the key to limiting the population of Laos.

In fact, the population of Laos is increasing rapidly. In the 1950s, Laos had a population of just over 2 million, with a vast territory and a sparsely populated area. There are also large areas of virgin forests in the mountainous areas, and there are no people at all.

Today, Laos has a population of more than 7 million, which is several times that of half a century.

According to the statistics of the World Bank, the population of Laos was about 7.06 million in 20 18. The population of 7.06 million may only be equivalent to that of a prefecture-level city in China, but in Southeast Asia, the population of Laos is not the least, and the populations of Singapore, Brunei and East Timor are all smaller than those of Laos.

The so-called small population in Laos, in fact, it should be more accurate to say that the population density in Laos is particularly low. You know, the area of Singapore is only 7 19 square kilometers, but the population of Singapore is 5.64 million. Laos has a population of 7.06 million, but its land area is as high as 236,800 square kilometers. The population of Laos is out of proportion to its area.

In my opinion, this phenomenon is the result of geographical factors, economic factors and historical factors. Let me talk specifically about how these factors affect the Lao population.

In fact, the geographical position of Laos is not very good. After all, Laos is nicknamed "the roof of zhina", and 80% of the 236,800 square kilometers of land is mountainous and plateau. Most of these mountain plateaus are covered with dense tropical rain forests, which are difficult to be effectively utilized and developed.

The remaining 20% of the flat land cannot be developed in Laos. After all, there are problems in many places in these plains. In fact, there are not many areas suitable for human habitation in Laos.

Laos itself is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asian countries. This disadvantage has also hindered Laos from participating in global trade, leading to Laos becoming one of the least developed countries in the world.

We should know that the total GDP of Laos in 20 18 years is only 18 1 USD, and the per capita GDP is about 2500 USD. There are no large enterprises in Laos. 80% of the population in Laos is engaged in agricultural work, and Laos has been unable to solve the problem of food and clothing. Laos has done its best to feed the current population of 7 million!

Laos, named Nanzhang in history, briefly surrendered to the Central Plains Dynasty during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty. In fact, Laos in history has been invaded by neighboring Vietnam and Thailand (Siam) for hundreds of years, which has greatly delayed the population growth of Laos.

After that, Laos was colonized by France for decades, and it was not until 1945 that it became independent. It was not until 1975 that Laos officially abolished the monarchy and became a Republic. These years of melee and turmoil have also led to Laos being sparsely populated.

With the change of the times, the original problem of limiting population growth in Laos can be gradually solved. I believe there will be a wave of large-scale population growth in Laos!

Laos has a population of more than 7 million, and its land area is about 230,000 square kilometers. Considering the population density of China, the population of Laos is indeed a little less. However, compared with Laos, these populations are not small.

Because Laos has an area of more than 200,000 square kilometers, the land quality of more than 200,000 square kilometers is not very good. 80% of the land in Laos is mountainous, which is not suitable for living in densely populated areas. Compared with neighboring Vietnam, Laos' natural conditions are really a little worse. In fact, even compared with Cambodia, the territory of Laos is quite poor.

Laos has such a small population, besides economic and geographical factors, there is also a war factor. As Britain occupied Myanmar, and then France occupied Vietnam, the two sides began to compete for Laos, so in the colonial era, Laos was one of the focuses for both sides. After World War II, although the colonists such as Britain and France withdrew, the Americans came again, which led to the Vietnam War, which lasted for nearly 20 years.

Although the Vietnam War was nominally fought in Vietnam, Laos, as a neighboring country, was not less affected. It is said that there are still many unexploded bombs dropped by the United States in Laos, which is a heavy burden for Laos. However, in the 1950s, the population of Laos was only 2 million, and now it has risen to 7 million, which is a great development. After all, the conditions in Laos are not so good.

In addition, the current territory of Laos is relatively barren.

How barren is it?

According to the data, in the past, the proportion of hills and plains in Nanzhang was basically 40% to 60%, but in Laos today, about 80% of the country is hilly. Shangliao area in Laos is called "the roof of Southeast Asia", and the climate environment is not suitable for human survival. Therefore, the Lao people can only concentrate in the narrow space of the remaining 20%, which greatly limits the development of the Lao population. (In the area now controlled by Laos, Nanzhang has a small population in history. )

In addition to geographical factors, there is the Vietnam War.

1955 After France withdrew from Southeast Asia, Laos fell into the Vietnam War with Vietnam for 20 years.

Although the Vietnam War was nominally not fought in Laos, Vietnam regarded Laos as its own back garden, and the United States bombed Laos to cut off Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh Trail. So Laos was actually devastated during the Vietnam War.

PS: During the Vietnam War, the US military dropped about 200 million bombs in Laos. It is said that 80 million of them did not detonate, which has become one of the biggest headaches for the Lao government.

Generally speaking, the problem of sparsely populated Laos today is mainly caused by the following aspects.

①: The land is barren, and about 80% of the area is mountainous;

②: War factors, which were disastrous during the Vietnam War;

③: Economic backwardness. Due to the dual factors of geographical conditions and war, the economic level of Laos is not high at present. According to the data given by the World Bank, the current population growth rate in Laos is only 1.5%, which is relatively low among low-and middle-income countries. The main reason for this problem is the low survival rate of newborns caused by economic backwardness. Only about 94% of children can live to be five years old, which is lower than the average level of low-and middle-income countries. (96%)

1975 When American troops left Laos, the total population of Laos was about 2 million. With the reality of Laos and this population base, it is actually very good to grow to more than 7 million now. If Laos' economy can develop rapidly, its population will also increase.