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Flag of Laos

Asia

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Quick Facts

Capital
Vientiane
Flag adopted
1975
Population
7,647,000
Area
236,800 km²
Languages
Lao
Currency
Lao kip (₭) — LAK
Demonym
Laotian
Government
communist party-led state
Subregion
South-Eastern Asia
Driving side
Right
Timezones
UTC+07:00
Independence
1949

Religions

  • Buddhist 64.7%
  • None 31.4%
  • Unspecified 2.1%
  • Christian 1.7%

About This Flag

The flag of Laos consists of three horizontal bands — red on the top and bottom with a wider blue band in the center bearing a white disc. The red stripes represent the blood shed in the struggle for independence, the blue symbolizes prosperity and the Mekong River that is the lifeblood of the country, and the white disc represents the full moon over the Mekong as well as the unity of the people under the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.

Unlike most communist states, Laos chose not to use a red flag with hammer and sickle imagery, instead adopting a design that originated with the Pathet Lao resistance movement. The flag was adopted on December 2, 1975, when the Lao People's Democratic Republic was proclaimed.

What the colors & design mean

Red symbolizes the blood shed for liberation. Blue represents the nation's wealth and the Mekong River. The white disc represents the full moon rising over the Mekong, symbolizing unity and the promise of a bright future under the new government.

red blue white

Pattern: Horizontal Stripes

Bordering countries (5)

🇲🇲 Myanmar 🇰🇭 Cambodia 🇨🇳 China 🇹🇭 Thailand 🇻🇳 Vietnam

Fun Facts

  • Laos is one of the few communist states whose national flag does not feature a star, hammer, sickle, or other explicitly Marxist iconography.
  • The flag was originally designed by Maha Sila Viravong, a prominent Lao intellectual and nationalist, for the Lao Issara (Free Laos) anti-colonial movement in the 1940s.
  • Laos is the most heavily bombed country per capita in history — during the Vietnam War era, the U.S. dropped over 2 million tons of ordnance, and unexploded bombs still affect the country today.
  • The Mekong River, represented by the blue stripe, forms much of Laos's western border and is central to the country's agriculture, transportation, and cultural identity.

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