 Laos is a predominantly mountainous land, with less than 10% of the total land area suitable for permanent agricultural settlement. It has a maximum north-south extent of 1,127 km (700 mi) and a maximum width of only 443 km (275 mi). Topographically, Laos has three areas. The northern half of the country is occupied by rugged mountains, which include Mount Bia (2,820 m / 9,252 ft), the highest point in the country. The southern half of the country sometimes referred to as the panhandle because of its long, narrow shape is dominated by the mountains of the Annamese Cordillera, which extend from north to south along the eastern border. The Annamese mountains reach elevations of less than 2,438 m (8,000 ft) but are extremely rugged and are a major obstacle to travel and communication between Laos and Vietnam. The western half of the panhandle is occupied by most of the nation's principal lowlands, located on the alluvial floodplains along the Mekong River, Laos' major river and its tributaries. Forests cover almost two-thirds of Laos, but much of the valuable wood in the primary forest areas has been destroyed by slash-and-burn farming methods and replaced by economically unimportant trees and dense rainforest. Tin is commercially exploited, and deposits of coal, iron ore, copper, gold, lead, salt, and zinc await development. |
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