Country Name: Lao People's Democratic Republic Area: 236,000 sq km Population: 4,75 million Capital City: Vientiane (pop 300,000) People: 50% Lao Loum, 30% Lao Theung, 10% Lao Sung and 10% tribal Thais Languages: Lao (closely related to Thai), Lao dialects and French. Religion: 85% Theravada Buddhist, 14% animist, 1% Christian and Muslim. Government: Socialist republic Currency: Lao Kip (kip); the Thai baht and US dollars are widely accepted. Time Zone: Seven hours ahead of GMT/UTC Country Code: 856 Electricity: 220V AC; power outlets most commonly feature two-prolonged round or flat sockets.