Laos Provinces

Laos is the only landlocked country in South East Asia, a long, narrow and mostly mountainous strip with the Mekong running down much of its western edge. Its first tier is 17 provinces and the capital, Vientiane, which is its own unit. Most of them are named for their main town, and most of the country's people live in the lowlands along the river.

The quiz: Name to place, on the map
Grouped by: The north, the centre and the south, a conventional cut
In the game: 18 provinces

Start

What you are looking at

The provinces of Laos, with Vientiane Capital counted beside them. The map is long and thin, so the north and the south are far apart and the border with Vietnam, which follows the Annamite Range, makes the whole east side a single straight edge. Vientiane Capital is a small unit on the Mekong, surrounded by Vientiane Province, and the two names are the pair most often swapped.

The provinces are the Laos Districts grouped, so the two maps share every border. Xaisomboun is the newest, made from parts of Vientiane and Xiangkhouang provinces.

How to place one

Start with the three groups. Laos has no official tier between the province and the country, so the quiz groups them into the north, the centre and the south, and you can drill one at a time. They are a way to learn the map, not a classification.
Anchor on the river. Vientiane Capital, Bolikhamsai, Khammouane, Savannakhet and Champasak all touch the Mekong from the middle of the country down.
Find the narrow waist. Khammouane and Bolikhamsai are where the country is thinnest.
Go up the north last. Phongsaly, Luang Namtha and Bokeo are the three provinces at the top of the map.

Every province, by group

North8 provinces: Bokeo, Houaphan, Luang Namtha, Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, Phongsaly, Xaignabouli, Xiangkhouang
Centre6 provinces: Bolikhamsai, Khammouane, Savannakhet, Vientiane, Vientiane Capital, Xaisomboun
South4 provinces: Attapeu, Champasak, Salavan, Xekong

Worked examples

Vientiane Capital

The capital, inside another province

Vientiane Capital is a small unit on the Mekong, on the border with Thailand. It is a prefecture of its own, and Vientiane Province wraps around it to the north and east.

Savannakhet

The big one in the middle

Savannakhet is the largest province by population and one of the largest by area, a wide lowland along the Mekong with the second Thai bridge crossing into Mukdahan.

Xekong

The small one in the south east

Xekong is one of the smallest provinces by population, in the mountains on the Vietnamese border between Salavan and Attapeu.

Frequently asked questions

How many provinces does Laos have?

17, and the capital Vientiane, which is a prefecture and counted beside them. Xaisomboun is the newest, made in 2013.

Why are the groups not official?

Laos has no administrative tier between the provinces and the country, so the quiz uses the usual three-way cut into north, centre and south.

What is below the province?

The districts, which number 148. They are their own quiz.

The tier below this one is Laos Districts. For another country at this level, see Bangladesh Divisions.

Sources

geoBoundaries, Laos ADM2 and ADM1, the boundaries; the provinces are the districts dissolved, so the two maps share every border
Provinces of Laos, the 17 provinces and the capital

Loading game...