Laos has a tropical monsoon climate, with a pronounced rainy season from May through October, a cool dry season from November through February, and a hot dry season in March and April.
The local currency is the KIP. Notes come in denominations of 100, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10.000 and 20.000 Kips.
The politics of Laos takes place in the framework of a single-party socialist republic.