Luang Prabang

For other uses, see Luang Prabang (disambiguation).

Luang Prabang
ຫຼວງພະບາງ
Louangphabang
District & municipality
Luang Prabang District
Southeast Luang Prabang
Southeast Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang is located in Laos
Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang
Location in Laos
Coordinates: 19°53′24″N 102°08′05″E / 19.89000°N 102.13472°E / 19.89000; 102.13472
Country Laos
ProvinceLuang Prabang
DistrictLuang Prabang District
Established as Muang Sua698
Controlled by Nanzhao709
Khmer vassal950
Formation of Lan Xang1353
Government
 • TypeLocal Committee for World Heritage Louangphabang[1]
Elevation
[2]
305 m (1,001 ft)
Population
 • Total55,027
Time zoneUTC+7 (ICT)
Post Code
06000[3]
Websitehttp://tourismluangprabang.org/
CriteriaCultural: ii, iv, v
Reference479
Inscription1995 (19th Session)
Area820 ha
Buffer zone12,560 ha

Luang Phabang,[4][5][6][7] (Lao: ຫລວງພະບາງ/ຫຼວງພະບາງ) or Louangphabang[8][9][10][11] (pronounced [lǔaŋ pʰāʔ.bàːŋ]), commonly transliterated into Western languages from the pre-1975 Lao spelling ຫຼວງພຣະບາງ (ຣ = silent r) as Luang Prabang,[12][13][14] literally meaning "Royal Buddha Image", is a city[15] in north central Laos, consisting of 58 adjacent villages, of which 33 comprise the UNESCO Town of Luang Prabang World Heritage Site.[16][17] It was listed in 1995 for unique and "remarkably" well preserved architectural, religious and cultural heritage, a blend of the rural and urban developments over several centuries, including the French colonial influences during the 19th and 20th centuries.[18]

The centre of the city consists of four main roads and is located on a peninsula at the confluence of the Nam Khan and Mekong River. Luang Prabang is well known for its numerous Buddhist temples and monasteries. Every morning, hundreds of monks from the various monasteries walk through the streets collecting alms. One of the city's major landmarks is Mount Phou Si; a large steep hill which despite the constrained scale of the city, is 150 metres (490 ft) high; a steep staircase leads to Wat Chom Si shrine and an overlook of the city and the rivers.[19][20]

The city was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name. It had also been known by the ancient name of Xieng Thong.[21] It was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos, until the Pathet Lao takeover in 1975. The city is part of Luang Prabang District of Luang Prabang Province and is the capital and administrative centre of the province. It lies approximately 300 km (190 mi) north of the capital Vientiane. Currently, the population of the city as a whole is roughly 56,000 inhabitants with the UNESCO protected site being inhabited by around 24,000.[16][22][23]

  1. ^ a b Sengnaly, Phanthong. "Conference of Local Committee For World Heritage". www.luangprabang-heritage.org. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference NOAA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Laos Postal Explorer". pe.usps.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Laos". www.state.gov. Archived from the original on 21 January 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  5. ^ Longman School Atlas (Revised ed.). Pearson Education India. ISBN 9788131729076. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  6. ^ Essential Atlas of the World. Dorling Kindersley. 2005. ISBN 9780756609641. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  7. ^ McCoy, John (2003). Geo-data: the world geographical encyclopedia. Thomson-Gale. ISBN 9780787655815. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  8. ^ Ricklefs, M. C.; Lockhart, Bruce; Lau, Albert; Reyes, Portia; Aung-Thwin, Maitrii (19 November 2010). A New History of Southeast Asia. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137015549. Retrieved 15 June 2016.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ Saqalli, Mehdi; Jourdren, Marine; Maestripieri, Nicolas; Guillerme, Sylvie; Maire, Eric; Soulileuth, Bounsamai; Latsachach, Keoudone; Sounyafong, Phabvilay; Tammahuxsa, Louy; Sengtaheuanghoung, Oloth; Ribolzi, Olivier; Becerra, Sylvia (1 June 2015). "Backward waters, modern waters: Perception-Based Regional Mapping territory uses and water-related sanitary stakes in Luang Phabang area (Lao PDR)" (PDF). Applied Geography. 60: 184–193. Bibcode:2015AppGe..60..184S. doi:10.1016/j.apgeog.2015.04.001. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 October 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  10. ^ Ladwig, Patrice (1 January 2014). "Worshipping Relics and Animating Statues. Transformations of Buddhist statecraft in contemporary Laos". Modern Asian Studies. 49 (6): 1875–1902. doi:10.1017/S0026749X13000486. ISSN 0026-749X. S2CID 145208558. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  11. ^ Lockhart, Bruce M. (1 January 2002). "Review of Laos Culture and Society; The Politics of Ritual and Remembrance: Laos since 1975, Grant Evans; Theravadins, Colonialists and Commissars in Laos; Essai d'Anthropologie Politique Sur Le Laos Contemporain: Marché, Socialisme, Et Genies". Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. 33 (1): 180–184. doi:10.1017/s0022463402300080. JSTOR 20072402.
  12. ^ Ammon, Ulrich (2006). Sociolinguistics: An International Handbook of the Science of Language and Society. Walter de Gruyter. p. 2010. ISBN 9783110184181. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  13. ^ Ball, Martin J. (16 December 2009). The Routledge Handbook of Sociolinguistics Around the World: A Handbook. Routledge. ISBN 9781135261047. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  14. ^ Burke, Andrew; Vaisutis, Justine (2007). Laos. Lonely Planet. p. 345. ISBN 9781741045680. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  15. ^ "Luangprabang at a Glance (page 2)" (PDF). Ministry of Public Works and Transport (Laos). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  16. ^ a b Application of Information and Communication Technology to Promote Sustainable Development A Case Study: Town of Luang Prabang, Lao PDR Archived 8 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine (pdf) Tokyo Institute of Technology, Retrieved 15 June 2016
  17. ^ "Town of Luang Prabang – Map". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  18. ^ "Town of Luang Prabang – UNESCO World Heritage Centre". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  19. ^ Cavendish 2007, p. 809.
  20. ^ Daniel White (28 January 2010). Frommer's Cambodia and Laos. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 270–. ISBN 978-0-470-61583-6. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  21. ^ "chiang-tong". Archived from the original on 8 June 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  22. ^ Promkerd, Prasartthong; Khoprasert, Yuvaluk; Virathavone, Phongthep; Thoummabouth, Manivone; Sirisak, Ouane; Jäkel, Thomas (1 March 2008). "Factors explaining the abundance of rodents in the city of Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, as revealed by field and household surveys". Integrative Zoology. 3 (1): 11–20. doi:10.1111/j.1749-4877.2008.00069.x. ISSN 1749-4877. PMID 21396046.
  23. ^ "General Overview". www.luangprabang-heritage.org. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.