Louangphrabang

Louangphrabang or Luang Prabang town in north Laos, capital of Louangphrabang Province. A port on the Mekong River, Louangphrabang is a trade centre for rice, rubber, and teak and also has craft industries. Several noted Buddhist pagodas and a technical college are in the city. Louangphrabang was for centuries the capital of a large Thai-Laotian state. It was under French rule from 1893 to 1954 and served as the royal capital (Vientiane being the administrative capital) of Laos from 1950 to 1975, when the country became a republic. The town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Population 68,000 (1995 estimate).