25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
19 July 1949 (from France)
Religions
Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several small Shia Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.)
Buddhist 67%, Christian 1.5%, other and unspecified 31.5% (2005 census)
Languages
Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes
Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
