A History of Short Words

From the New York Times Crossword Puzzle

LAOS

Tue, 22 Oct '24
Country that gained its independence from France in 1953
Wed, 18 Sep '24
Its capital is Vientiane
Sun, 19 May '24
Country that becomes a language if you remove its last letter
Sun, 14 Apr '24
Country whose national animal is the elephant
Sun, 31 Dec '23
Home to the Wat Xieng Thong temple
Sun, 19 Nov '23
Land through which the Mekong River flows
Tue, 25 Oct '22
Country between Thailand and Vietnam
Wed, 24 Aug '22
Only landlocked country in Southeast Asia
Sat, 9 Jul '22
Home of the Plain of Jars, a UNESCO World Heritage site
Sun, 11 Jul '21
Where "khop jai" means "thank you"
Sat, 22 May '21
So-called "Land of a Million Elephants"
Mon, 8 Feb '21
Vientiane's land