Cambodia Geography Profile 2009

Location

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos

Geographic coordinates

13 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references

Southeast Asia

Area

total: 181,035 sq km
land: 176,515 sq km
water: 4,520 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Oklahoma

Land boundaries

total: 2,572 km
border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km

Coastline

443 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate

tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain

mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m
highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m

Natural resources

oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential

Land use

arable land: 20.44%
permanent crops: 0.59%
other: 78.97% (2005)

Irrigated land

2,700 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources

476.1 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 4.08 cu km/yr (1%/0%/98%)
per capita: 290 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards

monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts

Environment - current issues

illegal logging activities throughout the country and strip mining for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand have resulted in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in particular, destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural fisheries); soil erosion; in rural areas, most of the population does not have access to potable water; declining fish stocks because of illegal fishing and overfishing

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note

a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap