Page last updated on January 28, 2014

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
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 90
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
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
443 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

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
More Climate Details

Terrain:
mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m
[see also: Elevation extremes - lowest point country ranks ]
highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m

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

Land use:
arable land: 22.09%
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 0.86%
other: 77.05% (2011)

Irrigated land:
3,536 sq km (2006)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Total renewable water resources:
476.1 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 2.18 cu km/yr (4%/2%/94%)
[see also: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) - total country ranks ]
per capita: 159.8 cu m/yr (2006)

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 (Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake)