Cambodia Geography

Mountains and Plains
Most of Cambodia consists of a basin-shaped lowland area,enclosed by mountain chain to the north,east, and west. The Cardamon range in the southwest contains Cambodia’s highest peak , Phnom Aoral, which stands at 5,948 feet (1,813 meters). The Elephants mountains are found in the region between the Tonle Sap and the Gulf of Thailand. The Dangrek range marks a natural border with Thailand. Dense tropical forests cover most of the mountains. Their rapid deforestation is of international concern.The central plains are the most densely populated areas of Cambodia. The plains are a mixture of cultivated land, paddy fields, and grasslands dotted with sugar palm trees.

The Mekong River and its major tributary in Cambodia, the Tonle Sap (Great Lake), bring life to the heart of Cambodia.The Mekong,which is approximately 2,700miles(4,350km) in length, is one of the mightiest rivers in the world. It begins in the Tibet Plateau in China and flows through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, ans Vietnam. It forms the Mekong Delta in Vietnam before glowing into the South China Sea.
In the heart of central plains lies the Tonle Sap, the largest inland lake in Southeast Asia. The Tonle Sap acts as a natural flood reservoir for the Mekong. During the rainy season from mid-May to early October, the Mekong overflows its banks.When this happens, the Mekong River reverse its direction of flow and fills the Tonle Sap via the Tonle Sap River. The Tonle Sap expands to double its size and flood the surrounding countryside. During the dry season, water in the Tonle Sap flows back into the Mekong,leaving behind fertile soil. This annual flooding of the Mekong leave rich alluvial deposits in the central plains.
Picture
Floods and Droughts Cambodia sometimes suffers devastating floods or droughts when the monsoons are not regular. Rainfall is not evenly distributed across the country,and the mountainous areas,particularly the Cardamom Mountains,receive the most rain. Irrigation helps distribute and control water resources to various agricultural crops, and great potential still exists for increasing the range and amount of crops grown.

• Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand. Shares borders with Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.

• Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 105 00 E.
• Map references: see our
• Area: 181,035 sq km (Country comparison to the world – 89).
• Land: 176,515 sq km.
• Water: 4,520 sq km.
• Land boundaries: 2,572 km in total – Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km and Vietnam 1,228 km.
• Coastline: 443 km.
• Maritime claims: Territorial sea – 12 nm, contiguous zone – 24nm, exclusive economic zone – 200 nm, continental shelf – 200 nm.
• Climate: Tropical climate with two seasons: wet season (May to November) and dry season (December to April). Little seasonal temperature variation.
• Topography: Flat plains and mostly low. Cambodia has well defined geographic regions. 75% of the country consists of the Tonle Basin and the Mekong lowlands. To the Southeast of the Tonle Sap is the Mekong Delta. Both the basin and the delta are surrounded by mountain ranges: to the southwest by the Cardamom Mountains and the Elephant range, and to the north by the Dangrek Mountains. The Cardamom mountains raise to more than 1,500 meters, and the highest peak in the country (Phnom Aural) is located in this mountain range and is 1,771 meters high.
• Drainage: Most of the major rivers in Cambodia drain into the Tonle Sap or into the Mekong river.
• Agriculture products: rice, rubber, corn, vegetables, cashews, tapioca, silk.
• Natural resources: Oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydro-power potential.
• Total renewable water resources: 476.1 cu km.
• Environment issues: Illegal logging throughout the country. In the western region along the border with Thailand the strip mining for gems has led to declining biodiversity, soil erosion, in rural areas restricted access to potable water, declining fish stocks because of illegal fishing.

Plants and Animals Cambodia’s extensive forests contain abundant plant and animal species. Animals in Cambodian forests include tigers, clouded leopards, elephants, monkeys, civets, bears, and many varieties of reptiles and birds. The Tonla Sap and the Mekong River support a huge variety of freshwater fish, amphibians,and waterfowl. Many animal species are bring threatened by increasing. population pressure, deforestation, hunting,and land mines.
Cambodia’s forests contain commercially usable timber, as well as trees that are prized for their aromatic oils and resins. Since 1970, increased deforestation has led to a considerable reduction in forest cover.