Cambodia Geography - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

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

one and a half times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oklahoma

Land boundaries

total: 2,530 km

border countries (3): Laos 555 km; Thailand 817 km; Vietnam 1158 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

highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m

lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m

mean elevation: 126 m

Natural resources

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

Land use

agricultural land: 32.1% (2018 est.)

arable land: 22.7% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.9% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 8.5% (2018 est.)

forest: 56.5% (2018 est.)

other: 11.4% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

3,540 sq km (2012)

Major lakes (area sq km)

fresh water lake(s): Tonle Sap - 2,700-16,000 sq km

Major rivers (by length in km)

Mekong (shared with China [s], Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam [m]) - 4,350 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Pacific Ocean drainage: Mekong (805,604 sq km)

Population distribution

population concentrated in the southeast, particularly in and around the capital of Phnom Penh; further distribution is linked closely to the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers

Natural hazards

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

Geography - note

a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap (Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake)

NOTE: The information regarding Cambodia on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Cambodia 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Cambodia 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.