Cambodia Geography - 2024

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

Area comparison map:

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)