Cambodia :: Geography

Capital city: Phnom Penh
The modes of transport are cars, motorcycles, cyclos (bicycle rickshaws), oxcarts and boats.
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos

Area: 181,040 sq km
(land: 176,520 sq km; water: 4,520 sq km)

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

Largest lake: Tônlé Sap (Great Lake)
Also the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia
The giant catfish, native to the Mekong River, is in danger of extinction due to overfishing, as well as decrease in water quality as a result development and upstream damming. Fishing for the giant catfish is illegal in Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.
Land use
arable land: 20.44%;
permanent crops: 0.59%;
other: 78.97% (2005)

Irrigated land: 2,700 sq km (2003)

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

Climate: tropical;
May to November: rainy, monsoon season;
December to April: dry season

Natural hazards: monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts

Environment issues: (1) 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); (2) soil erosion; (3) in rural areas, most of the population does not have access to potable water; (4) declining fish stocks because of illegal fishing and overfishing

Source of statistics: World Factbook, updated August 2007