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 ]
land: 176,515 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 4,520 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 90

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oklahoma

Land boundaries:
total: 2,530 km
border countries (3): Laos 555 km, Thailand 817 km, Vietnam 1,158 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

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

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

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

Land use:
agricultural land: 32.1% arable land 22.7%; permanent crops 0.9%; permanent pasture 8.5%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 56.5%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 11.4% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
3,540 sq km (2012)
[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%)
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)