GeoFroggy

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Background

Following a five-year struggle, communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh in 1975 and ordered the evacuation of all cities and towns; over 1 million displaced people died from execution or enforced hardships. A 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside and touched off 13 years of fighting. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy, as did the rapid diminishment of the Khmer Rouge in the mid-1990s. A coalition government, formed after national elections in 1998, brought renewed political stability and the surrender of remaining Khmer Rouge forces.

Location

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos

Area Comparative

Slightly smaller than Oklahoma

Maritime Claims

Contiguous zone: 24 NM

Continental shelf: 200 NM

Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate

Tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation

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, a majority of the population does not have access to potable water; toxic waste delivery from Taiwan sparked unrest in Kampong Saom (Sihanoukville) in December 1998

Environment International Agreements

Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

Signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

Geography Note

A land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap

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Map Reference

Southeast Asia

Irrigated Land 1993

920 sq km

Area 2001

Total

181,040 sq km
Land

176,520 sq km
Water

4,520 sq km

Coastline

443 km

Geographical Coordinates

13 00 N, 105 00 E

Land use 2001

Arable Land
13%
Permanent Crops
0%
Permanent Pastures
11%
Forests And Woodland
66%
Other
10%

Terrain

Mostly low
Flat plains; mountains in southwest and north

Elevation

Lowest Point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m
Highest Point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m

Land Boundaries

Total
2,572 km
Laos
541 km
Thailand
803 km
Vietnam
1,228 km

Natural Resources

Timber
Gemstones
Some iron ore

Manganese
Phosphates
Hydropower potential

Cambodia