Vietnam vs. Cambodia
Geography
| Vietnam | Cambodia | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, as well as China, Laos, and Cambodia | Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos |
| Geographic coordinates | 16 10 N, 107 50 E | 13 00 N, 105 00 E |
| Map references | Southeast Asia | Southeast Asia |
| Area | total: 331,210 sq km land: 310,070 sq km water: 21,140 sq km | total: 181,035 sq km land: 176,515 sq km water: 4,520 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about three times the size of Tennessee; slightly larger than New Mexico | one and a half times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oklahoma |
| Land boundaries | total: 4,616 km border countries (3): Cambodia 1158 km, China 1297 km, Laos 2161 km | total: 2,530 km border countries (3): Laos 555 km, Thailand 817 km, Vietnam 1158 km |
| Coastline | 3,444 km (excludes islands) | 443 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm |
| Climate | tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March) | tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation |
| Terrain | low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest | mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m lowest point: South China Sea 0 m mean elevation: 398 m | highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m mean elevation: 126 m |
| Natural resources | antimony, phosphates, coal, manganese, rare earth elements, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, timber, hydropower, arable land | oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential, arable land |
| Land use | agricultural land: 34.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 20.6% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 12.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 2.1% (2018 est.) forest: 45% (2018 est.) other: 20.2% (2018 est.) | 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 | 46,000 sq km (2012) | 3,540 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta | monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts |
| Environment - current issues | logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water pollution and overfishing threaten marine life populations; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; air pollution; growing urban industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City | 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; coastal ecosystems choked by sediment washed loose from deforested areas inland |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
| Geography - note | note 1: extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point note 2: Son Doong in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is the world's largest cave (greatest cross sectional area) and is the largest known cave passage in the world by volume; it currently measures a total of 38.5 million cu m (about 1.35 billion cu ft); it connects to Thung cave (but not yet officially); when recognized, it will add an additional 1.6 million cu m in volume; Son Doong is so massive that it contains its own jungle, underground river, and localized weather system; clouds form inside the cave and spew out from its exits and two dolines (openings (sinkhole skylights) created by collapsed ceilings that allow sunlight to stream in) | a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap (Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake) |
| Total renewable water resources | 884.12 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 476.1 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | though it has one of the highest population densities in the world, the population is not evenly dispersed; clustering is heaviest along the South China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin, with the Mekong Delta (in the south) and the Red River Valley (in the north) having the largest concentrations of people | 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 |
Source: CIA Factbook
