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The
Geography
of Cambodia
Cambodia,
also known as Kampochea, is a country located in Southeast Asia that is bordered
by Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. Covering an area of about 181,035 sq km,
Cambodia is about half the size of Vietnam. The capital of Cambodia is Phnom Penh and
has the distinction of also being the largest city.
A
low-lying alluvial plain in the center of Cambodia makes up most of the country,
although in the South there is the Mekong Delta. There are several mountainous
regions, one of which forms a border along the coastline with another separating
Cambodia from Thailand.
The
tenth largest river in the world, the Mekong River, is the longest river in
Southeast Asia and the most important river in Cambodia. One of its
important uses is that it is navigable for most of its "run" through
the country, as well as the Mekong delta in the South.
Cambodia is also
home to the largest lake in Southeast Asia, the Tonle Sap (Great Lake), which
connects with the Mekong River in Phnom Penh. The Tonle Sap
enlarges to four times its normal size when the Mekong rises during the monsoon
season thus causing the Tonle Sap River to flow northward into the Lake.
During the dry season it reverses its flow and goes back into the Mekong
River. As a result of this, The Tonle Sap Lake is a great resource for
freshwater fish, actually being one of the richest sources in the world.
There
are two monsoons which make up Cambodia's climate, a cool, dry, north-eastern
one that is rather dry and comes from November to March and a south-western one
which brings with it heavy rain, high winds and high humidity from May to early
October.
December and January are considered to be the coolest months and fall
in the dry monsoon season. Annually, Cambodia gets about 1,400 mm
(55 in) and the temp averages around 27 degrees C (80 degrees F).
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