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The country of Cambodia which is also popularly known as Kampuchea is a country
in South East Asia. Cambodia is bordered by Vietnam in the east, Laos in the North
and the Gulf of Thailand to its Southwest. Cambodia has recently emerged as one
of the most sought after destinations on the tourism map and is now known for
its idyllic beaches and exotic temples. The geography is fairly diverse
Geography of Cambodia
The political geography of Cambodia is defined by 13° N latitude 105°
E longitude. Cambodia's 2,572 km border is split among Vietnam (1,228 km), Thailand
(803 km) and Laos (541 km), with 443 km as coastline. Cambodia geography's most
dominant features are Tonle Sap (Great Lake) and the Mekong River, which traverses
the country from north to south. The country is completely within the tropics
and its southernmost tip is only slightly more than 10° above the equator.
Geography of Cambodia in reference to it climate
The climatic geography of Cambodia is mostly monsoonal and has clearly demarcated
wet and dry seasons of relatively equal length. The mercury is always pretty
high and the level of humidity is pretty high. Two thirds of the country is
covered by forests. A lot of the forest cover has however been degraded due
to practice of slash-and-burn and shifting agriculture.
The temperature is mostly level throughout the Tonle Sap Basin area, with minimal
chnges from the average temperature. The annual mean temperature is around 25°C.
The maximum mean has till date bean about 28 degrees Celsius. The minimum mean
has so far been about 22 degrees Celsius. Maximum temperatures higher than 32°C
are commonplace. Sometimes just before the onset of the rainy season temperatures
often rise to more than 38°C. Minimum temperatures rarely fall below 10°C.
January is the coldest month, and April is the warmest. Typhoons--tropical cyclones--that
often devastate coastal Vietnam rarely cause damage in Cambodia.
The geography of Cambodia is one of the reasons that contribute to Cambodia's
immense popularity with tourists.
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