Short facts about the geography of Vietnam
| Location: |
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf
of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and
Cambodia |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
16 00 N, 106 00
E |
| Map
references: |
Southeast
Asia |
| Area: |
total: 329,560 sq km
land: 325,360 sq km
water:
4,200 sq km |
| Area -
comparative: |
slightly larger than New
Mexico |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 4,639 km
border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281
km, Laos 2,130 km |
| Coastline: |
3,444 km (excludes
islands) |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous zone:
24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of
the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200
NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical in south; monsoonal in north
with hot, rainy season (mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season
(mid-October to mid-March) |
| Terrain: |
low, flat delta in south and north;
central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and
northwest |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Ngoc Linh 3,143
m |
| Natural
resources: |
phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite,
chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests,
hydropower |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures:
1%
forests and woodland: 30%
other: 48% (1993
est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
18,600 sq km (1993
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
occasional typhoons (May to January)
with extensive flooding |
| 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; growing urban industrialization and population migration
are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh
City |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban | Source: World Factbook |
