Vietnam Geography:
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:
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 1228 km, China 1281 km, Laos 2130 km
Coastline:
3,444 km (excludes islands)
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 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: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m
Natural resources:
Phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 19.97%
permanent crops: 5.95%
other: 74.08%
(2001)
Irrigated land:
30,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements (not ratified)
Geography - Note:
Extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point |
