Vietnam - Geography
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues
| Vietnam is located in 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 |
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 |
| Climate | tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to 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: 20.14% permanent crops: 6.93% other: 72.93% (2005) |
| Irrigated land | 30,000 sq km (2003) |
| 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 |
| Geography - note | extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point |
