Cambodian Economy: Charting the Course of a Brighter Future - A Survey of Progress, Problems and Prospects

1. Geography

3 Chapter 1 Geography Cambodia is located in South East Asia. It lies between the 10th and 15th degrees north latitude, and between the 102nd and 108th degrees east longitude. It has a tropical climate and receives monsoon rains. With an area of 181,035 square kilometers, Cambodia is polygonal in shape, with its center located near Kampong Thom Province. Thailand and Laos border it on the north, Viet Nam on the east, Viet Nam and the Gulf of Thailand on the south, and Thailand on the west. Land borders comprise five sixths of the 2,600 kilometers of Cambodia’s international boundary with its neighbors. Map 1.1. Detailed map of Cambodia Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 1.1. Topography Cambodia resembles a basin, with flat plains in the middle and surrounded by mountains, hills and plateau. On the south, the elevations of the Cardamom Mountains fall gradually as they approach the Gulf of Thailand. Cambodia has numerous plains and low-level plateaus. Cambodia’s territory can be divided into five large natural regions: the Cardamom Mountains, the hill region, the central plain, the Northern highlands and the plateaus. 4 1.1.1. The Cardamom Mountains The Cardamom Mountains (Kravanh in Khmer) covers the southwest of Cambodia, extend in a southeast-northwest direction and divides the coastal areas from the central plains. The Cardamom ranges run parallel to the coasts, extending from Pailin to Kampot Province. This is a chain of many long and steep ridges, the highest of which is Mount Aural (1,813 meters). The Cardamom Mountains are among the most pristine forests in Southeast Asia. 1.1.2. The Hill Region The hill region encircles the Cardamom Mountains, a peneplain with scattered massifs, the principal ones being the following: • Phnom Runtea (sandstone), Phnom Sampov, Phnom Serey Sophoan (limestone) and Phnom Veng in Battambang province; • Phnom Komreng (sandstone) and Phnom Krainlvea (volcano rocks) in Pursat and Kompong Chhnang provinces; • Phnom Chumreay, Phnom Pis, Phnom Kraol and Phnom Reachea Kong in Kompong Speu Province; • Phnom Chang-Or (722 meters), Phnom Preah (780 meters), Phnom Thvear, Phnom Kompong Trach, Phnom Laang (linestone) and the Phnom Tonle Bati (sandstone) in Takeo and Kampot provinces; and • Chumneap Hills and Veal Rinh Hills in Sihanoukville Province. These hills are no more than 800 meters high. 1.1.3. The Central Plain The central plain or lowlands covered with fertile alluvium covering an area 500 km long and 110 km wide, stretches from Banteay Meanchey Province at the Thai border to Svay Rieng Province at the Viet Namese border. The Tonle Sap Lake is located at the heart of the central plain and the Mekong River divides the lowlands by its estuaries – the arteries that feed the central plain. Some 6 million Cambodians live in the central plain, making the area the most populated with the highest population density. Economic activities in the central plain are the most vibrant. It is remarkable for its soil fertility. It includes a zone of silt deposits along the banks of its water courses, a wetland and marshland, and extensive 5 rice fields, which makes it the rice basket of the country. The central plain is divided into three parts: • The areas adjacent to rivers, lakes and coastal zones stretching from 10 meters to hundreds of meters, with very fertile alluvium; • The zones close to the above areas, usually the inundated forests, the mud plain and the areas with small lakes and rivers; • Rice fields stretching afar interspersed with small hills and degraded and dense forests. 1.1.4. The Highlands of the North The highland of the north is a plateau with an average altitude of 150 meters stretching across the provinces of the north and northeast. Its altitude of the escarpment rises gradually from the central plain to reach the borders of Thailand, Laos and Viet Nam. It is formed of ancient alluvial deposits and covered with scattered forest. In the province of Kompong Cham, blankets of basalt or volcano rocks have decomposed to become fertile red earth, in some cases supplanting the older alluvial deposits, which are favorable for rubber plantation. 1.1.5. The Edges of the Plateaus The edges of the plateaus of the surrounding area are extensions of the plateaus and massifs descending from neighboring countries. The highland region of Rattanakiri is a carryover of the Kontum Plateau in Viet Nam, while the plateau of Chhlong Leu is a...