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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: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

Vietnam Quickstats

  • Population: 85,262,356 (July 2007 est.)
  • Area: 329,560 sq km
  • Density: 253 /km² (46th)
  • GDP (total): $251.8 billion (36th)
  • GDP (per capita): $3,025 (123rd)
  • Literacy: 90.3%

Languages of Vietnam

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  • Currency: đồng (₫) (VND)
  • Dial code: +84

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