Location: | Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam |
| Geographic coordinates: | 18 00 N, 105 00 E |
| Map references: | Southeast Asia |
| Area: | total: 236,800 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
land: 230,800 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | slightly larger than Utah |
| Land boundaries: | total: 5,083 km
border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km |
| Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims: | none (landlocked) |
| Climate: | tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) |
| Terrain: | mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Mekong River 70 m
highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m |
| Natural resources: | timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones |
| Land use: | arable land: 3.8%
permanent crops: 0.35%
other: 95.85% (2001) |
| Irrigated land: | 1,640 sq km
note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural hazards: | floods, droughts |
| Environment - current issues: | unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water |
| Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note: | landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand
Source: CIA World Factbook
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