Cambodia

The Kingdom of Cambodia is in Southeast Asia and has a total area of ​​181,035 square kilometers, about half the size of Germany. The national territory borders on Laos (541 km) to the north-east, Vietnam (1228 km) to the east and south-east, the Gulf of Thailand (435 km) to the south-west and Thailand (803 km) to the west and north-west. The north-south and east-west extension is about 500 km.

Cambodia is located north of the equator between latitudes 10° and 14° 30' north and longitudes 103° and 108° east and has a tropical monsoon climate. The temperature is between 35°C during the day and 18°C ​​at night.

The weather is influenced by the winds of so-called monsoons. The two monsoons have a strong impact on the rural calendar of Cambodians in the year. During the dry season from November to April, the cool and dry northeast monsoon brings relatively little rain, while the southwest monsoon brings up to 80% of the country's rain during the rainy season from May to October. The hot season is from February to April or May.

Cambodia is surrounded by the mountain ranges. These mountain ranges, which are in the shape of a semicircle, form a natural border with Thailand. To the west are the Cardamom Mountains (named after the spice of the same name), to the southwest are the Elephant Mountains, and to the northwest are the Dankret Mountains. The highest mountain in Cambodia is Phnom-Aural in the Cardamom mountain range, which is 1,813 m high.

 

Close to Laos and Vietnam are low mountain ranges and to the southwest are the Cardamom Mountains (Kravanh) and the Elephant Mountains (Domrai). The mountainous plains are the largest rainforests. The central plain of Cambodia is a fertile agricultural region. The two major topographical points of the country are the Mekong River and Lake Tonle Sap (Great Lake). Tonle Sap Lake is connected to the Mekong by a 100 km long canal known as the Tonle Sap River.

Flora: Tropical rainforest covers the rainy western slopes of the mountains. The vegetation of the central lowlands is dominated by monsoon and broad leaf tree forests, whose trees shed their leaves during the dry season. The bamboos, sugar palm and sugar cane also grow here. In these areas grow the mahogany and noble trees, bamboo, sugar palm and sugar cane. The mahogany and noble trees grow up to 30 m high.

Fauna: The animal world of the country is rich in species. Indian elephants, leopards, tigers, monkeys, wild boars and various species of bears can be found in the dense forests and the sparsely populated mountain regions. There are also a variety of snakes, including the king cobra, which is the largest of all venomous snakes, reaching up to 5m in length. The extremely poisonous krait, which belongs to the snake family, also lives in the rain forests. A special feature is the Kouprery, a wild cattle breed discovered in northern Cambodia in 1936. With a withers height of almost 2 m, it is one of the largest wild cattle.

 

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