Cambodia covers 181,035 sq km, or a little over half the size of Vietnam. The country's maximum extent is about 580 km (east-west) and 40 km (north-south). It is bounded on the west by Thailand, on the north by Thailand and Laos, on the east by Vietnam and to the south by the Gulf of Thailand.

Cambodia's two dominant topographical features are the Mekong River, which is almost 5km wide in places, and the Tonlé Sap lake. The Mekong, which rises in Tibet, flows about 486 km through Cambodia before continuing, via southern Vietnam, to The South China Sea. At Phnom Penh, it splits into the Upper River (called simply the Mekong or, in Vietnamese the Tien Giang). The rich sediment deposited during the Mekong's annual wet-season flooding has made for very fertile agricultural land. Most of Cambodia's streams and rivers flow into the Mekong -Tonlé Sap basin.

The Tonlé Sap Lake is linked to the Mekong at Phnom Penh by a 100km - long channel known as the Tonlé Sap river. From mid-May to early October (the rainy season) the level of the Mekong rises, backing up the Tonlé Sap river and causing it to flow north-west into the Tonlé Sap lake. During this period, the Tonlé Sap lake swells from 3000sqkm to over 7500sq km; its maximum depth increases from about 2.2m to more than 10m. As the water level of the Mekong falls during the dry season, the Tonlé Sap River reserves its flow, draining the water of the lake back into the Mekong. This extraordinaire process makes the Tonlé Sap Lake one of the world's richest sources of freshwater fish.

In the centre of Cambodia, around the Tonlé Sap lake and the upper Mekong Delta, is a low-lying alluvial plain where the vast majority of Cambodians live.

In the south-west, much of the area between the Gulf of Thailand and the Tonlé Sap lake is covered by a highland region formed by two distinct upland blocks: the Chuor Phnom Kravanh in south-western Battambang Province and Pursat Province, and the Chuor Phnom Damrei.

Along Cambodia's northern border with Thailand, the plains abut an east-west oriented sandstone escarpment, more than 300km long and 180 to 550 in hihgt, that marks the southern limit of the Chuor Phnom Dangkrek.

Cambodia can be neatly divided into two geomorphologic regions: the central plains of the Mekong-Tonlé Sap basin which formed from an ancient marine gulf and later filled with alluvium and colluviums from the Mekong river; and the basin periphery of mountain ranges which include a variety of mineral and soil types.

Time : 

Time in Cambodia is 7 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT*7) 

Climate : 

The climate of Cambodia is governed two monsoons, which set the rhythm of rural life. The cool, dry, north-eastern monsoon, which carries little rain, blows from about November to February. From May to October, the south-western monsoon brings strong winds, high humidity and heavy rains. Even during the wet season it rarely rains in the morning: most precipitation comes in the afternoon, and even then only sporadically.

Maximum daily temperatures range from more than 40°C in April, the hottest month, to the high 20s during January, the coolest month. Daily minimum temperatures are usually no more than 10°C below the maximums.  

Annual rainfall varies considerably from area to area. Whereas the seaward slopes of the south-west highlands receive more than 5000mm of rain per annum, the central lowlands average only about 1400mm. Between 70%-80% of the annual rainfall is brought by the south-western monsoon.

Flora :  

The central lowland consists of rice paddies, fields of dry crops such as corn and tobacco, tracts of reeds and tall grass, and thinly wooded areas. The transitional plains are mostly covered with savanna grasses which grow to a height of 1.5m. In the south-west, virgin rainforests grow to heights of 50m or more on the rainy seaward. Mearby higher elevation support pine forests. Vegetation in the coastal strip includes both evergreen and mangrove forests. The symbol of Cambodia is the sugar palm tree, which is used in the construction and in the production of medicine, wine and vinegar.

Fauna :  

Cambodia's larger wild animals include bears, elephants, rhinoceroses, leopards, tigers and oxen. The llion, although often incorporated into Angkorian heraldic devices, has never been seen here.  Among the country's more common birds are cormorants, cranes, egrets, grouse, herons, pelicans, pheasants and wild ducks.

The Kingdom of Cambodia has seen some turbulent times in the latter half of the 20^th century but now, once again it is at peace and is set to take its place as one of South-East Asia’s most fascinating and rewarding  destinations.

Cambodia lies in the heart of South-East Asia bordering Vietnam to the east, Laos to the north and Thailand in the west. Despite being much smaller than its neighbors Cambodia’s unique Indian-influenced Khmer culture has remained very much in tact. The once mighty Khmer Empire flourished during the Angkorian period between the 9^th and 14^th centuries when it was the cultural center of the region and exerted its influence over Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. For many of today’s travelers the incredible architectural legacy left from this period of history, the temples of Angkor, are without doubt the main reason for visiting Cambodia. The base for exploring the temples of Angkor is the provincial capital, Siem Reap. 

The modern day capital of Cambodia is Phnom Penh, once considered one of the most beautiful cities of the Orient, it still retains much of its original charm with the exotic roof lines of Khmer temples contrasting with some classic European architecture from the French colonial years. Sihanoukville, also known as Kompong Som, is a beach resort on the Gulf of Thailand that is now beginning to attract visitors in increasing numbers.