Geography

Overview

Cambodia's topography is distinguished by a central alluvial plain, which is situated at a low elevation and encircled by uplands and mountain ranges. This area encompasses the expansive Tonle Sap, also known as the "Great Lake", as well as the upper portions of the Mekong River delta. There are plains that are thinly covered with forests, and ascend to approximately 650 feet  above sea level. In the northern part of Cambodia, the plain meets a sandstone wall, forming a southward-facing cliff that stretches over 200 miles from west to east, rising above the plain to heights ranging from 600 to 1,800 feet. This escarpment signifies the southern boundary of the Dangrek Mountains.

Southward through the eastern areas of the country is the Mekong River. East of the Mekong, the plains gradually blend into the eastern highlands, a region characterized by forested mountains and elevated plateaus that extend into Laos and Vietnam.

 In the southwestern part of Cambodia, two separate upland regions, namely the Cardamom Mountains (Krâvanh) and the Elephant Mountains (Dâmrei), create another highland area that covers a substantial portion of the land between the Tonle Sap and the Gulf of Thailand. Within this remote and scarcely populated expanse, Mount Aôral, Cambodia's tallest peak, reaches an impressive elevation of 5,949 feet. Finally, the narrow lowland strip along the southern coast, which adjoins the Gulf of Thailand, is heavily wooded and has sparse human settlement. This coastal region is isolated from the central plain by the highlands in the southwestern part of the country.