|
SServing
Students at
Santa Ana
College and
Santiago
Canyon College
VIETNAM
Map
|
Population
Density: 235.7 per sq km.
Urban/Rural
Breakdown
Urban
20%
Rural
80%
Largest
Cities
Ho Chi
Minh City: 3,924,435
Hanoi:
2,154,900 (1993)
Haiphong:
1,447,523 (1989 census)
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:
contiguous
zone: 24 nm
continental
shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive
economic zone: 200 nm
territorial
sea: 12 nm
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: Ngoc Linh 3,143 m
Natural
resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore
oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower
Land
use:
arable
land: 17%
permanent
crops: 4%
permanent
pastures: 1%
forests
and woodland: 30%
other:
48% (1993 est.)
Irrigated
land: 18,600 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural
hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding
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, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban
Geography
Vietnam
is long and narrow, with a 1,400-mi. coast. About 24% of country
is readily arable, including the densely settled Red River valley in the
north, narrow coastal plains in center, and the wide, often marshy Mekong
River Delta in the south. The rest consists of semi-arid plateaus
and barren mountains, with some stretches of tropical rain forest.
Vietnam
shares borders to the north with the People's Republic of China and to
the west with Laos and Cambodia. The South China Sea lies to the
east and south. The land is principally agricultural with a central
tropical rainforest.
Area:
331,688
sq km (127,844 sq miles)
Highest
Point: Fan Si Pan; 3143 m (10,312 ft) above sea level
Lowest
Point: Sea level along the coast
Location:
On the East coast of the Indochinese Peninsula in South East Asia
Neighbors:
China on North, Laos and Cambodia on West.
Topography:
Vietnam's topography is defined by hills and densely forested mountains.
Level land covers no more than 20 percent, mountains account for
40 percent, hills 40 percent; 75 percent is forested. North Vietnam
consists of highlands and the Red River Delta; the south is divided into
coastal lowlands, Giai Truong Son (central mountains) with high plateaus,
and the Mekong River Delta.
Land
and Resources
Vietnam
occupies the easternmost part of the Indochinese Peninsula, a rugged, elongated
S-shaped strip of mountains, coastal plains, and river deltas.
Regions
Vietnam
may be divided into four major regions. In the northwest is the mountainous
southern extension of China's Yunnan Plateau. The country's highest
peak, Fan Si Pan (3143 m/10,312 ft), is located near the border with China.
To the east of the highlands is the Red River (also known as the Song Hong)
delta, a triangularly shaped lowland along the Gulf of Tonkin (an arm of
the South China Sea). To the south are the Annamese Highlands, which
run northwest to southeast, and an associated coastal plain form the backbone
of central Vietnam. The fourth and southernmost region is the Mekong
River delta, a depositional area of flat land.
Soils
The soils
of the Red River and Mekong River deltas, the two major deltas of Vietnam,
are composed of rich alluvium except where damming for flood control has
altered the stream flow. Soils in the uplands are poor as a result
of leaching of nutrients from the ground by the abundant rainfall.
Rivers
The Red
River in the north and the Mekong River in the south are the two major
freshwater streams. The Red flows almost directly southeast from
the northwestern highlands, whereas the Mekong follows an irregular path
from Cambodia, crosses southernmost Vietnam, and empties in the South China
Sea through a complex network of distributaries. Both rivers have
been leveed to prevent flood damage.
Vegetation
and Animal Life
Abundant
vegetation exists throughout Vietnam except where the landscape has been
denuded. Typical mixed stands in the rain forests contain a wide
variety of pines, broadleaf trees, vines, and bamboos. Dense
mangroves bordering the distributaries of the deltas often hinder access
to the water's edge. The tropical rain forests are inhabited by large
mammals such as elephants, deer, bears, tigers, and leopards. Smaller animals,
including monkeys, hares, squirrels, and otters, are found throughout the
country. Reptiles such as crocodiles, snakes, and lizards, as well
as many species of birds, are also indigenous.
Mineral
Resources
The northern
highlands of Vietnam contain valuable minerals, including iron, anthracite
coal, phosphate, zinc, chromite, tin, and apatite. Petroleum and
natural gas deposits lie offshore.
Map
Links
for More Information
CIA
World Factbook: Vietnam Geography
Climate
.
Sources:
Central
Intelligence Agency
Vietnam:
A Country Study
Consular
Information Sheet |
