My World Factbook
(Learn more about the new, improved World Factbook)
Note: Most information adapted from the popular World Factbook is distributed between the websites GeoWorld (geography, people, communications & transportation), Politix (government) and Great Depression II (economy).
Geography
Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
18 00 N, 105 00 E
Area: 
total: 236,800 sq km
country comparison to the world: 
83
land: 230,800 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
slightly larger than Utah
total: 5,083 km
border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km
0 km (landlocked)
none (landlocked)
Current Weather
tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
lowest point: Mekong River 70 m
highest point: Phu Bia 2,817 m
timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
arable land: 4.01%
permanent crops: 0.34%
other: 95.65% (2005)
1,750 sq km (2003)
333.6 cu km (2003)
total: 3 cu km/yr (4%/6%/90%)
per capita: 507 cu m/yr (2000)
floods, droughts
unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water
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
landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism - 
