03/01/2011 General information about Vietnam
Country name:
conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
conventional short form: Vietnam
local long form: Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam
local short form: Viet Nam
abbreviation: SRV
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia
Geographic coordinates: 16 10 N, 107 50 E
Map references: Southeast Asia Area: total: 331,210 sq km
country comparison to the world: 65
land: 310,070 sq km water: 21,140 sq km
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)
Climate: tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March)
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: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m
Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, rare earth elements, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, timber, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 20.14% permanent crops: 6.93% other: 72.93% (2005)
Irrigated land: 30,000 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources: 891.2 cu km (1999)
Natural hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta
Government type: Communist state
Capital: name: Hanoi (Ha Noi)
geographic coordinates: 21 02 N, 105 51 E
time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions: 58 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities (thanh pho, singular and plural) provinces: An Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau, Cao Bang, Dac Lak, Dac Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Ha Nam, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong, Hau Giang, Hoa Binh, Hung Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai municipalities: Can Tho, Da Nang, Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City
Independence: 2 September 1945 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 2 September (1945)
Constitution: 15 April 1992
Legal system: based on communist legal theory and French civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Population: 89,571,130 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 13
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.1% (male 12,069,408/female 11,033,738) 15-64 years: 68.3% (male 30,149,986/female 30,392,043) 65 years and over: 5.6% (male 1,892,505/female 3,039,078) (2010 est.)
Median age: total: 27.4 years male: 26.4 years female: 28.5 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.096% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 117
Airports: 44 (2010) country comparison to the world: 98
Airports - with paved runways: total: 37 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 9 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2010) Heliports: 1 (2010)
Pipelines: condensate/gas 42 km; gas 66 km; refined products 206 km (2009)
Railways: total: 2,347 km country comparison to the world: 67 standard gauge: 178 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 2,169 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways: total: 171,392 km country comparison to the world: 29 paved: 125,789 km unpaved: 45,603 km (2008)
Waterways: 17,702 km (5,000 km navigable by vessels up to 1.8 m draft) (2011) country comparison to the world: 7
Merchant marine: total: 537 country comparison to the world: 21 by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 103, cargo 330, chemical tanker 24, container 20, liquefied gas 7, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 46, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1 registered in other countries: 84 (Cambodia 1, Honduras 1, Liberia 3, Mongolia 34, Panama 37, Taiwan 1, Tuvalu 6, unknown 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals: Cam Pha Port, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Phu My, Quy Nhon
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