Tonle Sap Lake is located in Cambodia and has an area of
approximately 2590 km², which can reach up to about 25000 km²
during the rainy season. It represents the largest stretch of
freshwater in Southeast Asia and is located in the center of the
country. It forms part of a large water ecosystem and is protected
as a biosphere, declared by UNESCO in 1997.
The lake is fed by numerous slopes that flow out of all latitudes,
the most important being the Sap and Mekong rivers. It is a vital
place for the regional economy because of its wealth in fishing and
fertility of its lands, essentially for the cultivation of rice.
It is estimated that around one million two hundred thousand
people live in the lake and around them, mostly communities of
Vietnamese ancestral origin and Cham. They make a living,
essentially, to fish, but also to plant rice.
