Geography

The Khmer Empire prospered and declined over 802-1327 A.D. The Khmer Empire at its heights included parts of modern-day Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Mynamar (also referred as Burma), Malaysia and Cambodia. The Khmer Empire was a might and powerful civilization. Because, of how they maintained their surrounding and environment.The topography (the detailed mapping or charting of the features of a relatively small area) of the Khmer Empire suggests that around the Mid-west and North-west of the Khmer Empire consisted of mostly plains and small mountains. The Khmer Empire wound have either have 2 seasons dry aired or heavy rainfall. During May to November was the monsoon (heavy rainfall) and December to April were the dry season.

The Khmer empire had a lot of rivers flowing through the area of Khmer, but their was a man river which is called the Mekong river. Tonie Sap Lake acted like a giant reservoir for the Mukong River. The Mukong River attracted many settlers as it provided a steady supply of fish and the ability to establish crop fields close to the Mukong River. Even when the king moved the kingdom's capital he would always move it near the fertile agricultural land of Tonie Sap. These capitals included Hariharat, Yasodphrapura, Jayendanagari, Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. Some of these cities were very close to each other — only Angkor Wat and Angor Thom were one or two kilometers apart.

Agriculture and water management was a vital part in the survival of the Khmer Empire. The Khmer Empire used agriculture for trade and survival. The heart of of their system laid in Tonie Sap, as water provided by the 'great river' and the rains we considered sacred. By this statement we can tell that the Khmer Empire had times of drought. We all know that without a water supply you get very little food for your civilization. So the people of Khmer established a series of reservoirs (barrays), canals and irrigation system these were fed by the surrounding rivers, which controlled the water flow and ensured also ensured three or four harvests (depending on the season) of the rice per year, when other regions could only produce one or two harvests a year, in addition fish was also allowed into these reservoirs and the rice was a native to Khmer and became the main food of South-East Asia.The knowledge of the Khmer Empire knowing where the water was going could help in war and trade. The water in the Mukong River wasn't just used in farming, but sent to aqueducts that supplied the growing population of Angkor area to assist in the temple-building. The water was also used in moats that surrounded Khmer temples and royal buildings. The use and need of water was very important for any civilization to thrive and the Khmer empire had the water to thrive.