Geographical location

Gia Lai is a mountainous province in Northern of Western Highlands; bordering Kon Tum province to the North, Dak Lak province to the South, Kingdom of Cambodia to the West, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen province to the East. Gia Lai has a strategic position on national defense, security as well as the national socio-economic development. It not only plays an important role in the international Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam development triangle but also serves as the crucial transport hubs connecting Western Highlands with the Central Coastal region and the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Climate

Gia Lai has a tropical monsoon climate with two distinctive seasons including the rainy season from May to October and the dry season from November to April. The average annual rainfall in the province is between 2,100-2,200 mm (the Western Truong Son Mountain subregion has average rainfall from 2,200-2,500 mm while the Eastern Truong Son Mountain subregion has an average rainfall of 1,200 mm - 1,750 mm).The average temperature is 22 - 25°C and the average annual air humidity is about 80-83%.

Topography

Gia Lai has an average altitude of 800-900 meters, and is divided into 2 terrain provinces including Western and Eastern Truong Son Mountain by the majestic Truong Son mountain range with diverse, distinctive and unique climate and soil features. The topography of the province consists of 3 types including mountainous, highlands and valley terrain, of which mountainous terrain accounts for about 2/3 of the natural area of the province.

Natural land area, population and administrative units

The natural land area of Gia Lai is 15,536.9 km2; the population is 1,379,730 people, including 34 ethnic groups living together.