Cambodia

Cambodia or Kampuchea (officially called Kingdom of Cambodia) is a country in Southeast Asia. It is near Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. About 13 million people live in Cambodia. The people of Cambodia are called Cambodians or Khmer. Khmer is the official language. The country has recently emerged from a long civil war and the rule of the Khmer Rouge. It is part of ASEAN, Association of South East Asian Nations.

Kingdom of Cambodia Preăh Reăcheănachâk Kâmpŭcheă
Flag Royal Arms
Motto:  Nation, Religion, King
Anthem:  Nokor Reach Majestic Kingdom
Location of  Cambodia  (green) in ASEAN  (dark grey)  —  [Legend]
Capital and largest city	Phnom Penh 11°33′N 104°55′E
Official languages	Khmer
Other languages	List Cham French English
Official script	Khmer script
Ethnic groups	90.0% Khmer 5.0% Vietnamese 1.0% Chinese 4.0% other
Demonym(s)	Khmer or Cambodian
Government	Unitary parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy under a Dominant party Totalitarian Hereditary dictatorship
• King	Norodom Sihamoni
• Prime Minister	Hun Manet (CPP)
• Senate President	Say Chhum
• President of National Assembly	Heng Samrin
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	National Assembly
Formation
• Funan Kingdom	68
• Chenla Kingdom	550
• Khmer Empire	802
• French Colonization	1863
• Independence from France	November 9, 1953
• Monarchy Restored	September 24, 1993
Area
• Total	181,035 km2 (69,898 sq mi) (88th)
• Water (%)	2.5
Population
• 2019 census	15,288,489 (71st)
• Density	81.8/km2 (211.9/sq mi) (92nd)
GDP (PPP)	2019 estimate
• Total	$76.635 billion
• Per capita	$4,645
GDP (nominal)	2019 estimate
• Total	$26.628 billion
• Per capita	$1,614
Gini (2013)	36.0 medium
HDI (2018)	0.581 medium · 146th
Currency	Riel (KHR)
Time zone	UTC+7
Driving side	right
Calling code	+855
ISO 3166 code	KH
Internet TLD	.kh
The US Dollar is often used

History

The ancestors of Cambodia had an empire called Angkor centered in the northwest of present-day Cambodia. The Angkor civilization is the world's largest pre-industrial civilization. One of the buildings from Angkor is a Hindu/Buddhist temple called Angkor Wat, which is the world's largest religious structure. This empire was later destroyed due to ecological and environmental problems as well as failing infrastructure. Theravada Buddhism came to the country in the 13th century via monks from Sri Lanka. Since then, Buddhism has been the official religion.

Geography

Cambodia is set entirely in the tropic zone. The Mekong River runs through the middle of the country and is the most important source of water in the country. The country is the size of Missouri.

Sports

In Cambodia, people play many sports. Some sports that are enjoyed that come from the West include golf, rugby and soccer. Traditional Cambodian sports are buffalo racing, dragon boat racing and bokator Khmer martial art also known as pradal serey. Cambodia attended its first Olympic Games in 1956 and participated in two more before warfare and civil strife interrupted its attendance. The country returned to regular participation with the 1996 Summer Games. Cambodia managed fourth in soccer in the 1972 Southeast Asian games. Cambodia hosted the GANEFO games in the 1960s. Sports is played in Cambodia to entertain people and too they can find out more about their own talents.

Culture

The culture of Cambodia has been influenced by Hinduism. Today most people in Cambodia practice Buddhism. A lot of their customs revolve around Buddhism.

The food of Cambodia includes tropical fruits, rice, noodles and various soups. Cambodians like to eat a rice noodle soup called 'kah-tieu' in the morning. Cambodians are famous for a type of 'kah-tieu' called 'kah-tieu Phnom Penh' which has shrimp, beef balls, fried garlic, pork broth and chicken. Cambodians also eat a red curry noodle soup with rice vermicelle noodles. Curry is also eaten with rice or French bread in Cambodia. Cambodian food is similar to Vietnamese and Southern Thai food.

Cambodia also has a mystical tattoo called a yantra tattoo that is popular with soldiers. A yantra tattoo has ancient Khmer and Pali (An ancient Indian language) writing. A yantra tattoo is usually done by a religious person or monk. The tattoo artist guarantees that the person cannot receive any physical harm as long as they follow certain conditions. A person is supposed to not talk to anyone for three days and three nights. Another alternative is to follow the five Buddhist percepts. Movie star actress Angelina Jolie is known to have a yantra tattoo.

Cambodians celebrate the Cambodian New Year in April. It is based on Theravada Buddhism. The date depends on astrological signs but are usually are on April 13-15 or April 14-16.

Flag

The Cambodian flag includes a three-towered temple called Angkor Wat. It is the most famous monument in the country. Many tourists visit the temple. The Cambodian flag has three horizontal bands. There are two blue bands on the top and the bottom. There is a red band that is twice the height of each blue band. The red band represents the nation. The temple represents the structure of the universe.

Provinces

See also: List of cities in Cambodia

Cambodia is divided into 25 provinces including the capital. The provinces are divided into 159 districts and 26 municipalities. The districts and municipalities are then divided into communes and quarters.

Name	Capital (seat)	Population (2019)	Area (km2)	Population density	ISO
Banteay Meanchey	Serei Saophoan Municipality	859,545	6,679	129	KH-1
Battambang	Battambang Municipality	987,400	11,702	84	KH-2
Kampong Cham	Kampong Cham Municipality	895,763	4,549	197	KH-3
Kampong Chhnang	Kampong Chhnang Municipality	525,932	5,521	95	KH-4
Kampong Speu	Chbar Mon Municipality	872,219	7,017	124	KH-5
Kampong Thom	Steung Saen Municipality	677,260	13,814	49	KH-6
Kampot	Kampot Municipality	592,845	4,873	122	KH-7
Kandal	Ta Khmau Municipality	1,195,547	3,179	376	KH-8
Koh Kong	Khemarak Phoumin Municipality	123,618	10,090	12	KH-9
Kratié	Kratié Municipality	327,825	11,094	34	KH-10
Mondulkiri	Senmonorom Municipality	88,649	14,288	6	KH-11
Phnom Penh	Doun Penh Section	2,129,371	679	3,136	KH-12
Preah Vihear	Tbaeng Meanchey Municipality	251,352	13,788	18	KH-13
Prey Veng	Prey Veng Municipality	1,057,428	4,883	217	KH-14
Pursat	Pursat Municipality	411,759	12,692	32	KH-15
Ratanak Kiri	Banlung Municipality	204,027	10,782	19	KH-16
Siem Reap	Siem Reap Municipality	1,006,512	10,299	98	KH-17
Preah Sihanouk	Sihanoukville Municipality	302,887	1,938	156	KH-18
Stung Treng	Stung Treng Municipality	159,565	11,092	14	KH-19
Svay Rieng	Svay Rieng Municipality	524,554	2,966	177	KH-20
Takéo	Doun Kaev Municipality	899,485	3,563	252	KH-21
Oddar Meanchey	Samraong Municipality	261,252	6,158	42	KH-22
Kep	Kep Municipality	41,798	336	124	KH-23
Pailin	Pailin Municipality	71,600	803	89	KH-24
Tboung Khmum	Suong Municipality	775,296	5,250	148	KH-25

Transportation

People in Cambodia use many different types of transportation. Transportation in Cambodia include: boat, car, motorcycle, elephant, train and airplane.

Economy

The Royal Palace

The Cambodian economy has been growing rapidly in recent years. Cambodia is set to build its first skyscraper, Gold Tower 42. Cambodia is also building a satellite city next to Phnom Penh which is called Camko City. Camko City is being constructed by Korean companies to modernize Phnom Penh so as to make it appealing to foreign investors and businesses. Cambodia is also one of the most corrupted nations in the world and has been pressured by international communities to fix it.

Foreign relations

Cambodia has foreign relations with most nations. It is part of ASEAN. Cambodia has border issues with Vietnam and Thailand over lost territories. Cambodia is one of a few nations with good relations with both Koreas. South Korean president Lee Myung Bak was an economic advisor to Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen and former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk was a good friend with former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung.

Ethnic groups

The Khmer (Cambodians) account for the vast majority of the population. Ethnic minorities include Chinese, Vietnamese, Muslim Cham-Malays, Laotians, and various native peoples of the rural highlands.

Land

Although much of Cambodia is heavily forested, the central lowland region is covered with rice paddies, fields of dry crops such as corn (maize) and tobacco, tracts of tall grass and reeds, and thinly wooded areas. Savanna grassland occur in the plains, with the grasses reaching a height of 5 feet (1.5 metres). In the eastern highlands the high plateaus are covered with grasses and deciduous forests. Broad-leaved evergreen forests grow in the mountainous areas to the north, with trees 100 feet (30 metres) high emerging from thick undergrowths of vines, rattans, palms, bamboos, and assorted woody and herbaceous ground plants. In the southwestern highlands, open forests of pines are found at the higher elevations, while the rain-drenched seaward slopes are blanketed with virgin rainforests growing to heights of 150 feet (45 metres) or more. Vegetation along the coastal strip ranges from evergreen forests to nearly impenetrable mangroves.

Related pages

• Cambodia at the Olympics
• Cambodia national football team
• List of rivers of Cambodia

Other websites

• Map of Cambodia with new provinces