Fast Facts
Area: 181,035 sq kilometers
Capital: Phnom Penh; 1,157,000
Population: 13,329,000
Currency: riel
Languages: Khmer, French, English
Religion: Theravada Buddhism
Summer(Mar to May): Extremely hot
Monsoon(Jun to Oct): It pours here
Early Summer(Nov to Feb): Tolerable (but humid and hot)
Best Time to visit: December to January
History and Info
A mostly flat and forested land, Cambodia is a small, compact country. But for more than 500 years, Angkor (in northwestern Cambodia) was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which controlled mainland Southeast Asia from the 9th to the 13th century. Thailand and Vietnam encroached upon the kingdom until 1863, when France made Cambodia a protectorate. Independence came in 1953.
The Vietnam War spilled into Cambodia, igniting conflict, and in 1970 a pro-Western military government overthrew longtime ruler Prince Norodom Sihanouk. Five years later Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge guerrillas began brutally enforcing radical communism, killing some two million Cambodians. After intense border clashes, Vietnam invaded and occupied Cambodia from 1978 to 1989, with up to 200,000 troops. In 1991 three rebel groups and the Phnom Penh government signed a UN-sponsored peace accord. Returned from exile in 1993, Sihanouk became king, leading the new constitutional monarchy.
Coming into the 21st century, Cambodia enjoys relative stability; but subsistence farming employs 75 percent of the workforce and many live in poverty. Cambodians hope that tourism focused on Angkor Wat, meaning “capital monastery” will bring prosperity; it is the largest temple at Angkor—its image is on Cambodia’s flag.
Economy
Industry: tourism, garments, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products.
Agriculture: rice, rubber, corn, vegetables.
Exports: timber, garments, rubber, rice, fish.
Text source: National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition, 2004
Tid bits
- Currency conversion: 1 USD = 4033 RIELS (Approx)
- Entry Formalities: US and Canadian Citizens need passports and VISA. VISA on arrival available.
- Voltage: 230V; You need an adapter and convertor to use US Appliances.
- Shopping: Replicas of Angkor bas-reliefs, Music and instruments. CAN bargain.
- Khmer Cuisine: Khmer Cuisine is similar to that of its Southeast Asian neighbors. More here
