Cambodia
The
Kingdom of Cambodia (for various names in the
Khmer language, see
below) is a country in
Southeast Asia with a population of more than 13 million. Cambodia is the
successor state of the once powerful
Khmer Empire, which ruled most of the
Indochinese Peninsula between the 11th and 14th centuries.
A citizen of Cambodia is usually identified as "Cambodian". "Khmer", which strictly only refers to
ethnic Khmers, is also used. Most Cambodians are
Theravada Buddhists of Khmer extraction, but the country also has a substantial number of predominantly
Muslim Cham, as well as small hill tribes.
The country shares a border with
Thailand to its west and north, with
Laos to its northeast, and with
Vietnam to its east. In the south it faces the
Gulf of Thailand. The geography of Cambodia is dominated by the
Mekong river (colloquial
Khmer:
Tonle Thom or "the great river") and the
Tonle Sap ("the fresh water river"), an important source of fish.
Cambodia is the traditional
English transliteration, taken from the
French Cambodge, while
Kampuchea is the direct transliteration, more faithful to the Khmer pronunciation. The
Khmer Kampuchea is derived from the ancient Khmer kingdom of
Kambuja (
Kambujadesa). Kambuja or
Kamboja is the ancient Sanskrit name of the
Kambojas, an early tribe of north
India, named after their founder
Kambu Svayambhuva, believed to be a variant of
Cambyses. See
Etymology of Kamboja.
The official name of the country in Khmer is, in the
Khmer Mul script (
regular script ),
Preahreachanachâk Kampuchea, meaning "Kingdom of Cambodia". The etymology of
Preahreachanachâk is:
Preah- ("sacred");
-reach- ("king, royal, realm", from Sanskrit);
-ana- (from
Pali ', "authority, command, power", itself from Sanskrit ', same meaning)
-châk (from Sanskrit
cakra, meaning "wheel", a symbol of power and rule).
The name used on formal occasions such as political speeches and news programs is
(regular script
),
Prâteh Kampuchea, literally "the Country of Cambodia".
Prâteh is a formal word meaning "country".
The informal and colloquial name most used by Khmer people, is
,
Srok Khmae, literally "the Khmer Land".
Khmer is spelled with a final "r" in the Khmer alphabet, but this "r" is not pronounced in standard Khmer; final "r" disappeared from most dialects of Khmer pronunciation in the 19th century.
Srok is a
Mon-Khmer word and considered more colloquial than
prâteh, but both words are roughly equal in meaning.
Since independence, the official name of Cambodia has changed several times, following the troubled history of the country. The following names have been used in English and French since 1953.
|
1993 stamp showing the name État du Cambodge |
Kingdom of Cambodia/
Royaume du Cambodge under the rule of the monarchy from 1953 through 1970;
Khmer Republic/
République Khmère (a
calque of
French Republic) under the
Lon Nol led government from 1970 to 1975;
Democratic Kampuchea/
Kampuchea démocratique under the rule of the communist
Khmer Rouge from 1975 to 1979;
People's Republic of Kampuchea/
République populaire du Kampuchea (a calque of
People's Republic of China) under the rule of the Vietnamese-sponsored government from 1979 to 1989;
State of Cambodia/
État du Cambodge (a neutral name, while deciding whether to return to monarchy) under the rule of the United Nations transitional authority from 1989 to 1993;
Kingdom of Cambodia/
Royaume du Cambodge (return to the pre-1970's name) used after the restoration of the monarchy in 1993.
|
A Khmer army going to war against the Cham, from a relief on the Bayon. |
The first advanced civilizations in present day Cambodia appeared in the
1st millennium AD. During the
3rd,
4th, and
5th centuries AD the Indianized states of
Funan and
Chenla coalesced in what is now present-day Cambodia and southwestern Vietnam. These states, which are assumed by most scholars to have been Khmer,
[Country-Studies.com. Country Studies Handbook; information taken from US Dept of the Army. Accessed July 25, 2006.] had close relations with
China and
India.
[Britannica.com. History of Cambodia. Accessed July 25, 2006.] Their collapse was followed by the rise of the
Khmer Empire, a civilization which flourished in the area from the
9th century to the
13th century.
Though declining after this period, the
Khmer Empire remained powerful in the region until the
15th century. The empire's center of power was
Angkor, where a series of capitals was constructed during the empire's zenith.
Angkor Wat, the main religious temple at the site, is a symbolic reminder of Cambodia's past as a major regional power.
After a long series of wars with neighboring kingdoms, Angkor was sacked by the
Thai and abandoned in 1432. The court moved the capital to
Lovek where the kingdom sought to regain its glory through maritime trade. The attempt was short-lived, however, as continued wars with the Thai and
Vietnamese resulted in the loss of more territory and the conquering of Lovek in 1594. The Khmer kingdom, during the next three centuries, alternated as a vassal state of the Thai and Vietnamese kings, with short-lived periods of relative indepenence between.
In 1863 King Norodom, who had been installed by Thailand,
sought the protection of France. In 1867, the Thai king signed a treaty with France, renouncing suzerainty over Cambodia in exchange for the control of Batdambang and Siem Reap Provinces which officially became part of Thailand. The provinces were ceded back to Cambodia by a border treaty between France and Thailand in 1906.
During the colonial period, Cambodia was a
protectorate of
France from 1863 to 1953. It was administered as part of the French
colony of
Indochina. After war-time occupation by the
Japanese empire from 1941 to 1945, Cambodia gained independence from France in November
1953. It become a constitutional monarchy under
King Norodom Sihanouk.
Sihanouk quickly abdicated in favor of his father in order to be elected Prime Minister. Upon his father's death in 1960, Sihanouk again became head of state, taking the title of Prince. As the
Vietnam War progressed, Sihanouk ruled Cambodia with an official policy of
neutrality until
ousted by a military
coup led by Prime Minister General
Lon Nol in 1970. From
Bejing, Sihanouk realigned himself with the
communist Khmer Rouge rebels who had been slowly gaining territory in the remote mountain regions and urged his followers to help in overthowing the pro-
United States government of Lon Nol, hastening the onset of
civil war.
, a series of
B-52 secret bombing raids by the United States on suspected
Viet Cong bases and supply routes inside Cambodia, was acknowledged after Lon Nol assumed power and U.S. forces
briefly invaded Cambodia with the same goal. The bombing continued and, as the Cambodian communists began gaining ground, eventually included strikes on suspected Khmer Rouge sites until halted in 1973. Estimates of the number of Cambodians killed during the bombing campaigns vary widely, from 30,000 to as high as 500,000.
The Khmer Rouge reached Phnom Penh and took power in 1975, changing the official name of the country to
Democratic Kampuchea, led by
Pol Pot.
Estimates vary as to how many people were killed by the Khmer Rouge regime. Depending on whether or not one includes deaths from starvation and subsequent deaths in refugee camps, estimates range anywhere from 1.7 million
[ David Chandler, Voices From S21: Terror and History in Pol Pot's Secret Prison. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1999] to 3 million Cambodians.
[ Craig Etcheson, Documentation Center of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia http://www.mekong.net/cambodia/toll.htm][A figure of three million deaths between 1975 and 1979 was given by the Vietnamese-sponsored Phnom Penh regime, the PRK. Father Ponchaud suggested 2.3 million; the Yale Cambodian autogenocide Project estimates 1.7 million; Amnesty International estimated 1.4 million ; and the United States Department of State, 1.2 million. Khieu Samphan and Pol Pot cited figures of 1 million and 800,000, respectively] Many were in some way deemed to be "
enemies of the state", whether they were linked to the previous regime, civil servants, people of education or of religion, critics of the Khmer Rouge or
Marxism, or simply offered resistance to the brutal treatment of the cadres. Hundreds of thousands more fled across the border with neighbouring
Thailand.
In 1978
Vietnam invaded Cambodia to stop Khmer Rouge incursions across the border and the ethnic cleansing of
Vietnamese in Cambodia.
[CambodianGenocide.org.A Brief History of the Cambodian Genocide. Accessed July 25, 2006.] After the brutality of the 1970s and 1980s, and the destruction of the cultural, economic, social and political life of Cambodia, it is only in recent years that reconstruction efforts have begun and some political stability has finally returned to Cambodia.
The politics of Cambodia formally take place, according to the nation's
constitution of 1993, in the framework of a
parliamentary,
representative democratic monarchy. The
Prime Minister of Cambodia is the
head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system, while the
king is the
head of state. The Prime Minister is appointed by the King, on the advice and with the approval of the
National Assembly; the Prime Minister and his or her ministerial appointees exercise
executive power in government.
Legislative power is vested in both the executive and the two chambers of parliament, the
National Assembly of Cambodia and the
Senate.
On
October 14,
2004, King
Norodom Sihamoni was selected by a special nine-member throne council, part of a selection process that was quickly put in place after the surprise abdication of King Norodom Sihanouk a week before. Sihamoni's selection was endorsed by Prime Minister
Hun Sen and National Assembly Speaker Prince
Norodom Ranariddh (the new king's brother), both members of the throne council. He was crowned in Phnom Penh on
October 29. The monarchy is symbolic and does not exercise political power. Norodom Sihamoni was trained in Cambodian classical dance and is unmarried.
The BBC reports that corruption is rampant in the Cambodian political arena
[BBC Asia-Pacific News (September 19, 2005). Corruption dents Cambodia democracy. Accessed July 24, 2006.] with international aid from the U.S. and other countries being illegally transferred into private accounts.
[Reuters AlertNet (May 29, 2006). World Bank threatens $64 mln Cambodia aid freeze. Accessed July 24, 2006.] Corruption has also added to the wide income disparity within the population.
[BBC News (29 May 2006). 'Corruption' curbs Cambodia cash. Accessed July 24, 2006.] |
Map of Cambodia |
Cambodia is divided into 20
provinces (
khett, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities (
krong, singular and plural). Cambodia is further subdivided into
districts (srok), communions (khum), great districts (khett), and also islands (koh).
#Municipalities (Krong):#*
Phnom Penh#*
Sihanoukville (Kampong Som)#*
Pailin#*
Kep#Provinces (Khett):#*
Banteay Meanchey,
Battambang,
Kampong Cham,
Kampong Chhnang,
Kampong Speu,
Kampong Thom,
Kampot,
Kandal,
Koh Kong,
Kratié,
Mondulkiri,
Oddar Meancheay,
Pursat,
Preah Vihear,
Prey Veng,
Ratanakiri,
Siem Reap,
Stung Treng,
Svay Rieng and
Takéo#Islands (Koh):#*
Koh Kong#*Koh Polaway#*
Koh Rong#*
Koh Rong Samlon#*Koh Sess#*
Koh Tang#*Koh Thass#*Koh Tral#*Koh Traolach#*Koh Treas
Cambodia has
diplomatic relations with most countries and is a member of most major international organizations, including the
United Nations and its specialized agencies such as the
World Bank and
International Monetary Fund. Cambodia is an
Asian Development Bank (ADB) member, a member of
ASEAN, and joined the
WTO on
13 October 2004. In 2005 Cambodia attended the inaugural
East Asia Summit.
The country has several
border disputes with its neighbours, including disagreements over some offshore islands and sections of the boundary with
Vietnam, and undefined maritime boundaries and border areas with
Thailand.
In January 2003, there were
riots in Phnom Penh prompted by rumored comments about
Angkor Wat by a Thai actress wrongly attributed by Reaksmei Angkor, a Cambodian newspaper, and later quoted by Prime Minister
Hun Sen.
[Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the US Department of State.Report to the Congress on the Anti-Thai Riots in Cambodia on January 29, 2003.] The Thai government sent military aircraft to evacuate Thai nationals and closed its border with Cambodia while Thais demonstrated outside the Cambodian embassy in
Bangkok. The border was re-opened on
March 21, after the Cambodian government paid $6 million
USD in compensation for the destruction of the Thai embassy and agreed to compensate individual Thai businesses for their losses.
 |
Climate of Phnom Penh |
Cambodia has an area of about 181,040
square kilometers (69,900
sq. mi), sharing an 800
kilometer (500
mi) border with
Thailand on the north and west, a 541 kilometer (336 mi) border with
Laos on the northeast, and a 1,228 kilometer (763 mi) border with
Vietnam on the east and southeast. It has 443 kilometers (275 mi) of coastline along the
Gulf of Thailand.
The most distinctive geographical feature is the
lacustrine plain formed by the inundations of the
Tonle Sap (Great Lake), measuring about 2,590 square kilometers (1,000 sq. mi) during the dry season and expanding to about 24,605 square kilometers (9,500 sq. mi) during the rainy season. This densely populated plain, which is devoted to wet rice cultivation, is the heartland of Cambodia. Most (about 75%) of the country lies at elevations of less than 100
meters (330
ft) above sea level, the exceptions being the
Cardamom Mountains (highest elevation 1,813 m / 5,948 ft) and their southeast extension the
Dâmrei Mountains ("Elephant Mountains") (elevation range 500-1,000 m or 1,640–3,280 ft), as well the steep escarpment of the
Dângrêk Mountains (average elevation 500 m / 1,640 ft) along the border with Thailand's
Isan region. The highest elevation of Cambodia is
Phnom Aoral, near
Pursat in the center of the country, at 1,813 meters (5,948 feet) above sea-level.
Temperatures range from 10°
C to 38°C (50°
F–100°
F) and Cambodia experiences tropical
monsoons. Southwest monsoons blow inland bringing moisture-laden winds from the Gulf of Thailand and
Indian Ocean from May to October, and the country experiences the heaviest precipitation from September to October. The northeast monsoon ushers in the dry season, which lasts from November to March, with the driest period from January to February.
Despite recent progress, the Cambodian economy continues to suffer from the effects of decades of
civil war, internal strife and rampant corruption. The
per capita income is rapidly increasing, but is low compared with other countries in the region. Most rural households depend on
agriculture and its related sub-sectors.
Rice,
fish,
timber,
garments and
rubber are Cambodia's major exports, and the
United States,
Singapore,
Japan,
Thailand,
Hong Kong,
Indonesia and
Malaysia are its major export partners.
The recovery of Cambodia's economy slowed dramatically in 1997-1998 due to the
regional economic crisis, civil violence, and political infighting.
Foreign investment and
tourism also fell off drastically. Since then however, growth has been steady. In 1999, the first full year of peace in 30 years, progress was made on economic reforms and
growth resumed at 5.0%. Despite severe flooding, GDP grew at 5.0% in 2000, 6.3% in 2001, and 5.2% in 2002.
Tourism was Cambodia's fastest growing industry, with arrivals increasing from 219,000 in 1997 to 1,055,000 in 2004. During 2003 and 2004 the growth rate remained steady at 5.0%, while in 2004 inflation was at 1.7% and exports at $1.6 billion
US dollars. As of 2005,
GDP per Capita was $2,200
USD, which ranked it 178th (out of 233) countries.
[CIA Factbook. [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html GDP per Capita rankings.] Accessed July 24, 2006.]The population lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic
infrastructure. Fear of renewed political instability and corruption within the government discourage foreign investment and delay foreign aid. The government is addressing these issues with assistance from bilateral and multilateral donors.
The tourism industry is the country's second-greatest source of
hard currency after the
textile industry.
[US Department of State. Country Profile of Cambodia. Accessed July 26, 2006.] More than 60% of visitor arrivals are to
Angkor, and most of the remainder to
Phnom Penh.
[Cambodian government.Tourist statistics. Accessed July 24, 2006.] Other tourist hotspots include
Sihanoukville in the southeast which has several popular beaches, and the nearby area around Kampot including the
Bokor Hill Station. The
BBC reports that Cambodia is also a major destination for
sex tourism, and there is particular concern over child sex and
forced prostitution.
[BBC (November 2000). Asia-Pacific Report. Accessed July 24, 2006.] |
Number of inhabitants between 1961 and 2001 in thousands. Note the decrease during the Khmer Rouge years (1975-1979). FAO Data,Cambodia |
Cambodia is ethnically homogeneous. More than 90% of its population is of
Khmer origin and speaks the
Khmer language, the country's official language. The remainder include
Chinese, Vietnamese,
Cham,
Khmer Loeu, and
Indians.
The Khmer language is a member of the
Mon-Khmer subfamily of the
Austroasiatic language group.
French, once the
lingua franca of
Indochina and still spoken by some, mostly older Cambodians as a second-language, remains the language of instruction in various schools and universities that are often funded by the government of France.
Cambodian French, a remnant of the country's colonial past, is a dialect found in Cambodia and is frequently used in government. However, in recent decades, many younger Cambodians and those in the business-class, have favored learning
English which is gradually becoming more widely-spoken.
Theravada Buddhism, suppressed by the Khmer Rouge but now revived, is the dominant religion, but
Islam (5%) and
Christianity (2%) are also practiced.
[Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the US Department of State. International Religious Freedom Report 2005. Accessed July 24, 2006.]Civil war and its aftermath have had a marked effect on the Cambodian population. The median age is a low 20.6 years with 35.6% younger than 15. In the population over 65, the female to male ratio is 1.6:1.
[[https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cb.html CIA FactBook.] Accessed July 25, 2006.] UNICEF has designated Cambodia the third most
mined country in the world,
[UNICEF. "The Legacy of Landmines". Accessed July 25, 2006.] attributing over 60,000 civilian deaths and thousands more maimed or injured since 1970 to the unexploded landmines left behind in rural areas.
[PBS.org (July 25, 2003). Cambodia Land Mines. Accessed July 24, 2006.] The majority of the victims are children herding animals or playing in the fields.
Adults that survive landmines often require amputation of one or more limbs and have to resort to begging for survival.
Khmer culture, as developed and spread by the
Khmer empire, has distinctive styles of dance, architecture and sculpture which have strongly influenced neighbouring
Laos and
Thailand. Notable recent artistic figures include the singers
Sinn Sisamouth, who introduced new musical styles to the country, and later
Meng Keo Pichenda.
Angkor Wat (
Angkor means "city" and
Wat "temple") is the best preserved example of Khmer architecture from the Angkorian era, although hundreds of other temples have been discovered in and around the region. The
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, the infamous prison of the Khmer Rouge, and
Choeung Ek, one of the main
Killing Fields are other important historic sties.
Bonn Om Teuk (Festival of Boat Racing), the annual boat rowing contest, is the most attended Cambodian national festival. Held at the end of the rainy season when the Mekong river begins to sink back to its normal levels allowing the Tonle Sap River to reverse flow, approximately 10% of Cambodia's population attends this event each year to play games, give thanks to the moon, watch fireworks, and attend the boat race in a carnival-type atmosphere.
[Government of Cambodia Webpage, Bonn Om Touk, the Water and Moon Festivals; accessed July 24, 2006] Popular games include
cockfighting,
soccer, and kicking a
sey, which is similar to a
hacky sack.
Rice, as in other South East Asian countries, is the staple grain, while fish from the Mekong and Tonle Sap also form an important part of the diet. The Cambodian per capita supply of fish and fish products for food and trade in 2000 was 20
kilograms of fish per year or 2
ounces per day per person.
[Earthtrends.org Cambodia Counrtry Profile] Some of the fish can be made into
prahok (a Khmer delicacy) for longer storage. Overall, the
cuisine of Cambodia is similar to that of its
Southeast Asian neighbours. The cuisine is relatively unknown to the world compared to that of its neighbors
Thailand and
Vietnam, but has been described not as spicy as
Thai cuisine and similar to other Southeast Asia cuisines.
Football (soccer) is one of the more popular sports, although professional organized sports are not as prevelant in Cambodia as in western countries due to the economic conditions. The
Cambodia national football team managed fourth in the
1972 Asian Cup but development has slowed since the civil war. Western sports such as volleyball, bodybuilding, field hockey,
rugby and baseball are gaining popularity while traditional boat racing maintains its appeal as a national sport. Martial Arts is also practiced in Cambodia, the most popular being
Pradal Serey, which is similar to Muay Thai and also considered a national sport. Other styles such as
Karate,
Kung Fu and
Taekwondo are rapidly catching on.
The civil war severely damaged the transportation system, despite the provision of
Soviet technical assistance and equipment. Cambodia has two rail lines, totalling about 612 kilometers (380
mi) of single, one
meter gauge track. The lines run from the capital to
Sihanoukville on the southern coast, and from Phnom Penh to
Sisophon (although trains often run only as far as
Battambang). Currently only one passenger train per week operates, between Phnom Penh and Battambang.
The nation's extensive inland waterways were important historically in domestic trade. The
Mekong and the
Tonle Sap River, their numerous tributaries, and the
Tonle Sap provided avenues of considerable length, including 3,700 kilometers (2,300 mi) navigable all year by craft drawing 0.6 meters (2 ft) and another 282 kilometers (175 mi) navigable to craft drawing 1.8 meters (6 ft). Cambodia has two major ports,
Phnom Penh and
Sihanoukville, and five minor ones. Phnom Penh, located at the junction of the
Basak, the
Mekong, and the
Tonle Sap rivers, is the only
river port capable of receiving 8,000
ton ships during the wet season and 5,000
ton ships during the dry season.
The country possesses six commercial
airports:
Pochentong International Airport near Phnom Penh is the largest, while the others are at
Siem Reap,
Battambang,
Mondulkiri,
Ratanakiri, and
Stung Treng.
The locals normally use
automobiles,
motorbikes and
buses.
Cycle rickshaws ("cyclos") are an additional option often used by visitors.
*
Business in Asia report on airports. Accessed
13 November 2005.
*
Cambodian Culture website Accessed
December 11 2004*
Cambodian Economy Information Accessed
January 19 2005.
*
Encyclopaedia Britannica's Cambodia Country Page*
CIA World Factbook U.S. Department of State website.
*
IFES Summary of 2003 legislative election results. Accessed
January 27 2005.
*Kerlogue, Fiona.
Arts of Southeast Asia. Thames and Hudson 2004. ISBN 050020381.
*
Ministry of Tourism statistics on tourism. Accessed
January 27 2005.
*
NGO Forum on Cambodia report on 2003 legislative elections. Accessed
January 27 2005.
*
Radio Broadcasting in Cambodia Accessed
January 23 2005.
*
Official*
King of Cambodia, Norodom Sihamoni Official Website of King Norodom Sihamoni
*
King of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk Official Website of former King Norodom Sihanouk
*
Cambodia.gov.kh Official Royal Government of Cambodia Website (English Version) (
Cambodia.gov.kh)
*
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation *
Overviews* [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cb.html CIA World Factbook -
Cambodia]
*
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding Cambodia*
Other*
Cambodia Cultural Profile History and listings of arts and media contacts compiled by the UK's Visiting Arts and Cambodia's Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.
*
LICADHO - Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights
*
Wikitravel:Cambodia Travel guide on Cambodia.
