The Kingdom of Cambodia is an independent country with a population of more than 7 million people. With a surface area of 181,035 sq. km and once a French colony, is the least known Indochinese country. Cambodia has a distinct geographical personality: it is a wide basin surrounded by highlands. In this basin the farmer has created a simple life - an original civilization and philosophy of mildness. After many years of war, people rediscovered the meaning of "PEACE" They started to rebuild and reconstruct in all fields. Cambodia is divided into 20 provinces and rich in resources, forests, rubber, gems, fish and has a big potential in tourism.
FACTS ABOUT THE COUNTRY
Khmers have called their country Kampuchea (usually rendered Kambuja), since the l6th century. The name is derived from the word kambu-ja, meaning those born of Kambu (a figure of Indian mythology), which was first used to refer to the people of Cambodia in the 10th century. The Portuguese Cambodia and French Cambodge from which the English name Cambodia is derived, are adaptations of " Kampuja".
It was the Khmer Rouge who insisted that the outside world use the name Kampuchea. Changing the country's official English name back to Cambodia (which has been used by the US State Department all along) was intended as a symbolic move to distance the present government in Phnom Penh from the bitter connotations of the name Kampuchea, which westerners and overseas Khmer alike associate with the murderous Khmer Rouge regime. As a result of the United Nations sponsored and enforced election in May, 1993, the Kingdom of Cambodia is now safe to travel and tourism has once again become possible. Indeed, the country and Phnom Penh in partucular is undergoing something of a renaissance. Often overshadowed by the traumatic events of its recent past, Cambodia as home of the Khmer culture remains one of the most important and exotic countries in South East Asia.
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Country Conventional Name: Kingdom of Cambodia (Locally called Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea). In short by local: Kampuchea |
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Capital: Phnompenh |
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Location: Southeast Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand to the south, Thailand to the east, Vietnam to the West, and Laos to the North |
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Climate - Tropical |
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Rainy Season: June to October |
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Cool Season: November to February |
Hot Season: March to May
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Monsoon season: May to November); Dry season (December to April) - Average Temperature: 32 degree Celsius
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Size: 181,035 square kilometers, with coastal line of 443 km. |
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Population: 11,626,520 (1999) |
Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, and Chinese, Chams (Khmer Island), Hilltribes, Chinese constituted remaining 5%
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Population growth rate: 2.49% (1999 est.)
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Birth rate: 41.05 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
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Death rate: 16.2 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
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Military Age: 18 years of age
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Religion |
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Officially Theravada Buddhism 95%; others Islam and Christianity |
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Language |
Officially Khmer - others: English, French, Chinese and Vietnamase
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Literacy: 35% of total population
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Time: +7 GMT |
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Communication: The handphone has become a necessity in Cambodia. Handphone numbers start with 011, 012, 015, 016 or 018. Phone cards can be bought at hotels post offices and supermarkets for use at public phones. |
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Economy (Estimated) |
GDP: purchasing power parity・7.8 billion (1998 est.)
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Agriculture: 51%
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Industry: 15%
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Services: 34%
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Inflation rate: 15% (1998)
Labor force: 2.5 million to 3 million Labor force: agriculture 80% Industries: rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles
Natural resources: Timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential
Land Area of Cambodia: 181,035 square kilometers
Land Area of Phnom Penh: 357 square kilometers
Electricity: Electricity in Cambodia is 220 volts with various electric sockets but adaptors are widely available at any electric appliance store, which is located on street sides or business streets.
Time: Cambodia has one time zone and seven (7) hours ahead of GMT |
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