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- Official Name: Kingdom of Cambodia
- Government: Constitutional Monarchy
- Legislature: National Assembly
- Head of State: King Norodom Sihamony, enthroned October 2004,
Son of King Sihanouk
- Prime Minister: Hun Sen,
in office 1998, re-elected 2003, 2008 (Next election 2013)
- Capital city: Phnom Penh. City population: 1.2 million,
government Census 2005 2004
- Population: 14 million, government's UN sponsored census 2008.
- Popular
distribution: rural 87%, urban 13%. Population growth: 2.3%
- Age
distribution: 15 years and under: 41 %. 65 years and over:
3.5%.
- Ethnic groups: Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese
4%, others 1%
- Language: Khmer (official), English, French
- Religion: Theravada Buddhists: 95%. Christians,
Islam and others: 5%
- Area: 181,040 square kilometers (69,898 square miles)
- Land: 176,520 sq km
Water: 4,520 sq km
- Location and boundaries: Situated in South East
Asia on Indochina peninsula, Bordered by Thailand to the West and North, by
Laos to the North, by Vietnam to the
East and South, and by Gulf of Thailand to the South.
- Land boundaries: 2,572 km
Border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km
- Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 105 00
E
- Elevation:
- Highest point, Aural Mountain
1,813 meters (5,948 feet). See
Cambodia map.
- Lowest point: Sihanouk Ville, Gulf of
Thailand
- Climate: Tropical; temperature between 21and 35
degree Celsius; monsoon (rainy) season starts in June and ends
late October, followed by dry and mildly windy season
- Coast Line: 443 km along Kampot, Kampong Som, Koh Kong provinces.
- Monetary unit: Riel (February 2006, one US dollar = 4,000 Riels).
- GDP: 8.2 billions dollars, UN figure 1999. Per capita GDP: 710 dollars.
Real growth 4%. Inflation rate:
1.6% (UN figure 2000)
- Economy: Agriculture: rice, corns, rubber, soybeans, vegetables.
Industries: tourism, garments, rice milling, wood products,
timbers, cement, paper,
fishing. Mineral: gemstones, phosphates, manganese.
- Trading countries: Thailand, Japan, Singapore,
Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, the United States.
- Imports: Cigarettes, gold, construction
materials, petroleum products, machinery, motor vehicles
- Exports: Timber, garments, rubber, rice, corns,
beans, fish
- Education: Literacy 65%
(UN figure 1993)
-
- Angkor: Cambodia dates back to the
ancient city of Angkor, the capital of Khmer Empire from
the late 9th century until the early 13th century.
In the 9th century, the Khmer Empire stretches over a vast territory that today
covers Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. During these periods,
Angkor is a hub of
a great human civilization that encompasses complex religious
and political and social systems depicted on
Angkor temple stone walls, bas relief, and sculptures today.
In the first half of the 12th century,
the Chams from the East (now Vietnam) invade and sack Angkor.
Thereafter, the Thais from western part of Khmer empire start attacking and
looting Angkor. The sacking and looting of Angkor is followed by
frequent invasions by the Thais and the Chams. The power of Angkor Empire began to
crumble after the death of King Javarman VII (1181 - 1215) in the 12th
century. After the Thais' capture and sacking of Angkor in
1431, Khmers are forced to move their capital from Angkor to Phnom Penh.
The loss of Khmer peripheral territory and land continues until 1863 when
France colonizes Cambodia and
establishes a protectorate called French Indo-China (Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos).
Cambodia gains
independence from France in 1953.
King Sihanouk Era: King Norodom Skihanouk (1941 - 1970) tries to maintain
political neutrality in the 1960's with the hope to steer Cambodia
away from the regional political conflict, a result of cold-war between the
United States and the Soviet Union that has the support of China. However,
Cambodia loses a balance of maintaining neutrality and as a result severs the relation
with the United States in 1965. King Sihanouk, while on a foreign trip to
Soviet Union, is deposed on March 18, 1970 by
Lon Nol supported by the United States. The monarchy
is abolished and Cambodia is proclaimed "Khmer Republic". King Sihanouk,
who lives on exile, forms a political relation with Khmer Rouge leaders who are
already fighting Lon Nol's regime. A civil war begins. Khmer Republic
is supported by the United States. The Khmer Rouge is supported by North
Vietnam and China with the backing from the Soviet Union.
The Khmer Rouge: Lon Nol's regime (Khmer Republic 1970-1975),
militarily and economically supported by the United States, on April 17, 1975,
is overthrown by Khmer Rouge armed forces.
The Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot enter
Phnom Penh capital city and immediately march the people out. People are
driven out of towns and cities. They are marched
and forced to live and work in labor camps.
Government workers and students, considered belonging to upper
class, are arrested, imprisoned, and executed. Khmer Rouge regime is
overthrown by Vietnamese armed forces in January 1979. One and a half
million Cambodians were killed in labor camps as a result of the the brutality
of Khmer Rouge regime.
The Peace Accord: Hun Sen emerges
an outstanding leader of Cambodia (People's Republic of Kampuchea) during the
Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia 1979-1989. Peace accord between the
Cambodian Resistance factions and Hun Sen's government is reached and singed in Paris in 1991 paving
the way for the United Nations sponsored general election
in May 1992. The election results are disputed by Hun Sen and Prince
Norodom Ranarid's political parties. The two parties reach a deal and they
agree to share power and they have Prince
Norodom Rhanarid as first Prime Minister and Hun Sen as second Prime
Minister. The political power sharing lasts until
1998 general election from which Hun Sen emerges as a winner while
Sam Rainsy becomes an official
opposition leader. On September 21, 1998, the National Assembly adopts a
constitutional monarchy and proclaims
"Kingdom of Cambodia" with
King Norodom Sihanouk as King and Head of State.
Cambodia general election is held every five years.
Updated:03/02/2011
Source and reference:
Phnom Penh municipality (phnompenh.gov.kh), Ministry of Planning Phnom
Penh,
National Institute of Statistics Phnom Penh, Time Almanac 2002, Encyclopedia Americana 2002, the World Book Encyclopedia
2002.
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