What countries border Cambodia?
What is the current weather in Cambodia?
What is Cambodia famous for?
What is the capital of Cambodia?
Capital | Phnom Penh |
Government Type | parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
Currency | riels (KHR) |
Total Area |
69,898 Square Miles 181,035 Square Kilometers |
Location | Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos |
Language | Khmer (official) 95%, French, English |
GDP - real growth rate | 7% |
GDP - per capita (PPP) | $3,700.00 (USD) |
What is the population of Cambodia?
Ethnic Groups | Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4% |
Languages | The Khmer language comes from an older language called paali, which developed as a successor to Indian Sanskrit. Khmer has 26 vowels and 33 consonants. |
Nationality Noun | Cambodian(s) |
Population | 16,926,984 |
Population - note | Note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of the population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected |
Population Growth Rate | 1.67% |
Population in Major Urban Areas | PHNOM PENH (capital) 1.55 million |
Urban Population | 20.000000 |
What type of government does Cambodia have?
Executive Branch |
chief of state: King Norodom SIHAMONI (since 29 October 2004) head of government: Prime Minister HUN MANET (since 22 August 2023); note - MANET succeeded his father, HUN SEN, who had been prime minister since 1985 cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch elections/appointments: monarch chosen by the 9-member Royal Council of the Throne from among all eligible males of royal descent; following legislative elections, a member of the majority party or majority coalition named prime minister by the Chairman of the National Assembly and appointed by the monarch |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
Citizenship |
citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Cambodia dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years |
National Holiday | Independence Day, 9 November (1953) |
Constitution |
history: previous 1947; latest promulgated 21 September 1993 amendments: proposed by the monarch, by the prime minister, or by the president of the National Assembly if supported by one fourth of the Assembly membership; passage requires two-thirds majority of the Assembly membership; constitutional articles on the multiparty democratic form of government and the monarchy cannot be amended; amended several times, latest 2022 |
Independence | 9 November 1953 (from France) |
What environmental issues does Cambodia have?
Overview |
The Kingdom of Cambodia covers an area of 181,040 sq. km. (69,900 sq. mi.). It is bordered on the northwest by Thailand, on the north by Laos, and on the east and southeast by Vietnam. Cambodia has a short coastline along the Gulf of Thailand where the main port and popular weekend destination, Sihanoukville, is located. Cambodia’s topography consists primarily of flat, low-lying plains that are drained by the Tonle Sap (Lake) and the Mekong and Bassac Rivers. The Mekong River flows more than 500 kilometers through Cambodia; and in some places, it is up to 5 kilometers wide. The rich sediment deposited during the rainy season when the Mekong River swells and floods adds to the fertile growing conditions that exist throughout the Upper Mekong Delta. The Tonle Sap Lake, located in western central Cambodia, connects with the Mekong River at Phnom Penh via a 100-kilometer-long natural channel. During the dry season when the water level of the Mekong is low, water flows southeast out of the Tonle Sap Lake into the Mekong River. However, during the rainy season when the level of the Mekong rises, an extraordinary phenomenon takes place. The swollen and swift-moving Mekong River causes the flow of water in the channel linking the Tonle Sap Lake with the Mekong to reverse, forcing water to drain back into the Tonle Sap and, over time, causing the Lake to more than double in size. As a result of this unique occurrence, the Tonle Sap is one of the richest sources of freshwater fish in the world. The central lowlands are characterized by seemingly endless, flat rice paddies, fields of reeds and tall grass, and fields of cultivated crops such as corn, tobacco, sesame, and tapioca. Sprinkled throughout are tall sugar palm trees and occasional wooded areas. Rice is grown in 90% of the cultivated land. However, only two-thirds of the land cultivated before 1970 is cultivated today, largely as a result of the danger of land mines and a lack of equipment and irrigation. Historically, heavy forests dominated the landscape in areas away from the Lake and rivers. Nearly a decade of extensive logging, both legal and illegal, has greatly diminished the area covered by mature forests. Cambodia’s significant mountainous areas lie in the southwest (the Cardamom Mountains), the south (the Elephant Mountains), and the north (the Dangrek Mountains). Most of the country lies at an elevation of less than 100 meters above sea level. The highest elevation, Phnom Aoral (100 km northwest of Phnom Penh) is 1,813 meters. The mountains have retained more of its forests than the lowlands, with virgin rain forests in the southwest, evergreen and mangrove forests along the coastal strip, and towering broadleaf evergreen forests in the north. Much of the north and northeast is covered by a thick jungle of vines, bamboo, palm trees, and assorted other ground plants. The eastern provinces support large (although old) rubber plantations. Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia since the mid-15th century and the country’s largest city, has a population estimated at 1 million. The city lies at the confluence of the Mekong River, the Bassac River, and the channel flowing from the Tonle Sap Lake. The city consists of four urban districts and three suburban districts. Phnom Penh is a sprawling city, with a mix of wide, tree-lined boulevards and narrow dirt roads, large French-colonial houses, apartment buildings, and small thatched-roof wooden dwellings. Many recent residents have relocated to the capital from rural provinces, hoping for a better life. The infrastructure of Phnom Penh city has improved dramatically in the last few years, but many basic services are still lacking. For example, Phnom Penh recently put in modern traffic and pedestrian lights on the newly paved main thoroughfares while secondary city roads remain unpaved and in poor condition with large potholes and piles of garbage challenging the motorist. Upon leaving Phnom Penh, the scenery immediately becomes very rural and no other city rivals Phnom Penh in size and infrastructure. Cambodia’s second-largest city, Battambang (population of approximately 200,000), is located about 300 kilometers from the capital to the northwest but travel time generally approaches 6 hours. About a 4-hour drive to the southwest of Phnom Penh is the port of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand. In the far northeast and several days of difficult driving away lies Ratanakiri province, home to Cambodia’s ethnic minorities. |
Climate | The climate in Cambodia is relatively consistent throughout the country--hot and humid. There are two distinct seasons: a dry season that lasts from November to May, and a rainy season lasting from June to October. The country has an average annual rainfall of between 50 and 75 inches with the southwestern mountains, the area with the highest rainfall, receiving nearly 200 inches per year. December to February are the coolest months of the year, when temperatures can drop to the mid to upper 60°F (25-27°C). April is the hottest month, when temperatures regularly exceed 100°F (40°C). The average relative humidity is 81%. During the rainy season, periodic flooding in Phnom Penh can make driving a problem due to the city's old and dysfunctional drainage system. Despite this, standing water usually drains away within a matter of hours. |
Border Countries | Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km |
Environment - Current Issues | Illegal logging activities throughout the country and strip mining for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand have resulted in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in particular, destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural fisheries); soil erosion; in rural areas, most of the population does not have access to potable water; declining fish stocks because of illegal fishing and overfishing |
Environment - International Agreements |
Party To: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
Terrain | Mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north |
How big is the Cambodia economy?
Economic Overview |
Cambodia has experienced strong economic growth over the last decade; GDP grew at an average annual rate of over 8% between 2000 and 2010 and about 7% since 2011. The tourism, garment, construction and real estate, and agriculture sectors accounted for the bulk of growth. Around 700,000 people, the majority of whom are women, are employed in the garment and footwear sector. An additional 500,000 Cambodians are employed in the tourism sector and a further 200,000 people in construction. Tourism has continued to grow rapidly with foreign arrivals exceeding 2 million per year in 2007 and reaching 5.6 million visitors in 2017. Mining also is attracting some investor interest and the government has touted opportunities for mining bauxite, gold, iron, and gems. Still, Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in Asia, and long-term economic development remains a daunting challenge, inhibited by corruption, limited human resources, high-income inequality, and poor job prospects. According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the percentage of the population living in poverty decreased to 13.5% in 2016. More than 50% of the population is less than 25 years old. The population lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the impoverished countryside, which also lacks basic infrastructure. In 2016, the World Bank formally reclassified Cambodia as a lower middle-income country as a result of continued rapid economic growth over the past several years. Cambodia’s graduation from a low-income country will reduce its eligibility for foreign assistance and will challenge the government to seek new sources of financing. The Cambodian Government has been working with bilateral and multilateral donors, including the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and IMF, to address the country's many pressing needs; more than 20% of the government budget will come from donor assistance in 2018. A major economic challenge for Cambodia over the next decade will be fashioning an economic environment in which the private sector can create enough jobs to handle Cambodia's demographic imbalance. Textile exports, which accounted for 68% of total exports in 2017, have driven much of Cambodia’s growth over the past several years. The textile sector relies on exports to the United States and European Union, and Cambodia’s dependence on its comparative advantage in textile production is a key vulnerability for the economy, especially because Cambodia has continued to run a current account deficit above 9% of GDP since 2014. |
Industries | Tourism, garments, construction, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles |
Currency Name and Code | riels (KHR) |
Export Partners | United States 23.1%, United Kingdom 8.8%, Germany 8.2%, Japan 7.4%, Canada 6.7%, China 5.1%, Vietnam 5%, Thailand 4.9%, Netherlands 4.1% |
Import Partners | Thailand 28.7%, China 22.2%, Vietnam 16.4%, Hong Kong 6.1%, Singapore 5.7% |
What current events are happening in Cambodia?
Source: Google News
What makes Cambodia a unique country to travel to?