Country
name: Kingdom of Cambodia
Governement
type: multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy
National
holiday: Independence Day, 9 November
Historical
background: From the 1st to the 6th centuries, much of Cambodia belonged
to the South-East Asian kingdom of Funan. However, it was the Angkorian
era, beginning in the 8th century, that really transformed the kingdom
into an artistic and religious power. A series of weak kings ruled from
1600 until the French arrived in 1863. In 1941 the French installed 19-year-old
Prince Sihanouk on the Cambodian throne. Cambodian independence was eventually
proclaimed in 1953, the enigmatic King Norodom Sihanouk going on to dominate
national politics for the next 15 years before being overthrown by the
army. During the Vietnam war, the Cambodia's leftist guerillas (the Khmer
Rouge) took the power, with Phnom Penh falling to the Khmer Rouge in April
1975. Over the next four years the Khmer Rouge, under Pol Pot's leadership,
systematically killed an estimated two million Cambodians. Responding to
recurring armed incursions into their border provinces, Vietnam invaded
Cambodia in 1978, forcing the Khmer Rouge to flee. In mid-1993, UN-administered
elections led to a new constitution and the reinstatement of Norodom Sihanouk
as king. Since then, President Hun Sen dominated the country. |
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 Geographic
coordinates:
13 00
N, 105 00 E
Map:
Cambodia
Highest
point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m
Border
countries: Laos, Thailand, Vietnam
Capital:
Phnom Penh
Major
cities: Battambang, Pursat, Kompong Cham, Kampot, Siem Reap, Kratie,
Kompong Chhnang
Population:
13,1 millions (2003)
Density:
70.57 hab./km²
Life
expectancy: 53 years
Ethnic
groups: Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%
Languages:
Khmer (official) 95%, French, English
Religion:
Theravada Buddhist 95%
Currency:
Riel
GDP
per capita: € 1,500 (2002 est)
Internet
country code: .kh
Flag
description: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (double width),
and blue with a white three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat outlined
in black in the center of the red band. Flag.
National anthem: listen the anthem
illustrated with the cambodian coat of arms. |
