The largest country in South East Asia called the kingdom of Cambodia earlier known by the name Kampuchea is the successor state of the Hindu and the Buddhist Khmer Empire. The capital of Cambodia is Phnom Penh and their citizens are identified as Cambodians or Khmers.
The country is surrounded by Thailand to its west, Laos to its northeast, and Vietnam to its southeast, and Gulf of Thailand to its south.
Etymology of Cambodia:-
The name Cambodia is derived from the French word “Cambodge” which actually comes from Kampuchea meaning born of “Kambu”. So upto 1989 it was known by the name Kampuchea but after that the government turned it to the official name as the “Kingdom of Cambodia”.
History of Cambodia:-
During the 13th and 14th century there is a rise of civilization called Khmer empire due to which the country having the close relations with china and Thailand collapsed. During this empire Angkor is the place where there is a major power.
Due to the wars with the neighbouring kingdoms Angkor is conquered by the Thai and moved to Lovek where it again regains its glory but the golden age is of very short period and the wars are again continued with the Vietnamese. As a result of which Lovek is conquered by the Vietnamese in 1594 and act as a slave.
After so many years in 1863 the Thailand appointed the king known as King Norodom who signed the treaty with the France due to which the state is fully under the control of French colonial domination.
During world-war II the situation of Cambodia was very poor and upto 1953 this country is recognized as the French colony of Indochina. On 9 November, 1953 Cambodia get independence from France under King Norodom and become a constitutional monarchy.
Politics and Government of Cambodia:-
In 1993, a constitutional monarchy is established which is based on the principles of liberal democracy. There are total 120 members in the government which includes members of national assembly, council of ministers and the constitutional council. Upto 1980 the Cambodian’s people party is the only party which maintains the discipline and acts as a leader for the socialistic state.
The position of the commander-in-chief is holded y the prime minister and the king of the country is the supreme commander of the royal Cambodian armed forces. The present commander of the royal Cambodian armed forces is Ke Kim Yan and the army chief is Chea Saran.
Geography of Cambodia:-
The country is located between latitude 10 to 15 and longitude 102 to 108 and is somewhat like a frying pan surrounded by the river basin. The Cardamom Mountains are located between the Cambodia lake Tonle Sap and the gulf of Thailand. The lacustrine plain which is very famous for rice cultivation is the heart of Cambodia and the Phnom Arol near Pursat is the highest elevation which is located in the centre of the country at 1813 mts.
Currency in Cambodia:-
Riel is the currency which is basically used in Cambodia and 1 US Dollar is equal to 4000 reils. The people and tourists prefer to use reil for the purchase of small things like snacks, food etc and use US Dollar for buying expensive gifts.
Economy of Cambodia:-
The country’s major exports are rice, fish, rubber and the garments. The current inflation is 6.2% and per capita income is increasing day-by-day but it is very less as compared to the other countries. Due to the regional economic crisis and political fighting the country’s economy is getting slowed which also affects the tourism and foreign investment.
After the textile industry the tourism industry is the only source of getting the hard currency. Lack of infrastructure has an adverse effect on the education of the people as a result of which the country has to take the loans from the banks.
Demographics of Cambodia:-
About 11 million are presently residing in Cambodia who speaks the Khmer language. The English language is widely taught in the schools so that it is easy to communicate with the tourists because many tourists are from English speaking countries.
Culture in Cambodia:-
Due to the existence of the Khmer empire there are different styles of dancing, architecture, and sculpture. The best example of Khmer architecture is the Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is the temple which attracts lots of tourist’s people. The other historic sites are Tuol Sleng Genocide museum, Choeng Ek, and Killing Fields.
Bonn Om Tuek is the national festival of Cambodia which is actually the boat rowing contest and every year 10% of the country’s population takes part in it. This festival takes place at the end of every rainy season.
The main cuisine of the country is rice but fish is also included in the diet. Soccer and martial arts are also very popular in Cambodia.
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