THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA
1. Geography
Cambodia, a country in Southeast Asia in the southern part of Indochina, covers an area of 181,035 square kilometers and has a population of 13,327,000 (2005 estimated). The country’s shape is an almost-square polygon, with Kampong Thom Province as its central point. The country extends 440 kilometers from north to south and 560 kilometers from west to east. This shape makes Cambodia easy for tourists to navigate and posses no difficulties for the development of tourism.
Among the 10 member countries of Association of South-east Asian Nation (ASIAN), Cambodia ranks eighth in land size and seventh in population. Its geographical location makes Cambodia an easily accessible ecotourism destination for travelers in neighboring countries and other parts of tourism.
The country is situated geographically between the 10th and 15th parallels north latitude and the 102nd and 108th parallels east latitude. The country has a tropical climate-warm and humid. In the monsoon season, abundant rain allows for the cultivation of a wide variety of crops. This year-round tropical climate makes Cambodia ideal for developing tourism. Travelers need not fear natural disasters such as erupting volcanoes or earthquakes, and country is not directly affected by tropical storms.
2. History
Historians do not know for certain how long people have lived in what is now Cambodia or where they came from. Evidence suggests that people able to make pottery inhabited the area as early as 4000 BC. The Khmer moved southward into the Mekong Delta from what is now Thailand before 200 BC.
During the first centuries AD, pilgrims and traders from China and India stopped along the coast of Cambodia to exchange silks and metals for spices, aromatic wood, ivory, and gold. Chinese records tell of a kingdom or group of kingdoms called Funan that flourished in southern Cambodia at this time. Its wealth was based on controlling trade between India and China. The influence of Indian cultural institutions in the kingdom was great, with Hinduism coexisting with Buddhism.
After Funan declined in the 6th century, a kingdom called Chenla became the dominant power in the region. Its rulers extended their power into what is now Laos and Thailand before losing power late in the 8th century.
The founder of the Khmer Empire, Jayavarman II, came to power in 802. Later in the 9th century one of his successors established a capital at Angkor near the Tonle Sap. This city served as the capital of the empire until the 15th century and has become one of the world's most celebrated archaeological sites. Between the 11th and the 13th century the Khmer Empire included much of the Indochinese peninsula and incorporated large parts of what is now southern Vietnam, Laos, and eastern Thailand.
By the early 13th century new kingdoms in what is now Thailand rivaled the power of the Khmer Empire. Thai attacks from the west accelerated in the mid–14th century, culminating with the capture of Angkor in 1431. Thereafter the Khmer state lost territory to both Thailand and Vietnam, which vied for supremacy in the region. The Khmer established a new capital on the site of present-day Phnom Penh, but by the 18th century their weak kings were forced to seek the protection of their stronger neighbors.
Cambodia was almost divided between Thailand and Vietnam before France made the territory a protectorate in 1863. France, which already controlled neighboring land in Vietnam, viewed Cambodia as a possible future colony. The French gradually increased their role in Cambodia's affairs, and in 1884 they forced the Cambodian king to sign a treaty that virtually transformed Cambodia into a colony. In 1887 the French officially made Cambodia part of French Indochina. The Japanese occupied Cambodia during World War II, but the French returned after Japan's surrender in 1945.
In the following years Cambodia's king, Norodom Sihanouk, led a campaign for independence from France. In 1953 independence was won. Two years later Sihanouk abdicated in favor of his father and became prime minister. In 1960, after his father died and no new king was named, he became chief of state. Sihanouk proclaimed a policy of neutrality in international affairs, but nevertheless Cambodia's borders became a scene of fighting in the Vietnam War. By the mid-1960s North Vietnamese Communists were operating from bases in eastern Cambodia. At the same time a Cambodian Communist group known as the Khmer Rouge was fighting Sihanouk's government.
Domestic opposition to Sihanouk culminated in March 1970 with a National Assembly vote to remove him from office. Lon Nol, an anti-Communist general, led the new government, which abolished the monarchy and changed the name of the country to the Khmer Republic. Lon Nol ordered offensives aimed at driving out the North Vietnamese, but his inadequately trained and poorly equipped troops were soundly defeated.
Sihanouk went to China after his ouster and organized a government-in-exile. Backed by China and North Vietnam, Sihanouk allied his forces with the Khmer Rouge in opposition to Lon Nol's government, which was supported by the United States. Destructive U.S. bombing raids against Communists in Cambodia helped the Khmer Rouge attract support in the countryside. As the Khmer Rouge gained strength, Sihanouk declined in importance.
In April 1975 the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, captured Phnom Penh and seized power. The new government renamed the country Democratic Kampuchea. The Khmer Rouge turned all cultivated land into cooperatives and sent city people to rural areas to clear cropland; Phnom Penh became a ghost town. More than 1 million people died from overwork, starvation, or disease or were killed during brutal purges of suspected political opponents. Thousands of people fled the country.
Mutual distrust between the Khmer Rouge and Vietnam led to border fighting, and in December 1978 Vietnam invaded Cambodia. Within weeks the Vietnamese drove the Khmer Rouge government from Phnom Penh and installed a new government made up mostly of Cambodian Communists who had deserted Pol Pot. The country's name was changed to the People's Republic of Kampuchea.
During the 1980s Cambodia began to recover from the disastrous Khmer Rouge years. Cities were repopulated, schools and Buddhist practices were reintroduced, and the economy improved. The country's recovery was hampered, however, by guerrilla warfare against the Vietnamese-backed regime. In 1982 the three resistance groups—Norodom Sihanouk and his followers, the Khmer Rouge, and the anti-Communists—formed a government-in-exile headed by Sihanouk.
Peace talks among the four warring factions intensified after Vietnam, responding to international pressure, withdrew its troops from Cambodia in 1989. The country was renamed once again, as the State of Cambodia. In May 1991 the factions signed a peace accord, but the Khmer Rouge subsequently refused to disarm. United Nations–sponsored elections in 1993 led to the creation of a coalition government in which Prince Ranariddh, Sihanouk's son, and Hun Sen, a former prime minister during the Vietnamese occupation, shared power as first prime minister and second prime minister. The new constitution restored Cambodia's monarchy and returned Sihanouk to the throne.
The Khmer Rouge opposed the elections and continued to fight against the government. By the mid-1990s, however, the group was collapsing after suffering military defeats and losing thousands of defectors to the Cambodian government. Quarreling among the group's leaders also took a toll. In 1997 Pol Pot was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment by his former colleagues. He died in custody in 1998.
Meanwhile Hun Sen, fearing an alliance between Ranariddh and the Khmer Rouge, deposed his coalition partner in a violent coup in July 1997. After taking over as prime minister, Hun Sen carried out a mass purge of political opponents and of Ranariddh loyalists. After legislative elections in 1998, Hun Sen continued as prime minister. King Sihanouk served as head of state until abdicating in October 2004. Norodom Sihamoni, Sihanouk's son and Ranariddh's younger half-brother, became Cambodia's new monarch. Population (2005 estimated), 13,327,000.
3. Government
Cambodia is a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy established by the constitution of 1993. The king, who serves as chief of state, is chosen from one of three royal lines by the Royal Throne Council. The king appoints the prime minister, who serves as head of the government, and a cabinet, the Council of Ministers. Cambodia's legislature consists of two houses, the National Assembly and the Senate. The Supreme Court heads the judiciary, which also includes a court of appeals and lower courts. The constitution provides for a Constitutional Council, which is meant to safeguard the constitution, and a Supreme Council of the Magistracy, which is intended to maintain the independence of the judiciary. In practice, however, these institutions have been dominated by the executive branch.
4. Economy
Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing
Cambodia is one of the world's poorest countries. Its economy has historically been based on agriculture. About three fourths of the labor force works in farming, fishing, or forestry. Rice is by far the most important crop, grown with the aid of irrigation or floodwaters during the rainy season. A number of farmers grow “floating rice” on the deep water next to the natural levees of the Mekong River. Sugarcane, cassava, corn (maize), vegetables, and rubber are also important. Fruits, grown for local consumption, include bananas, oranges, and pineapples.
Livestock raising has a role in the economy, supplying draft animals for use in agriculture and local transportation and some meat. Fish are more commonly consumed and serve as the main source of protein for Cambodians. They are dried, salted, or made into sauces and pastes.
Cambodia's forests were rapidly depleted in the late 20th century through extensive logging. International concern about deforestation and the accompanying ecological damage pressured the Cambodian government into imposing bans on logging during the 1990s, but illegal logging continued.
5. Manufacturing
Cambodia's small industrial sector was devastated by the warfare of the 1970s and recovered only slowly in the 1980s. In the early 1990s the few industries in operation included rice milling, rubber and timber processing, and cigarette production. In the years that followed, however, significant growth took place in the manufacture of such commodities as clothing, textiles, and beverages. A serious impediment to industrial development in Cambodia has been a lack of modern equipment.
6. Services
Tourism is the most important component of the service sector. It has attracted some foreign investment in hotel and resort construction.
Cambodia's exports traditionally consisted almost entirely of rice, rubber, timber, and other agricultural products. In the late 1990s, however, clothing surpassed these traditional exports in importance. Most of the clothing is sent to the United States and Western Europe. Imports—including cigarettes, petroleum products, and vehicles—come mainly from Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and other parts of Asia. In 1999 Cambodia joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which promotes trade among its members.
7. Education and Social Welfare
The educational system of Cambodia was dismantled in the 1970s by the Khmer Rouge government. Only elementary schools were allowed to operate, and the literacy rate dropped below 60 percent. After the Khmer Rouge was overthrown, the new government prioritized primary education and reopened secondary schools and institutions of higher education. The literacy rate improved, but the educational system continued to suffer from shortages of money, materials, and trained teachers.
Lack of funding and personnel has also created public-health problems. Such infectious diseases as malaria, tuberculosis, and pneumonia are common. In the early 21st century HIV/AIDS prevalence was the highest among all Asian countries, though aggressive government programs had stabilized the rate of new cases.
Cambodia still has millions of active land mines remaining from decades of warfare. These have killed or maimed thousands of people.
8. Ethnicity, Language, and Religion
Most of the people of Cambodia are Khmer. The Khmer have lived in what is now Cambodia for more than 2,000 years. Their language, also called Khmer, belongs to the Mon-Khmer group of Austro-Asiatic languages (see language, “Kinds of Language”). The Khmer are primarily an agricultural people who are concentrated in the central lowland and along the coast.
The largest ethnic minorities in Cambodia are the Vietnamese and the Chinese. The Chinese were once the more numerous, but many left the country following the rise of the Communist guerrilla movement called the Khmer Rouge in 1975. Some Chinese returned after a Vietnamese invasion ousted the Khmer Rouge government in 1979. During the decade of Vietnamese rule, however, the Vietnamese minority surpassed the Chinese in number. Cambodia's other ethnic minorities include the Muslim Cham-Malays, known in Cambodia as the Khmer Islam or Western Cham, and various highland tribes of the northeast.
Most of the population follows Buddhism, which has a long tradition among the Khmer. A small portion of the population practices folk and traditional religions. There are also small numbers of Muslims and Christians.
9. People and Culture
Almost 4 million people lived in the Khmer Empire at its height from the 11th to the 13th century AD. Conquest by Thai forces in the 14th and 15th centuries reduced the population by about half. Wars during the 17th to the 19th century reduced the Khmer to about 1 million people by the mid–19th century. The first national census taken after independence, in 1962, reported a total population of roughly 5.7 million. In the early 21st century the population was estimated at more than 13 million.
Cambodia has always been a country of villages. Less than one fifth of the population lives in urban areas. The only major city is the capital, Phnom Penh.
10. Land and Climate
Cambodia has an area of 69,898 square miles (181,035 square kilometers). It centers on a basinlike lowland that rises gently from the Gulf of Thailand in the south to the Dangrek Mountains in the north. In the Cardamom Mountains in the southwest rises the country's highest peak, Mount Aôral, at 5,949 feet (1,813 meters). To the west a low divide separates Cambodia from Thailand. The Mekong River flows southward from Laos through eastern Cambodia.
* A traditional rural settlement on the bank of the Tonle Sap, Cambodia.
In the central lowland lies the Tonle Sap (Great Lake), which serves as a natural flood reservoir for the Mekong River. During the dry season the lake covers an area of about 1,200 square miles (3,100 square kilometers) and has a depth of only about 5 feet (1.5 meters). During the rainy season the Mekong floodwaters flow up the Tonle Sap River, expanding the lake's area to more than 3,000 square miles (7,800 square kilometers) and increasing its depth to as much as 45 feet (14 meters).
Cambodia has a tropical climate. It is always warm to hot in the lowlands, with temperatures seldom below 80° F (27° C). The rainy season, from mid-May through early October, comes with the southwest monsoon. Strong winds bring heavy rain and high humidity. From early November to mid-March the lighter winds of the northeast monsoon bring infrequent rainfall and lower humidity. Annual rainfall varies by region, from about 50–55 inches (127–140 centimeters) in the central lowland to more than 200 inches (500 centimeters) in parts of the southwestern highlands.
11. Plants and Animals
About three fifths of Cambodia is covered by forests; the rest of the land is used for meadow, pasture, and agriculture. Along the many floodplains are narrow strips of good alluvial soil. The banks of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers have fertile soils that are renewed annually by the silt of the flood season. The animals of Cambodia include monkeys, buffalo, panthers, leopards, civets, and crocodiles. A number of species, notably the Asian elephant and the Indochinese tiger, are endangered due to illegal hunting and habitat loss.
12. Transportation Network
Cambodia’s transportation network includes roads, railways, airports and water networks. The main transportation network, however, are the roads, because most of the activities depend on them and it is also the longest.
* Roads Networks
According to statistics in 1970, Cambodia’s road network is composed of seven main National Roads:
- No. 1 : Phnom Penh to Bavet, via Neak Leung and Svay Rieng province, is 167 kilometers long.
- No. 2 : Phnom Penh to Phnom Den, via Takmao and Takeo province, is 137 kilometers long.
- No. 3 : Phnom Penh to Sihanukville, via Kampot province, is 260 kilometers long.
- No. 4 : Phnom Penh to Sihanukville, via Kampong Speu province, is 232 kilometers long.
- No. 5 : Phnom Penh to O’chroav, via Kampong Chnang, Pursat, Battambang and Banteay Meanchey provinces, is 408 kilometers long.
- No. 6 : Preak Kdam to Banteay Meanchey province, via Kampong Thom and Siem Reap provinces, is 386 kilometers long.
- No. 7 : Skun to Stung Treng province, via Snuol, is 543 kilometers long.
* Provincial Roads
There are 3,200 kilometers of provincial roads that link provincial towns to their district and communes. The construction and maintenance of these roads is the responsibility of the province.
* Bridges
There are 4,027 bridges along all the road networks. Since 1994, the length of Cambodia’s road networks comprised 4,235 kilometers of Cambodia roads and 3,675 kilometers of provincial roads.
* Railways Network
Before, 1970, the railway network was known as the Royal Railways of Cambodia. The total length of Cambodia railways network is 649 kilometers, and the width of the rail is 1 meter. There are 990 bridges along the railway network.
The network includes
- Phnom Penh to Poipet, constructed in 1972; it is 386 kilometers in length.
- Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, constructed in 1958; it is 264 kilometers in length.
* Airway Network
Cambodia has two international airports: Phnom Penh International Airport1 and Siem Reap International Airport. Phnom Penh International Airport is the busier of the two airports and is the primary transit point for international travels, but the airport in Siem Reap plays a key role in accommodating tourist who visit the Angkor Wat complex. A French foreigner investor is responsible for the recent renovation work at both airports. In addition to the two international airports, Cambodia has eight domestic airports. They are located in Sihanoukville, Koh Kong, Battambang, Preah Vihear, Kratie, Stung Treng, Rattanakiri and Mondolkiri provinces.
* Waterway Network
Cambodia is shaped like the bottom of a pan, providing it with a rich water system. Cambodia’s waterway includes three main systems, the Mekong River, the Tonle Sap and the Gulf Waterway.
* Mekong River System
Cambodia’s Mekong River System is composed of the upper Mekong River ( Lbakhon to Phnom Penh ), the Lower Mekong River ( Phnom Penh to Kaom Samnoh ), the Bassac River ( Phnom Penh to Chhrey Thom about 100 kilometers ) and all of the tributaries of the Mekong River. The source of the Mekong River is in the Tibet Plateau, which is about 5,000 meters above sea level. The Mekong River basin is 800,000 square kilometers; it is 4,200 kilometers in length and flows through Laos, Myanma, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Cambodia’s portion of the Mekong River system is about 500 meters long. It starts in Lbakhon, at the Cambodia-Loas border, and ends in Kom Samnor, at the border with Vietnam. In between, it flows through Stung Treng, Kratie, Kampong Cham, Kandal and Prey Veng provinces.
* Water regime
The Mekong River is affected by the monsoon climate. In the rainy season, which lasts from May to October, the river is filled with about 34,000 cubic meters; in the dry season, which lasts from November to April, the water recedes. This is because the ice in the Tibet Plateau has stopped melting and the rainy season monsoon has stopped blowing.
* Mekong River Tributaries
The right tributary is the Peou River along Cambodia-Lao border. The left tributaries include the San River, the Sekong River, the Sre Pok River, the Prek kampi River, the Prek Chhlong River and the Touch River ( 100 Km ).
* Tonle Sap System
The Tonle Sap River System is composed of the Tonle Sap River and the Great Lake Tonle Sap. The Tonle Sap River is about 100 kilometers long. It starts in Phnom Penh and runs to Kampong Chhang. The Great Lake Tonle Sap is kilometers long and kilometers wid. The lake is divided into three parts:
- The Great Lake: It is 75 kilometers long and 32 kilometers wide.
- The small Lake: It is 35 kilometers long and 28 kilometers wide.
- The Swamp: It runs from Chhnok Tru to Kampong Chhnang. This area has many small islands.
13. Ports
Cambodia has two International Ports in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. Both have key role in the transportation of commodities and tourist.
Phnom Penh Port includes a 184-meters-concret port and 196 – meter – floating port. The water depth is 5.8 meters in the rainy season and 4.2 meters in the dry season.
Sihanoukville Port is located 226 kilometers from Phnom Penh via National road 4 and 263 kilometers from Phnom Penh via the railway. The port was constructed in 1954 and opened in 1960. It is 350 meters long and 28 meters wide.
14. National Parks
Cambodia’s national parks are defined by royal decree. They are protected for science, education and tourism. There are seven National Parks in Cambodia:
- Preah Somramrith Kosamak Kirirom National Park is in Kampong Speu and Koh Kong province. It covers 35,000 hectares.
- Botum Sakor National Park is in Koh Kong Province. It covers 171,250 hectares and is also rich in sea birds.
- Preah Monivong Bokor National Park is in Kompot province. It covers 140,000 hectares.
- Kep National Park is located in along the coastal area of Kep city. It covers 5,000 hectares.
- Preah Sihanouk Ream Park is located between Koh Thmei and Sihanoukville. It covers 21,000 hectares and is rich with sea birds.
- Phnom Kulen National Park is in Siem Reap province. It covers 37,500 hectares.
- Vireak Chey National Park is in Stung Treng and Rattanakiri provinces. It covers 332,500 hectares and is rich quadruped, four-legged mammals.
15. Protected Landscapes
Protected landscapes are those areas of natural and semi-natural landscapes that need to be protected for people to entertain and enjoy tourism activities. Cambodia’s protected landscapes are classified into three main categories:
- Angkor complex in Siem Reap province. It covers 10,800 hectares and is best know for Angkor Wat and numerous other great stone temples built during 9th and 13th centuries.
- Banteay Chhma temples located in Banteay Meanchey province. It covers 81,200 hectares.
- Preah Vihea temples in Preah Vihea province. It covers 5,000 hectares.
16. Mekong Dolphin
The Mekong Dolphin or Irrawadi dolphin, also known as Occelo Brevirostrial, is one of the mammals in the Cetacean family. The Irrawadi is an endangered species-only between 40 and 50 are known to exist in Cambodia. They can be found in the deep parts of the Mekong River in Stung Treng and Kratie provinces. In addition, between 15 and 20 of the dolphins are known to inhabit the deep parts of the Tonle Mok, near Konsaom Bat village, about 15 kilometers north of Kratie provincial town.
The Mekong River dolphin grows up to 2.8 meters in length. They can live 20 to 30 years. The female dolphin produces only one baby every two years. Dolphins have brains that are larger and more complex that the human brain. They navigate the water using sonar and are believed to be very clever, which is why they often trained to perform in water shows.
Mekong dolphins swim in groups. Oftentimes when one dolphin is found, many other are nearby. The dolphin can remain under the surface for 5 to 10 minutes at a time and can swim to very deep water.
Before 1970s, thousand of Mekong River dolphins could be found. They migrate in rainy season between the Upper Mekong, the Tonle Sap, and the Lower Mekong rivers. During the Khmer Rouge regime, from 1975 to 1979, the dolphins were killed for their fat, which was used to run engines.
Besides the Mekong River dolphin, Cambodia is also home to sea dolphin. They inhabit waters off Piem Krasaob in Koh Kong district, Koh Kong province. Dolphins are an important part of Cambodia’s ecosystem. They also attract tourist, and therefore are a source of income for the government and Cambodians.
There are two other creatures worth mention here; both are believed to exist only Cambodia. The first is the Chak Chreng, a snaillike creatures about 3 to 4 centimeters long with a rough shell lives the rocks. In dry season, local Cambodians catch the creatures to sell and eat, because they are delicious.
The second species is the Dambang fish. It looks like the Rose fish or Kantungchey fish, but it has a long body. Once abundant, its number has been depleted in recently years by fishermen using batteries or bombs to catch fish.
17. Khmer National Handicrafts
Handicrafts are an integral part of national and international tourism. They can be a means of enticing international travelers to visit a country. Cambodia has preserved its tradition of making handicrafts since ancient times. These handicrafts are influenced by Cambodia style and Culture and make wonderful souvenirs. There are 5,183 Khmer national handicrafts artisans in Cambodia. This is their career, and it provides them a means to earn a living. Khmer handicrafts include:
- Wooden handicrafts
Wooden handicrafts include construction tools, sculptures and other decorative item.
- Stone handicrafts
Stone Wooden handicrafts include sculptures made of marble in Prey Kuk in Pursat and provinces. At Ba Theay in Kampong Cham province, local craftsmen producer mills, hand operate mills and sharpening stone.
- Copper handicrafts
These are found in Udong, Por Touch village, Mok Kambol district in Kandal and Takeo provinces. They include pots, bowls, caskets, bells and food bowls.
- Silver and Gold handicrafts
Cambodians specialize in this handicraft. They produce magnificent jewelry as bracelets, necklaces and diamond or gem rings. Silver handcrafts are found throughout the country, however, the most specialized forms are in Por Touch village, Kampong Luong commune, Mok Kambol district, Kandal provinces.
- Weaving handcrafts
This form of handcrafts has declined in recent years, due in part to the decline of the industry and the importation of textiles. In some areas of Cambodia, however, such as in Koh Sotin, in Kampong Cham province and Kean Svay in Kandal province, traditional weaving can still be found. In Bati district, Ta Keo province, craftsmen specialize in weaving Kramas, as well as blankets and mosquito nets. Craftsmen in Prek Changkran in Prey Veng province, and in Prek Luong and Koh Dach in Kandal province weave sarong, as well as hol, pa muong chobab and samput sesoy.
- Leather handcrafts
Leather handcrafts are found in Siem Reap province and Phnom Penh, where craftsmen specialize in putting figures such as Ream Ke Khmer, Angkor Wat, Apsaras, and other types of art on leather.
- Instrument product handcrafts
These include product made of palm leaf, thorny palm leaf, vine, rattan, bamboo, reed, run, ropek. These handcrafts are found in various from in every province. They include baskets, mats, small round baskets, caps, bongki, chairs , karong, smoks, mills and other souvenirs such as small plows, angrot and figures of cow or other animal.
- Clay handcrafts
This type of handcraft can e found in Kampong Chhnang and Kampong Speu provinces. Craftsmen there specialize in making jars, pots, crocks and stoves.
- Food processing
Cambodian are talented in producing delicious foo that can be kept for a long time such as prohok, dried fish, smoked fish, smaseh fish, chhaipov, sour cabbage and cucumber pickle.