About
Most Cambodians consider themselves
to be Khmers, descendants of the Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached its zenith between the
10th and 13th centuries. Attacks by the Thai and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire ushering in a long period
of decline. The king placed the country under French protection in 1863. Cambodia became part of French Indochina in 1887.
Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953. In April 1975, after a
five-year struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh and evacuated all cities and towns. At least 1.5 million
Cambodians died from execution, forced hardships, or starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A December 1978
Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost
13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully
respected by the Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy under a coalition
government. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national elections in 1998
led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability. The remaining elements of the Khmer
Rouge surrended in early 1999. Some of the remaining leaders are awaiting trial by a UN-sponsored tribunal for crimes against
humanity. Elections in July 2003 were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political
parties before a coalition government was formed.
More...
Source: The World Factbook
Population: 13,607,069
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 and death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)
Capital: Phnom
Penh
Languages: Khmer (official) 95%, French, English
Religions: Theravada Buddhist 95%, other 5%
Government: multiparty democracy under
a constitutional monarchy established in September 1993
Climate: tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season
(December to April); little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north
Geography: a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap
Ethnic groups: Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%,
other 4%
Economy: In 1999, the first full year of
peace in 30 years, the government made progress on economic reforms. The United States and Cambodia signed a Bilateral Textile
Agreement, which gave Cambodia a guaranteed quota of US textile imports and established a bonus for improving working
conditions and enforcing Cambodian labor laws and international labor standards in the industry. From 2001 to 2004, the
economy grew at an average rate of 6.4%, driven largely by an expansion in the garment sector and tourism. With the January
2005 expiration of a WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, Cambodia-based textile producers were forced to compete directly
with lower priced producing countries such as China and India. Economic growth slowed to an estimated 3.8% in 2005, due to
sharply higher competitive pressures in the garment industry and early droughts in 14 of 24 provinces. Faced with the
possibility that that its vibrant garment industry, with more than 200,000 jobs, could be in serious danger, the Cambodian
government has committed itself to a policy of continued support for high labor standards in an attempt to maintain favor with
buyers. The tourism industry continues to grow rapidly, with foreign visitors surpassing one million for the year by September
2005. The long-term development of the economy remains a daunting challenge. The Cambodian government continues to work with
bilateral and multilateral donors, including the World Bank and IMF, to address the country's many pressing needs. In
December 2004, official donors pledged $504 million in aid for 2005 on the condition that the Cambodian government implement
steps to reduce corruption. The 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. More than 50% of
the population is 20 years or younger. The population lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the
poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic infrastructure. Fully 75% of the population
remains engaged in subsistence farming.
GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,100 (2005 est.)
GDP real growth: 4% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate: 2.5% (2000 est.)
Internet country code: .kh
Dial code: +855
Cities
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Local currency is the Cambodian Riel
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