Cambodia
Capital: Phnom Penh · South-Eastern Asia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Mainland Southeast Asia.
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Invitation to the guesthouse in the village of Ream
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Night view of Siem Reap River , Siem Reap , Cambodia - the bridge may (or may not) be subject to copyright, but the de minimis principle applies to it and to any other…
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Did you know?
In 802 AD, Jayavarman II declared himself king, uniting the warring Khmer princes of Chenla under the name "Kambuja". This marked the beginning of the Khmer Empire. The Indianised kingdom facilitated the spread of first Hinduism and then Buddhism to Southeast Asia and undertook religious infrastructural projects throughout the region, the most famous of which is Angkor Wat. In the 15th century, it began a decline in power until, in 1863, Cambodia became a French protectorate.
Following Japanese occupation during World War II, Cambodia declared independence from France in 1953.
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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
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Cambodian Cultural Village
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Chanchhaya Pavilion. Royal Palace . Phnom Penh , Cambodia.
Photo: Marcin Konsek, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Etymology
The Kingdom of Cambodia is the official English name of the country. The English Cambodia is an anglicisation of the French Cambodge, which in turn is the French transliteration of the Khmer កម្ពុជា (Kâmpŭchéa, pronounced [kampuciə]). Kâmpŭchéa is the shortened alternative to the country's official name in Khmer ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា (Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchéa, pronounced [preah riəciənaːcak kampuciə]).
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Phnom Bakheng temple at Angkor, Cambodia
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History
There exists evidence for a Pleistocene human occupation of what later is Cambodia, which includes quartz and quartzite pebble tools found in terraces along the Mekong River, in Stung Treng and Kratié provinces, and in Kampot province. Some archaeological evidence shows communities of hunter-gatherers inhabited the region during the Holocene: the most ancient archaeological discovery site in Cambodia is considered to be the cave of Laang Spean, which belongs to the Hoabinhian period. Excavations in its lower layers produced a series of radiocarbon dates around 6000 BC.
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Sambor Prei Kuk
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Cambodia's rice fields near Siem Reap
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Geography
Cambodia has an area of 181,035 km2 (69,898 sq mi) and lies entirely within the tropics, between latitudes 10° and 15°N, and longitudes 102° and 108°E. It borders Thailand to the north and west, Laos to the northeast, and Vietnam to the east and southeast. It has a 443 km (275 mi) coastline along the Gulf of Thailand.
Cambodia's landscape is characterised by a low-lying central plain that is surrounded by uplands and low mountains and includes the Tonle Sap (Great Lake) and the upper reaches of the Mekong River delta.
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Terrace of the Leper King, Angkor Thom, Cambodia
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Cambodia - Ream. National park Ream.
Photo: Dmitry Makeev, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Politics
Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy with a unitary structure and a parliamentary form of government. The king is officially the head of state and is the symbol of unity and "perpetuity" of the nation, as defined by Cambodia's constitution. Legislative powers are shared by the executive and the bicameral Parliament of Cambodia (សភាតំណាងរាស្ត្រ, sâphéa tâmnang réastrâ), which consists of a lower house, the National Assembly (រដ្ឋសភា, rôdthâsâphéa) and an upper house, the Senate (ព្រឹទ្ធសភា, prœ̆tthôsâphéa).
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floating homes on the Mekong
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Preah Tineang Phochani. Royal Palace . Phnom Penh , .
Photo: Marcin Konsek, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Angkor Wat with its reflection
Photo: Satdeep Gill, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Economy
Oil and natural gas deposits found beneath Cambodia's territorial waters in 2005 yield potential and remain mostly untapped, due in part to territorial disputes with Thailand.
In 2012, Credit Bureau Cambodia was established with direct regulatory oversight by the National Bank of Cambodia.
Fear of renewed political instability and corruption within the government discourage foreign investment and delay foreign aid, while there has been aid from bilateral and multilateral donors.
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Wat Botum Watey Reacheveraram, Phnom Penh
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Phimeanakas , Khmer temple constructed in the 10th century, but underwent important modifications as it became the official site of king Suryavarman I , located in the…
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Cambodia - fishermen village Stueng Hav District
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Demographics
The French protectorate of Cambodia conducted its first official census in 1921. Only men aged 20 to 60 were counted, as its purpose was for the collection of taxes. After the 1962 population census was conducted, Cambodia's civil conflicts and instability lead to a 36-year-long gap before the country could have another official census in 1998.
As of 2010, half of the Cambodian population is younger than 22 years old. At a 1.04 female to male ratio, Cambodia has the most female-biased sex ratio in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Among the Cambodian population aged over 65, the female to male ratio is 1.6:1.
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National Museum of Cambodia . Phnom Penh , Cambodia.
Photo: Marcin Konsek, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Culture
Traditionally, the Khmer people have a recorded information on Tra leaves. Tra leaf books record legends of the Khmer people, the Ramayana, the origin of Buddhism and other prayer books. They are taken care of by wrapping in cloth to protect from moisture and the climate.
Bon Om Touk (Cambodian Water & Moon Festival), the annual boat rowing contest, is the most attended Cambodian national festival.
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