Cambodia

Location

• Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos
• a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap (Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake)

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Phnom Penh	1,573,544	Capital
Takeo	843,931
Siem Reap	139,458
Battambang	119,251
Paoy Paet	79,000
Kampong Chhnang	75,244
Sihanoukville	73,036
Kampong Cham	61,750
Pursat	52,476
Ta Khmau	52,066

Size

• 69,900 square miles
• 181,040 square kilometers
• 1.5 times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oklahoma

History

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, and it became part of French Indochina in 1887. Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953. In 1975, after a seven-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 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off 13 years of internecine warfare in which a coalition of Khmer Rouge, Cambodian nationalists, and royalist insurgents, with assistance from China, fought the Vietnamese-backed People’s Republic of Kampuchea (PRK). The 1991 Paris Agreements ended the country’s civil war and mandated democratic elections, which took place in 1993 and ushered in a period of multi-party democracy with a constitutional monarchy. King Norodom SIHANOUK was reinstated as head of state, and the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and the royalist FUNCINPEC party formed a coalition government.  Nevertheless, the power-sharing arrangement proved fractious and fragile, and in 1997, a coup led by CPP leader and former PRK prime minister HUN SEN dissolved the coalition and sidelined FUNCINPEC. Despite further attempts at coalition governance, the CPP has since remained in power through elections criticized for lacking fairness, political and judicial corruption, media control, and influence over labor unions, all of which have been enforced with violence and intimidation. HUN SEN remained as prime minister until 2023, when he transferred power to his son, HUN MANET. HUN SEN has subsequently maintained considerable influence as the leader of the CPP and the Senate. The CPP has also placed limits on civil society, press freedom, and freedom of expression. Despite some economic growth and considerable investment from China over the past decade, Cambodia remains one of East Asia's poorest countries.The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in 1999. A UN-backed special tribunal established in Cambodia in 1997 tried some of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders for crimes against humanity and genocide. The tribunal concluded in 2022 with three convictions.

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

Languages

Khmer (official) 95.8%, minority languages 2.9%, Chinese 0.6%, Vietnamese 0.5%, other 0.2% (2019 est.)major-language sample(s): សៀវភៅហេតុការណនៅលើពិភពលោក។ ទីតាំងពត៏មានមូលដានគ្រឹះយាងសំខាន់។. (Khmer)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Buddhist (official) 97.1%, Muslim 2%, Christian 0.3%, other 0.5% (2019 est.)

Government

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

• Constitution: history: previous 1947; latest promulgated 21 September 1993amendment process: proposed by the monarch, by the prime minister, or by the president of the National Assembly if supported by one fourth of the Assembly membership; passage requires two-thirds majority of the Assembly membership; constitutional articles on the multiparty democratic form of government and the monarchy cannot be amended
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system (influenced by the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia), customary law, Communist legal theory, and common law
• Executive Branch: chief of state: King Norodom SIHAMONI (since 29 October 2004)head of government: Prime Minister HUN MANET (since 22 August 2023)cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and appointed by the monarchelection/appointment process: monarch chosen by the 9-member Royal Council of the Throne from among all eligible males of royal descent; after legislative elections, a member of the majority party or majority coalition is named prime minister by the Chairman of the National Assembly and appointed by the monarchnote:  MANET succeeded his father, HUN SEN, who had been prime minister since 1985
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Council (organized into 5- and 9-judge panels and includes a court chief and deputy chief); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court and Constitutional Council judge candidates recommended by the Supreme Council of Magistracy, a 17-member body chaired by the monarch and includes other high-level judicial officers; judges of both courts appointed by the monarch; Supreme Court judges appointed for life; Constitutional Council judges appointed for 9-year terms with one third of the court renewed every 3 yearssubordinate courts: Appellate Court; provincial and municipal courts; Military Court
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Parliamentlegislative structure: bicameral

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• one of the fastest growing economies; tourism and clothing exports; substantial manufacturing and construction sectors; COVID-19 declines and the suspension of EU market preferential access; massive reductions in poverty, but rural areas remain disproportionately poor
• Budget: revenues: $7.076 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $8.285 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential, arable land
• Industries: tourism, garments, construction, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles
• Agricultural Products: cassava, rice, maize, sugarcane, vegetables, oil palm fruit, rubber, bananas, jute, pork (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 34.6% (2022 est.)arable land: 23.3% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 2.8% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 8.5% (2022 est.)forest: 43.9% (2022 est.)other: 21.4% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, fabric, gold, plastic products, synthetic fabric (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 39%, Thailand 20%, Vietnam 12%, Singapore 6%, Indonesia 3% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: garments, semiconductors, trunks and cases, footwear, gold (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: USA 36%, Germany 6%, China 6%, Japan 6%, Thailand 5% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports