Kingdom of Cambodia
Facts
* Full name: Kingdom of Cambodia* Population: 14.8 million (UN,
2009)* Capital and largest city: Phnom Penh* Area: 181,035 sq km
(69,898 sq miles)* Major language: Khmer* Major religion: Buddhism*
Life expectancy:59 years (m), 63 years (w) (UN)* Monetary unit: 1
riel = 100 sen* Main exports: Clothing, timber, rubber* GNI per
capita: US $600 (World Bank, 2008)* Internet domain: .kh*
International dialling code: +855
Leaders
Head of state: King Norodom Sihamoni
The son of former king Norodom Sihanouk, King Sihamoni was sworn
in as monarch on 29 October 2004. The former king had abdicated
because of poor health.
Born in 1953, he studied in Czechoslovakia. He left Cambodia for
France after the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979. He is a trained
classical ballet dancer.
Cambodia's kings once enjoyed a semi-divine status; today, the
monarch's role is mainly ceremonial.
Leaders
Head of state: Prime minister: Hun Sen
Hun Sen, one of the world's longest-servingprime ministers, has
been in power in various coalitions since 1985.
Hun Sen is no stranger to controversy. He seized power from his
then co-prime minister, Prince Ranariddh, in 1997. More recently,
some Western countries have said his rule has become increasingly
authoritarian.
Born in 1952, Hun Sen joined the Communist Party in the late
1960s and, for a time, was a member of the Khmer Rouge. He has
denied accusations that he was once a top official within the
movement, saying he was only an ordinary soldier.
During the Pol Pot regime in the late 1970s he joined anti-Khmer
Rouge forces based in Vietnam.
Media
Many Cambodian newspapers and private broadcasters depend on
support from political parties. Prime Minister Hun Sen and his
allies control several outlets.
In early 2010, Reporters Without Borders said several
journalists were in prison or facing criminal charges over their
work, despite an earlier pledge from the prime minister that
journalists would not be jailed because of their output.
Imprisonment can be imposed for "spreading false information or
insulting public officials", Freedom House reports.
There are no restrictions on satellite receivers and radio
stations from neighbouring countries can be heard.
By September 2009 there were 74,000 internet users
(InternetWorldStats). Access is largely limited to the main towns
and cities.
Overview
The fate of Cambodia shocked the world when the radical
communist Khmer Rouge under their leader Pol Pot seized power in
1975 afteryears of guerrilla warfare.
An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died during the next three
years, many from exhaustion or starvation. Others were tortured and
executed.
Today, Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world and
relies heavily on aid. Foreign donors have urged the government to
clamp down on pervasive corruption.
Overview
Cambodia is burdened with the legacy of decades of conflict;
unexploded munitions - thought to number in the millions - continue
to kill and maim civilians, despite an ongoing de-mining drive.
Only now is the country beginning to put the mechanism in place
to bring those responsible for the "killing fields" to justice.
Cambodia and the UN have agreed to set up a tribunal to try the
surviving leaders of the genocide years.
The first trial - of former prison warder Kaing Guek Eav, or
Comrade Duch - started in 2009 and reached a guilty verdict in July
2010. The trial of four more Khmer Rouge leaders is expected to
begin in 2011.
In pursuit of a rural utopia, the Khmer Rouge abolished money
and private property and ordered city dwellers into the countryside
to cultivate the fields.
The spread of HIV/Aids is another threat; however, public health
campaigns have reduced the rate of infection.
Overview
The effects can still be seen today, with around 70% of
Cambodia's workforce employed in subsistence farming.
The Mekong River provides fertile, irrigated fields for rice
production.
Exports of clothing generate most of Cambodia's foreign exchange
and tourism is also important.
The imposing temple complex at Angkor, built between the ninth
and 13th centuries by Khmer kings, is a UN heritage site and a big
draw for visitors.
Well over half of Cambodia is forested, but illegal logging is
robbing the country of millions of dollars of badly-needed
revenue.
International watchdog Global Witness claims top officials are
involved in the trade. The environment is also suffering, with
topsoil erosion and flooding becoming prevalent.
Overview
The spread of HIV/Aids is another threat; however, public health
campaigns have reduced the rate of infection.
Boats race past the Royal Palace during the annual water
festival
Where is Cambodia?
Home to Angkor Wat
Learn Khmer
Life in Cambodia
Life in Cambodia
