NAM COUNTRY: CAMBODIA

CAMBODIA
 
Introduction

Cambodia is the transliterated name of Cambodja, the remnants of a once mighty Khmer empire that stretched out over much of Southeast Asia . Cambodia 's contemporary history began with its colonization by France in 1883. Independence came after World War II, in 1953, and until 1970, Cambodia was a constitutional monarchy. The coup d'etat which deposed Prince Norodom Sihanouk on March 18, 1970 , brought to power the pro-American prime minister Lon Nol. Sihanouk, who has never been known to give up easily, immediately began a crusade to regain his country. He created the resistance/maquis known as the National United Front for Kampuchea (FUNK) soon after his overthrow.

Geography

Cambodia is located on mainland Southeast Asia between Thailand to the west and north and Vietnam to the east. It shares a land border with Laos in the northeast. Cambodia has a seacoast on the Gulf of Thailand . The Dangrek Mountain range in the north and Cardamom Mountains in the southwest form natural boundaries. Principal physical features include the Tonle Sap lake and the Mekong and Bassac Rivers. Cambodia remains one of the most heavily forested countries in the region, although deforestation continues at an alarming rate.

 

Khmer Rouge

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.

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. Cambodia became part of French Indochina in 1887. Following Japanese occupation in World War II , Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953.

Vietnamese Invasion

In December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside. A 10-year Vietnamese occupation began, 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.

Tourism

The tourism industry is the country's second-greatest source of hard currency after the textile industry. More than 60% of visitor arrivals are to Angkor, and most of the remainder to Phnom Penh. Other tourist hotspots include Sihanoukville (Cambodia's only port), which has a popular beach, and the area around Kampot including the Bokor Hill Station. The Angkor Wat temple complex is the best-preserved example of Khmer architecture. Angkor means "city" and Wat "temple". Out of bounds to tourists during the civil war, it gained particular worldwide attention after featuring in the 2001 movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. The Bayon, also at Angkor, is located at the center of Angkor Thom. It has 54 towers, each bearing four smiling faces. Many tourists also visit the Tuol Sleng Museum, the infamous prison of the Khmer Rouge, and Choeung Ek, one of the main Killing Fields; both display photographs, skulls and bones of victims of the autogenocide.


King Norodom Sihamoni
Prime Minister Hun Sen

Angkor and the Khmer Empire
The Angkorian period was in terms of cultural accomplishments and political power, the golden age of Cambodia. The kingdom was founded by Jayavarman II with its capital at Angkor, and the Khmer Empire lasted from the early 9th century to the 15th century. The Khmers had adopted religious and political ideas and institutions from India and began to establish a centralized kingdom which dominated Southeast Asia for much of this period.
The rule of Jayavarman VII (r. 1181-ca. 1218) saw the rapid expansion of the Khmer Empire. Unlike his ancestors, who had concentrated upon the cult of the Hindu god-king, Jayavarman VII was a patron of Theravada Buddhism.
Jayavarman VII began building activity that included the popular Angkor Thom complex and also the Bayon, a temple whose stone towers bear faces which have been identified as Avalokitesvara, which are either the king himself or the guardians of the cardinal points (Kerlogue, p. 109). He also built over 200 rest houses and hospitals throughout the empire and maintained a system of roads between his capital and provincial towns throughout the empire which would make it simpler for magistrates to collect taxes or for building projects. According to historian George Coedes, "No other Cambodian king can claim to have moved so much stone." Often, quality suffered for the sake of size and rapid construction. An example of this was the beautiful but poorly constructed Bayon.

Pre Angkor: Funan and Chenla

The first advanced civilizations in present day Cambodia appeared in the 1st millennium AD. During the AD 300s, 400s, and 500s, the Indianized states of Funan and Chenla took hold in what is now present-day Cambodia and southwestern Vietnam. These states had close relations with China and India. After these states collapsed, the Khmer civilization began to flourish in this area from the 9th century to the 13th century

Quick Facts

Official Name
Kingdom of Cambodia
Capital
Phnom Penh
Location
Southeastern Asia , bordering the Gulf of Thailand , between Thailand , Vietnam , and Laos . (slightly smaller than Oklahoma ).
Population

13,607,069

Ethnicity
Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4%
Languages
Khmer (official) 95%, French, English
National Day
Independence Day, November 9 (1953 from France )
Government
Multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy established in September 1993
Legal System
Primarily a civil law mixture of French-influenced codes from the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) period, royal decrees, and acts of the legislature, with influences of customary law and remnants of communist legal theory; increasing influence of common law in recent years
King Of State
 King Norodom Sihamoni (since 2004)
Head Of Government
 Prime Minister Hun Sen (sinc1985) and Deputy Prime Ministers Sar Kheng (since 1992), Norodom Sirivudh, Sok An, Lu Lay Sreng, Tea Banh, Hor Namhong, Nhek Bunchhay (since 2004)
Currency
Riel (KHR)
Agricultural Products
Rice, rubber, corn, vegetables, cashews, tapioca
Industries

Tourism, garments, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles

Export Partners
US, Germany , UK , Vietnam , Canada
Import partners
Thailand , Hong Kong , China , Vietnam , Singapore , Taiwan



Independence Monument