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 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 surrendered in early 1999. Some of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders are awaiting trial for crimes against humanity by a hybrid UN-Cambodian tribunal supported by international assistance. Elections in July 2003 were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed. In October 2004, King Norodom SIHANOUK abdicated the throne and his son, Prince Norodom SIHAMONI, was selected to succeed him. Local elections were held in Cambodia in April 2007, with little of the pre-election violence that preceded prior elections. National elections in July 2008 were relatively peaceful.

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos

slightly smaller than Oklahoma

tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation

mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north

oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential

monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts

illegal logging activities throughout the country and strip mining for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand have resulted in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in particular, destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural fisheries); soil erosion; in rural areas, most of the population does not have access to potable water; declining fish stocks because of illegal fishing and overfishing

a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap

25.73 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

8.08 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

3 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4%

Buddhist 96.4%, Muslim 2.1%, other 1.3%, unspecified 0.2% (1998 census)

Khmer (official) 95%, French, English

multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy

23 provinces (khett, singular and plural) and 1 municipality (krong, singular and plural)

9 November 1953 (from France)

Independence Day, 9 November (1953)

promulgated 21 September 1993

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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

18 years of age; universal

bicameral, consists of the Senate (61 seats; 2 members appointed by the monarch, 2 elected by the National Assembly, and 57 elected by parliamentarians and commune councils; members serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (123 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Supreme Council of the Magistracy (provided for in the constitution and formed in December 1997); Supreme Court (and lower courts) exercises judicial authority

Cambodian People's Party or CPP [CHEA SIM]; Human Rights Party or HRP [KHEM SOKHA, also spelled KEM SOKHA]; National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia or FUNCINPEC [KEV PUT REAKSMEI]; Nationalist Party or NP [CHHIM SEAK LENG] (formerly the NRP); Sam Rangsi Party or SRP [SAM RANGSI, also spelled SAM RAINSY]

Cambodian Freedom Fighters or CFF; Partnership for Transparency Fund or PTF (anti-corruption organization); Students Movement for Democracy; The Committee for Free and Fair Elections or Comfrel

ACCT, ADB, APT, ARF, ASEAN, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (double width), and blue with a white three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat outlined in black in the center of the red band; red and blue are traditional Cambodian colors

From 2004 to 2007, the economy grew about 10% per year, driven largely by an expansion in the garment sector, construction, agriculture, and tourism. GDP dropped to below 7% growth in 2008 and probably contracted in 2009 as a result of the global economic slowdown. With the January 2005 expiration of a WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, Cambodian textile producers were forced to compete directly with lower-priced countries such as China, India, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. The garment industry currently employs more than 280,000 people -about 5% of the work force - and contributes more than 70% of Cambodia's exports. In 2005, exploitable oil deposits were found beneath Cambodia's territorial waters, representing a new revenue stream for the government if commercial extraction begins. Mining also is attracting significant investor interest, particularly in the northern parts of the country. The government has said opportunities exist for mining bauxite, gold, iron and gems. In 2006, a US-Cambodia bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) was signed, and several rounds of discussions have been held since 2007. Rubber exports increased about 25% in 2009 due to rising global demand. The tourism industry has continued to grow rapidly, with foreign arrivals exceeding 2 million per year in 2007-08, however, economic troubles abroad dampened growth in 2009. The global financial crisis is weakening demand for Cambodian exports, and construction is declining due to a shortage of credit. The long-term development of the economy remains a daunting challenge. The Cambodian government is working with bilateral and multilateral donors, including the World Bank and IMF, to address the country's many pressing needs. 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 less than 21 years old. The population lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic infrastructure.

$27.92 billion (2009 est.)

$28.34 billion (2008 est.)

$26.99 billion (2007 est.)

$10.8 billion (2009 est.)

8 million (2009 est.)

20.8% of GDP (2009 est.)

NA% (31 December 2008)

5.25% (31 December 2007)

17% (31 December 2009)

16.01% (31 December 2008)

$591.7 million (31 December 2008)

$513.6 million (31 December 2007)

$3.197 billion (31 December 2009)

$2.328 billion (31 December 2008)

$2.019 billion (31 December 2009)

$1.67 billion (31 December 2008)

rice, rubber, corn, vegetables, cashews, tapioca, silk

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

1.273 billion kWh (2007 est.)

1.272 billion kWh (2007 est.)

167 million kWh (2007 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

4,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

30,970 bbl/day (2007 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)

-$1.14 billion (2009 est.)

-$1.051 billion (2008 est.)

$3.647 billion (2009 est.)

$4.708 billion (2008)

clothing, timber, rubber, rice, fish, tobacco, footwear

US 45.32%, Singapore 9.46%, Germany 7.52%, UK 7.07%, Canada 6.31%, Vietnam 4.15% (2009)

$5.44 billion (2009 est.)

$6.509 billion (2008)

petroleum products, cigarettes, gold, construction materials, machinery, motor vehicles, pharmaceutical products

Thailand 24.83%, Vietnam 19.73%, China 14.08%, Singapore 11.34%, Hong Kong 7.41%, Taiwan 5.1%, South Korea 4.06% (2009)

$3.289 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$2.641 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$4.157 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$4.127 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

riels (KHR) per US dollar - 4,135.39 (2009), 4,070.94 (2008), 4,006 (2007), 4,103 (2006), 4,092.5 (2005)

4.237 million (2008)

mixture of state-owned, joint public-private, and privately-owned broadcast media; 9 TV broadcast stations with most operating on multiple channels, including 1 state-operated station broadcasting from multiple locations, 6 stations either jointly operated or privately-owned with some broadcasting from several locations, and 2 TV relay stations - one relaying a French television station and the other relaying a Vietnamese television station; multi-channel cable and satellite systems are available; roughly 50 radio broadcast stations - 1 state-owned broadcaster with multiple stations and a large mixture of public and private broadcasters; several international broadcasters are available (2009)

2,400 km (mainly on Mekong River) (2008)

Phnom Penh, Kampong Saom (Sihanoukville)

Royal Cambodian Armed Forces: Royal Cambodian Army, Royal Khmer Navy, Royal Cambodian Air Force (2010)

conscription law of October 2006 requires all males between 18-30 to register for military service; 18-month service obligation (2006)

3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of boundary with missing boundary markers and claims of Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory; maritime boundary with Vietnam is hampered by unresolved dispute over sovereignty of offshore islands; Thailand accuses Cambodia of obstructing inclusion of Thai areas near Preah Vihear temple ruins, awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962, as part of a planned UN World Heritage site

narcotics-related corruption reportedly involving some in the government, military, and police; limited methamphetamine production; vulnerable to money laundering due to its cash-based economy and porous borders