Country Profile: Cambodia 

 
BRIEF OVERVIEW: 
 
➢ Main Language: Khmer 
➢ Main Religion: Buddhism (Theravada) 
➢ Population: 14.86 million (World Bank, 2012) 
➢ Ethnic group: Khmer, Vietnamese and Chinese minorities 
➢ Monetary unit: 1 riel = 100 sen 
➢ Climate:  tropical humid climate: rainy (monsoon) season (May to November) and 
dry season (December to April) 
➢ Capital: Phnom Penh 
➢ Major Cities: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanouk Ville, Koh Kong 
➢ Area: 181,035 sq km (69,898 sq miles) : Water 2.5% 
➢ Border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km 
➢ Coastline: 443 km 
➢ Independence: 9 November 1953 
➢ Constitution: Promulgated 21 September 1993 
➢ GDP Growth Rate: 7.5 % (Annual) (World Bank, 2013) 
➢ Major Exports: Garments, Fisheries Products, Rubber 
➢ Major Export Trading Countries: : United States (34%), Hong Kong (16%), 
Singapore (7%), Germany (6%), United Kingdom (6%) 
➢ Major Imports: Gold (22%), Knit or crochet fabric, width <30 cm >5% elastomer 
(17%), Petroleum oils, refined (5%), Floating or submersible drilling platforms 
(4%), Other woven fabrics of synthetic staple fibers (3%) 
➢ Major Import Trading Countries: Singapore (26%), China (22%), Hong Kong 
(14%), Thailand (12%), Viet Nam (5%) 
➢ Internet domain: .kh 
➢ International dialling code: +855 
 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT 
 
➢ The signing of the Paris Peace Agreements in October 1991 launched Cambodia 
in a process of reconstruction after two decades of conflict and civil war. The 
process, which was backed by a United Nations presence until the first national 
elections in May 1993, facilitated the foundation of a constitutional monarchy with 
 King Norodom Sihanouk as head of State, and led to the establishment of a 
power-sharing government. 
 
➢ Type:  Constitutional monarchy, Parliamentary representative democracy 
 
➢ Head of State: His Majesty Samdech Preah Baromneath ​Norodom 
Sihamoni​(elected October 29, 2004) 
➢ Head of Government:   Prime Minister ​Hun Sen​ (appointed on January 14 1985, 
elected in 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013) is in charge of overall execution of national 
policies and programs, and is accountable to the National Assembly. 
  
(Source: Cambodian Information Centre) 

Insights from the BBC Country Report  

(http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-13006539)  

➢ Opponents accuse long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen of heading a violent and 
authoritarian system.  
 
➢ Economy:​ The garment industry is dominant, but tourism and hydrocarbons are 
expanding sectors. 
 
➢ International​:​ ​Ties with Thailand have been strained by a long-running border 
dispute. 
➢ However, corruption is deep-rooted and Cambodia is still one of the world's 
poorest countries, with around one third of people living on less than one dollar 
per day. 

➢ Most of the workforce is employed in subsistence farming.  

➢ The Mekong River provides fertile, irrigated fields for rice production. 

➢ Of late, land concessions and forced evictions have sparked social unrest. Many 
thousands of people have been displaced as the government has granted land to 
companies who are keen to exploit resources such as rubber, sugar and minerals. 
Confrontations between locals and the authorities are commonplace. 
➢ Meanwhile, years of widespread illegal logging have led to a rapid decline in 
Cambodia's forest cover. International watchdog Global Witness says top officials 
are involved in the trade. 

 
 
 

A Brief History 

➢ The fate of Cambodia shocked the world when the radical communist Khmer 
Rouge under their leader Pol Pot seized power in 1975 after years of guerrilla 
warfare. 

➢ 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. 

➢ Up to two million people died, many from exhaustion or starvation, while others 
were tortured and executed, until an Vietnamese-led invasion ended Khmer 
Rouge rule in 1979. 

➢ A UN-backed tribunal aims to bring those responsible for the "killing fields" to 
justice. So far, only one senior Khmer Rouge figure - former prison head Kaing 
Guek Eav, or Comrade Duch - has been convicted. 

➢ Unexploded landmines from Cambodia's civil war, in which Vietnamese fighters 

and US forces were also embroiled, continue to kill and maim civilians, despite an 
ongoing de-mining drive. 

➢ More recently, tensions along a disputed stretch of the Cambodian-Thai border 

have stoked skirmishes between the two countries' militaries. 

 
Overview of the Economy 
 
➢ Since 2004, garments, construction, agriculture, and tourism have driven 
Cambodia's growth.  
 
 ➢ GDP climbed more than 7% per year between 2010 and 2013.  
 
➢ The garment industry currently employs about 400,000 people and accounts for 
about 70% of Cambodia's total exports.  
 
➢ In 2005, exploitable oil deposits were found beneath Cambodia's territorial waters, 
representing a potential revenue stream for the government, if commercial 
extraction becomes feasible.  
 
➢ Mining also is attracting some investor interest and the government has touted 
opportunities for mining bauxite, gold, iron and gems.  
 
➢ The tourism industry has continued to grow rapidly with foreign arrivals 
exceeding 2 million per year since 2007 and reaching over 3 million visitors in 
2012.  
 
 
➢ Cambodia, nevertheless, remains one of the poorest countries in Asia and 
long-term economic development remains a daunting challenge, inhibited by 
endemic corruption, limited educational opportunities, high income inequality, 
and poor job prospects.  
 
➢ Approximately 4 million people live on less than $1.25 per day, and 37% of 
Cambodian children under the age of 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition.  
 
➢ More than 50% of the population is less than 25 years old. The population lacks 
education and productive skills, particularly in the impoverished countryside, 
which also lacks basic infrastructure.  
 
➢ The Cambodian Government is working with bilateral and multilateral donors, 
including the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and IMF, to address the 
country's many pressing needs; more than 50% of the government budget comes 
from donor assistance.  
 
➢ 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. 

   

(Source: www.cia.gov)