CAMBODIA

Prepared by:
Jessica D. Barredo
Learning Objective:
Discuss the Geographical, Socio-
economic, Cultural and Tourism of
Cambodia.

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 Cambodia
Alternate names: State of
Cambodia, People’s, Republic
of Kampuchea, Khmer
Republic
Capital: Phnom Penh
Population: 16,493,000
Member Since: 1999

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HISTORY OF CAMBODIA
 Funan Empire - 1st century AD
• Flourished in southern Cambodia
 Chenla – 6th century
• North western Cambodia
 Khmer Empire (790)
• Jaya Varman II built a Kmer or Cambodian empire.
 French Colonial Period
• 1863 French Protectorate
• Restoration of Angkor Wat
• Lost freedom and being controlled
• November 9, 1953
 Khmer Rouge Genocide
• 1940s Communist movement to oppose the French Rule
• Khmer Rouge - Red Cambodians- led by Pol Pot
• 1975 Khmer Rough took over Cambodia, killed middle or upper class- a country
without class.
• During 1975-1979, 1.7 millions people died.
 Vietnamese-backed Government
• 1979-1991 Vietnam controlled Cambodia Rebuilt roads, hospitals and
schools.
 Civil War

• By people loyal to king, with business interest, and the Khmer Rouge
led by Pol Pot Khmer Rouge fought the government until Pol Pot died
the day before taken prisoner by the US.
Democratic Elections
• Vietnam left Cambodia in 1991
• UN helped prepare for democratic election
• First election in 1993 (Hun Sen and Prince Ranariddh)
Hun Sen won election in 1998, 2003 as Prime Minister
until present.
Cambodia Today
• 95 % Buddhism
• Among the 10 poorest country
Cambodia’s Challenges
• Still recovering from Genocide
• 50% women, 25% men cannot read or write
• 30% has access to clean water
• 50% children are malnourished
• 4-6 MILLION land mines
• Poverty and Government Corruption
 GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Cambodia is located in the
southwestern part of the Indochina
peninsula. Roughly square in
shape, the country is bounded on
the north by Thailand and by Laos,
on the east and southeast by
Vietnam, and on the west by the
Gulf of Thailand and by Thailand.
LAND
 Relief (Highest and lowest
elevations of land area)

 Drainage

 Soils

 Climate of Cambodia

Plant and animal life

Cambodia is about one-third the size of France
and somewhat larger than the U.S. state of
Missouri. The country’s maximum extent is about
280 miles (450 km) from north to south and 360
miles (580 km) from east to west.
Relief (Highest and lowest elevations of land area)

 Cambodia’s landscape is
characterized by a low-lying central
alluvial plain that is surrounded by
uplands and low mountains and
includes the Tonle Sap (Great
Lake) and the upper reaches of the
Mekong River delta.
Dangrek (Khmer: Dângrêk)
Mountain – forested range of hills
averaging 1,500–2,000 feet (450–
600 m) and dividing Thailand from
Cambodia.
 Krâvanh (Cardamom)
922696 Mountains
–The Krâvanh Mountains extend
(some discontinuously) for about
100 miles (160 km) southeast and
east to the Dâmrei Mountains,
reaching their highest point (5,949
feet [1,813 m]) near Poŭthĭsăt in
Dâmrei (Elephant) Mountains
– north-south-trending range of
high hills, Extending 70 miles
(110 km) north from the Gulf of
Thailand, they reach a high point
in the Bok Koŭ ridge at Mount
Bokor (3,547 feet [1,081 m]).
Mount Aôral – Cambodia’s
highest peak, rises to an
elevation of 5,949 feet (1,813
metres).
 Drainage
 The two dominant hydrological features of
Cambodia are the Mekong River and the
Tonle Sap. The Mekong river enters
Cambodia from Laos at the Khone Falls
and flows generally southward to the
border with Vietnam, a distance within
Cambodia of approximately 315 miles (510
km). The Mekong is connected to the Tonle
Sap by the Sab River.
Soils
Most of Cambodia’s soils are sandy and poor in nutrients.
The so-called red-soil areas in the eastern part of the
country, however, are suitable for commercial crops such
as rubber and cotton. The annual flooding of the Mekong
during the rainy season deposits a rich alluvial sediment
that accounts for the fertility of the central plain and
provides natural irrigation for rice cultivation.
Climate of Cambodia
Monsoon winds (two major seasons)
1. From mid-May to early October, the strong prevailing winds of
the southwest monsoon bring heavy rains and high humidity.
2. From early November to mid-March, the lighter and drier
winds of the northeast monsoon bring variable cloudiness,
infrequent precipitation, and lower humidity.
Maximum temperatures are high throughout the year, ranging
from about 82 to 83 °F (28 °C) in January, the coolest month, to
about 95 °F (35 °C) in April.
Plant and animal life

Central lowland region is
covered with rice paddies,
fields of dry crops such as
corn (maize) and tobacco,
tracts of tall grass and reeds,
and thinly wooded areas.

Eastern highlands the
high plateaus are covered
with grasses and deciduous
forests.
 Broad-leaved evergreen forests grow in
the mountainous areas to the north, with
trees 100 feet (30 metres) high emerging
from thick undergrowth's of vines,
rattans, palms, bamboos, and assorted
woody and herbaceous ground plants.
 Southwestern highlands, open forests
of pines are found at the higher
elevations, while the rain-drenched
seaward slopes are blanketed with virgin
rainforests growing to heights of 150
feet (45 metres) or more.
Northeastern forests of Cambodia
 Elephants, wild oxen, rhinoceroses, and several species of
deer.
 Small populations of most of these species may still be
found, along with some tigers, leopards, bears, and many
small mammals. Among the more common birds are herons,
cranes, grouse, pheasant, peafowl, pelicans, cormorants,
egrets, and wild ducks.
 Four varieties of snakes are especially dangerous: the Indian
cobra, the king cobra, the banded krait, and Russell’s viper.
Wild oxen King cobra

Rhinoceroses
Herons Russell’s viper

Cormorant
People
Ethnic groups
Languages
Religion of Cambodia
Settlement patterns
Ethnic groups
The Khmer (Cambodians) account for
the vast majority of the population,
producing a homogeneity unique in
Southeast Asia that has encouraged a
strong sense of national identity. Ethnic
minorities include Chinese, Vietnamese,
Muslim Cham-Malays, Laotians, and
various indigenous peoples of the rural
highlands.
Languages
 The Khmer language is one of the major tongues of the
Mon-Khmer subfamily of the Austroasiatic language
family and is spoken by nearly all people in Cambodia,
including the Cham-Malay.

 Ang ganda mo / You are beautiful - Nyek saat

 Paalam / Goodbye - Lee hai
 Salamat / Thank you- Aw kuon
Religion of Cambodia
 Most ethnic Khmer are Theravada (Hinayana)
Buddhists.
 Khmer Loeu groups generally follow local
religions, while ethnic Vietnamese and Chinese
are eclectic, following Mahayana Buddhism
and Daoism. Many Vietnamese are members of
the Roman Catholic Church or of such
syncretic Vietnamese religious movements as
Cao Dai. The Cham minority is Muslim,
generally of the Sunni branch.
Settlement patterns
Cambodia has always been
overwhelmingly a land of villages.
Only a fraction of the total
population has ever lived in a town
of more than 10,000 inhabitants.
Some four-fifths of the population
still live in rural areas, the
remainder being classified as urban.
Economy
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
Resources and power
Manufacturing
Trade of Cambodia
Transportation and
telecommunications
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
 Agriculture remains the most important sector of the Cambodian economy
in terms of its share of the gross domestic product (GDP), and it employs
the vast majority of the workforce. Rice is Cambodia’s major crop, its
principal food, and, in times of peace, its most important export commodity.
 Other food products include cassava, corn (maize), sugarcane, soybeans,
and coconuts. The principal fruit crops, all of which are consumed locally,
include bananas, oranges, and mangoes, and are supplemented by a variety
of other tropical fruits, including breadfruits, mangosteens, and papayas.
 Cattle, particularly water buffalo, are used principally as draft animals in
the rice paddies and fields.
Fisheries are important in the domestic economy. Fish in its
various forms—fresh, dried, smoked, and salted—constitutes the
most important source of protein in the Cambodian diet, and
subsistence fishing is part of every farmer’s activity. The annual
freshwater catch includes perch, carp, lungfish, and smelt.

Perch Carp Lungfish Smelt

Resources and power
Cambodia has few known mineral resources like
limestone and phosphate deposits are found in Kâmpôt
province, and precious stones are mined in Bătdâmbâng
province.
Most electric power is generated at thermal plants fired
by imported oil. Hydroelectric generation from facilities
along the Mekong and its tributaries is being rapidly
expanded and provides the remainder of the country’s
electricity.
Manufacturing
Until the mid-1990s, industrial development in Cambodia
remained at a low level, contributing a relatively small
portion of the gross domestic product (GDP). Toward the
end of the 20th century, however, plants were established
to produce soft drinks, paper, cigarettes, building materials,
cement, and cotton textiles. Although Cambodia’s industrial
sector initially found it difficult to compete with mass-
produced goods from the more economically developed
countries of the region, those countries have invested
heavily in Cambodian garment factories, and
manufacturing has contributed an increasingly significant
proportion of annual GDP.
 Trade of Cambodia
The country’s main import sources now
are China, the United States, Thailand,
Vietnam, and Hong Kong. Most exports
go to the United States, Hong Kong,
Singapore, the United Kingdom, and
Germany. Goods are freely smuggled
between Cambodia and Thailand, and
large volumes of Cambodian imports
are undocumented and untaxed.
Until the late 1990s, reexport of imported goods such as
cigarettes, motor vehicles, electronics, and gold accounted for
the bulk of Cambodia’s external trade. Since then garments
have eclipsed all other commodities to constitute the bulk of
Cambodia’s exports. Sawn timber, logs, and rubber, once
central to Cambodia’s economy, continue to be exported—
legitimately—in small quantities.
In 1999 Cambodia became a member of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and in 2004 the country
joined the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Transportation and telecommunications
 Cambodia has two international airports, the newest of which
opened in Siĕmréab (Siem Reap) in 2002. In 2003 a new
terminal was added to the older airport in Pochentong (near
Phnom Penh). These facilities constitute the hubs of domestic,
regional, and international service.
 Telecommunications have been developing slowly in Cambodia.
There are telephone exchange centers in all major towns, and the
number of telephone main lines is increasing (though cellular
phones now vastly outnumber telephone main lines). Internet
usage is also increasing, but the number of people with access is
still small.
Government and society
Constitutional framework
Local government
Justice of Cambodia
Political process
Health and welfare
Housing
Education
Form Of Government - Constitutional monarchy
with two legislative houses (Senate; National Assembly)

Head Of Government - Prime Minister: Hun Sen

Head Of State - King: Norodom Sihamoni

Constitutional framework
Under the constitution, the king, who is the head of state, is chosen
from among royal descendants by the Royal Throne Council.
Cambodia’s legislature has been bicameral since 1999, with the
directly elected National Assembly as its lower chamber and the
indirectly elected (by commune councilors) Senate as its upper
chamber.
 Executive power resides with the cabinet, headed by a prime
minister—who is chosen by the king, based on the recommendation
of the chairman of the National Assembly, from the representatives
of the party with the largest number of seats in the assembly.
Local government
Consists of provinces and municipalities.
1. Each province (khet) is headed by a governor and is
divided into districts (srok), communes (khum), and
villages (phum).
2. Each municipality (krong) is led by a mayor and is
subdivided into sectors (khan) and wards (sangkat).
At each level of local government, a People’s Assembly,
composed of representatives elected by popular vote,
chooses a People’s Committee that has formal
responsibility within the locality for public
administration and security.
Justice of Cambodia
The country has a constitutionally independent
judiciary composed of lower courts, an
appeals court, and a Supreme Court. It also
resolves electoral disputes. The Supreme Council
of Magistrates appoints and disciplines judges.
There is also a separate military justice system.
Political process

The important political parties in Cambodia
1. Cambodian People’s Party (CPP)
2. Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP)
3. The United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and
Cooperative Cambodia (Funcinpec)

The 1993 constitution provides for universal suffrage for citizens 18
years and older, and all citizens 25 years and older have the right to
hold elective office. The number of women holding governmental
positions in either the National Assembly or the civil service was small
but increasing.
Health and welfare
 Cambodia has long had an acute shortage of medical personnel, which
has been a major obstacle to implementing an effective public health
program.
 Providing adequate health care remained a serious problem. Scarce
funds, unsettled conditions in the country, poor sanitation, and a
shortage of medicine contributed to high incidences of diseases such as
tuberculosis, malaria, and pneumonia.
 Another issue seriously affecting Cambodia is HIV/AIDS. By the late
1990s, HIV infection and AIDS cases had peaked at epidemic levels in
urban areas.
Housing
In rural areas more than half of residential structures are
built by using bamboo, thatch, grass, reeds, and similar
materials.
In urban areas the majority of residential buildings are
constructed of wood, concrete, brick, stone, metal sheets,
and tiles. About one-third of all urban residences have
access to safe drinking water, electricity as their main
source of lighting, and indoor toilet facilities; the
proportion of houses with those facilities in the rural
areas is far smaller.
Education
 After 1979 the government in Phnom Penh gave high priority
to primary education, and it reopened secondary schools and
institutions of higher education. Although a large number of
young Khmer attend some form of educational institution,
schools and colleges are severely hampered by shortages of
funds, books, equipment, and adequately trained and
compensated staff.
Cambodia’s main public institutions of higher education—all
located in Phnom Penh—include the Buddhist Institute
(founded 1930), the Royal University of Phnom Penh (1960),
and the Royal Academy of Cambodia (1965)
Cultural life
Music and dance forms
Literature
Sports and recreation
Media and broadcasting
Music and dance forms
 Traditional music ensembles, distinguished in part by their
instrumentation, included various combinations of wooden flutes
and reed instruments, bowed and plucked lutes, struck zithers,
xylophones and metallophones, kong vong gong circles, and
drums of different sizes.
 The Royal Ballet in Phnom Penh specialized in the classical,
highly stylized apsara dances as well as dance-dramas recounting
the Reamker (Ramayana) epic and other tales.
 In the countryside other dramatic genres and folk dances were
performed at festivals and weddings by wandering troupes.
Literature
Cambodia has a long literary tradition, based largely on
Indian and Thai literary forms. Traditional epic figures as
Neang Kakey and Dum Deav as well as the Jataka tales
relating episodes in the life of the Buddha, all of which are
widely broadcast on radio and distributed in comic-book
form.
Folktales called reuang preng are also widely known.
Sports and recreation
 Football (soccer), Khmer kickboxing(martial art performed to the
accompaniment of a unique genre of traditional music), Badminton and
tennis, and cycling.
 More recently, golf has been catching on among the elite, and motocross
has gained a following, with regular competitions in Phnom Penh and in
the provinces.
 There are few sports facilities outside Phnom Penh, which has two
major venues: Olympic Stadium and the National Sports Centre.
TOURISM
The most important service activity in Cambodia is
associated with tourism, which is one of the major sources
of overseas investment and the fastest-growing segment of
the economy. Tourism has become an important source of
revenue and foreign exchange and has helped mitigate the
effects of large trade deficits. Much of this investment goes
into constructing hotels, developing resorts, and enhancing
facilities serving tourists visiting Angkor Wat and Phnom
Penh.
Thank
you !

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