Map of Cambodia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Following a five-year struggle Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh in 1975 and ordered the evacuation of all cities and towns; over 1 million displaced people died from execution or enforced hardships. A 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside and touched off 13 years of fighting. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy as did the rapid diminishment of the Khmer Rouge in the mid-1990s. A coalition government formed after national elections in 1998 brought renewed political stability and the surrender of remaining Khmer Rouge forces.


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Location: Southeastern Asia bordering the Gulf of Thailand between Thailand Vietnam and Laos

Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N 105 00 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 181,040 km²
Land: 176,520 km²
Water: 4,520 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Oklahoma

Land boundaries
Total: 2,572 km
Border countries: (3) Laos 541 km; , Thailand 803 km; , Vietnam 1,228 km

Coastline: 443 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 NM
Territorial sea: 12 NM
Continental shelf: 200 NM
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

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

Terrain: mostly low flat plains; mountains in southwest and north

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m
Extremes highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m

Natural resources: timber gemstones some iron ore manganese phosphates hydropower potential

Land use
Arable land: 20.96%
Permanent crops: 0.61%
Other: 78.43% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 2,700 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts

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


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Population
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 2.24% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: 36% (1997 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Cambodian
Adjective: Cambodian

Ethnic groups: Khmer 90% Vietnamese 5% Chinese 1% other 4%

Languages: Khmer (official) 95% French English

Religions: Theravada Buddhist 95% other 5%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 40.7% (male 2,646,883; female 2,550,015)
15-64 years: 55.8% (male 3,373,692; female 3,758,736)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 182,149; female 263,849) (2002 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.24% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 32.93 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 10.51 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: 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 a majority of the population does not have access to potable water; toxic waste delivery from Taiwan sparked unrest in Kampong Saom (Sihanoukville) in December 1998
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male/female
Total population: 0.94 male/female (2002 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 64 deaths/1000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 57.1 years
Female: 59.5 years (2002 est.)
Male: 54.81 years

Total fertility rate: 4.66 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 4.04% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 220,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 14,000 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 35%
Male: 48%
Female: 22% (1990 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Cambodia
Conventional short form: Cambodia
Local short form: Kampuchea
Local long form: Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea
Former: Khmer Republic, Kampuchea Republic

Government type: multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy established in September 1993

Capital: Phnom Penh

Administrative divisions: 20 provinces (khett singular and plural) and 4 municipalities* (krong singular and plural); Banteay Mean Cheay Batdambang Kampong Cham Kampong Chhnang Kampong Spoe Kampong Thum Kampot Kandal Kaoh Kong Keb* Kracheh Mondol Kiri Otdar Mean Cheay Pailin* Phnum Penh* Pouthisat Preah Seihanu* (Sihanoukville) Preah Vihear Prey Veng Rotanah Kiri Siem Reab Stoeng Treng Svay Rieng Takev

Dependent areas

Independence: 9 November 1953 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day 9 November (1953)

Constitution: promulgated 21 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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: King Norodom SIHANOUK (reinstated 24 September 1993)
Head of government: Prime Minister HUN SEN (since 30 November 1998) and Deputy Prime Ministers SAR KHENG (since NA) and TOL LAH (since NA)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch
Elections: none; the monarch is chosen by a Royal Throne Council; following legislative elections, a member of the majority party or majority coalition is named prime minister by the Chairman of the National Assembly and apppointed by the king

Legislative branch
Elections: National Assembly - last held 26 July 1998 (next to be held NA July 2003); Senate - last held 2 March 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
Election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CPP 41%, FUNCINPEC 32%, SRP 14%, other 13%; seats by party - CPP 64, FUNCINPEC 43, SRP 15; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CPP 31, FUNCINPEC 21, SRP 7, other 2

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

Political parties and leaders: Buddhist Liberal Party or BLP [IENG MOULY]; Cambodian Pracheachon Party or Cambodian People's Party or CPP [CHEA SIM]; Khmer Citizen Party or KCP [NGUON SOEUR]; National United Front for an Independent Neutral Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia or FUNCINPEC [Prince NORODOM RANARIDDH]; Sam Rangsi Party or SRP (formerly Khmer Nation Party or KNP) [SAM RANGSI]

International organization participation: ACCT ARF AsDB ASEAN CCC CP ESCAP FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM (observer) ISO (subscriber) ITU NAM OPCW (signatory) PCA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador ROLAND ENG
In the us fax: [1] (202) 726-8,381
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 726-7,742
In the us chancery: 4,500 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,011
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Charles Aaron RAY
From the us embassy: 16, Street 228 (between streets 51 and 63), Phnom Penh
From the us mailing address: Box P, APO AP 96,546
From the us telephone: [855] (23) 216-436
From the us fax: [855] (23) 216-437

Flag description: 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Cambodia's economy slowed dramatically in 1997-98 due to the regional economic crisis civil violence and political infighting. Foreign investment and tourism fell off. In 1999 the first full year of peace in 30 years progress was made on economic reforms and growth resumed at 5%. GDP growth for 2000 had been projected to reach 5.5% but the worst flooding in 70 years severely damaged agricultural crops and high oil prices hurt industrial production and growth for the year is estimated at only 4%. In 2001 severe floods damaged an estimated 15% of the area devoted to rice. Tourism now is Cambodia's fastest growing industry with arrivals up 34% in 2000 and up another 40% in 2001 before the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US. The long-term development of the economy after decades of war remains a daunting challenge. The population lacks education and productive skills particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside which suffers from an almost total lack of basic infrastructure. Fear of renewed political instability and corruption within the government discourage foreign investment and delay foreign aid. On the brighter side the government is addressing these issues with assistance from bilateral and multilateral donors.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 5.3% (2001 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1500 (2001 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 50%
Industry: 15%
Services: 35% (2000 est.)

Agriculture products: rice rubber corn vegetables

Industries: tourism garments rice milling fishing wood and wood products rubber cement gem mining textiles

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 6 million (1998 est.)
By occupation: agriculture 80% (2001 est.)