| Area |
181,035 sq km (69,898 sq miles). |
| Population |
13,311,000 (2002). |
| Capital |
Phnom Penh - population 999,804 (1998). |
| Climate |
Tropical monsoon climate. Monsoon season is from June to October. The most pleasant season is the dry season, from November to May. In the north, winters can be colder, while throughout most of the country temperatures remain fairly constant. |
| Language |
Khmer is the official language spoken by 95 per cent of the population. Chinese and Vietnamese are also spoken. French was widely spoken until the arrival of the Pol Pot regime and is still taught in schools, but English is now a more popular language to learn among the younger generation. |
| Religion |
90 per cent Buddhist (Therauda), the remainder Muslim and Christian. Buddhism was reinstated as the national religion in 1998 after a ban on religious activity in 1975. |
| Time |
GMT + 7
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| Highlights |
Since the ousting of the Pol Pot regime, many aspects of Khmer cultural life have revived and the number of visitors to Cambodia increases every year. Buddhist temples have re-opened and are the sites of various celebrations, especially at Cambodian New Year. The capital Phnom Penh has several attractions including the Royal Palace with its famous Silver Pagoda and the National Museum. The former Pol Pot interrogation centre is now the Toul Sleng Museumof Genocide where one is reminded of the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970's and 1980's. The magnificent temple complex of Angkor is what remains of the capital of the once mighty Khmer civilisation. Over one thousand temples can be found over a vast area ranging from piles of rubble to the temple of Angkor Wat itself, often hailed as one of the most extraordinary architectural creations ever built. Boat trips on Tonle Sap lake give visitors an opportunity to gain an insight into local communities living in floating villages.
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| Country Facts |
Cambodia shares borders in the north with Laos and Thailand, in the east with Vietnam and in the southwest with the Gulf of Thailand. The landscape comprises tropical rainforest and fertile cultivated land traversed by many rivers. In the northeast area rise highlands. The capital Phnom Penh is located at the junction of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. The latter flows from a large inland lake, also called Tonle Sap, situated in the centre of the country. There are also numerous offshore islands along the southwest coast. |