Cambodia travel information and local guide

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Conquest, War, Famine, and Death - have ridden roughshod over Cambodia.

During the 1970s this country used to sufferred from the twin horrors of war and famine – which made the Vietnamese neighbour call it “ a land of blood and tears, hell on earth”.

So it’s really a wonder meeting with the friendliest people of Indochina who have the widest smiles here nowadays. Their willingness to start anew speaks volumes for the resilience of the human spirit. Here’s a country starting from scratch, rebuilding its traditions, culture, laws, government and economy. The gruesome past is still around – after Khmer Rouge time, thousands people have still been maimed by landmines. As a symbol of reconstruction, the country flies the world’s only flag with a building on it – the triple towers visible from the causeway at Angkor Wat. All political factions, including the Khmer Rouge, have depicted Angkor Wat on their Cambodia flag. The Cambodian government officially claim all the foreigners’ use of “Angkor” as their product brandnames as an “illegal and unfriendly act”. The Foreign Affairs ministry argued that Angkor Wat is the symbol of Khmer national identity. And so it is : Angkor is the cornerstone or Khmer culture, symbol of national pride and past greatness, and inspiration for painting, sculpture, and woodcarving.

Angkor is also a symbol for hope, because it is Angkor that draws tourists, and foreign exchange generated from tourism can help rebuild the economy. Angkor casts its spell over all who visit. Despite the risks of travel - or perhaps because of them, Cambodia is an extraordinary adventure.

A SHORT PROFILE
Country: Nearly untouched by tourists, except for Angkor

Cities: Phnompenh, the capital city, and Siem Reap, 7km from the wonder of Angkor, are the two largest political, cultural and economic centres.

Population: Population : Estimated at 12 million. The Khmer constitute 90% of the population. The remainder is composed of hill tribe groups, Cham, Vietnamese (1%), Chinese (4%), and Thais. The biggest population concentrates in Phnom Penh, with more than one million people.

 Area:  181,035 square km, roughly a half of Italy or Vietnam.
 Land Borders: North borders Laos, all the East to Vietnam, and shares a long part of North and Northwest borders with the land of Thailand. .
 Sea Borders: Southwest, to the Gulf of Thailand.

Climate: The average precipitation is highest in southern Laos, where the Annamite mountains receive over 3000 mm annually. In Vientiane rainfall is about 1500-2000 mm, and in the northern provinces only 1000-1500 mm.

Generally, tourists are recommended to visit Laos during the months of November to March because these are cool months and rainfall is lower than other periods.

Climate: tropical monsoon, with two periods of rainfall. The sequence of the seasons is hot, very hot, light rain, and heavy rain. High humidity is throughout and sometime up to 90%. April, then March and May are the hottest months. Early June to early October have heavy rains and himidity due to the southwest monsoon arises over the Indian Ocean. The wettest months are August and September. November to March is cool and dry, the best time for your visits.

Geography:

Language: Khmer, the official language, is a non-tonal language of the Mon – Khmer family, enriched by Pali and Sanskrit. English is the second major language, closely followed by French, Vietnamese, Chinese, Russian, are also spoken in Cambodia. Literacy rate is 60%, a legacy of the Pol Pot years.

Religion: Religious people accounts for 95% of the population. Theravada Buddhism was almost annihilated under the 1975 – 1979 reign of terror of the Khmer Rouge, but it has since been reinstated as the national religion of Cambodia. Minority groups adhere to other religion such as Catholicism (mainly Vietnamese) and Sunni Muslim (Cham).

Government: Government: Constitutional Monarchy. UN-supervised elections in 1993 resulted in a coalition government composed of FUNCINPEC (United Front of an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia) and CPP (Cambodian People Party). The Prime Minister is Hun Sen. King Norodom Sihanouk is the Head of the State.

National flag: White triple towers of Angkor set on a red background, edged with blue trim, the symbol of the Khmer culture.

Economy: Economy: Agriculture employs about 75% of the workforce. Top exports are timber, rubber, cane furniture and garments.

Festival and official Holidays: The biggest festival is Cambodian New Year in mid-April, similar to Laos and Thai celebrations. In November there are boat races to celebrate the reversing current of the Tonle Sap River.

Official Holidays

See all Festivals and events in Cambodia