Explore Real Asia - Cambodia overview

Cambodia overview

Full name: Kingdom of Cambodia
Population: 13.7 million (via UN, 2006)
Capital and largest city: Phnom Penh
Area: 181,035 sq km (69,898 sq miles)
Major language: Khmer
Major religion: Buddhism
Main exports: Clothing, timber, rubber
GNI per capita: US $380 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .kh
International dialling code: +855

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.

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Testimonial

We had the most wonderful time and have some fantastic memories of the place, you did a superb job and I will certainly recommend you to others...

DEBS BUNYAN, UK, travelling to Vietnam late August and September 2009

All the family really enjoyed this trip. We have now plenty of souvenirs of various kinds in our heads : cultural,
human, food, and even clothes.

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