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About
CAMBODIA
Cambodia in brief
Cambodia
in detail
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 14 million. The Khmer constitute 95% 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:
Tropical.
Major
Geographic Features: Tonle Sap Lake, Mekong River, Tonle
Sap River, Bassac River, Mt. Oral.
Tourist Attractions: Angkor Wat,
Bayon, Temples of Angkor, National Museum, Royal Palace, Killing
Fields, Beaches, Eco-tourism
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: 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.
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National flag:
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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 with
dozens of colorful dug-out row boats
compete for prizes and
honors.
Most legal holidays fall on the same
dates every year. Some holidays such as Khmer New Year, Visakhaboja,
Royal Ploughing Ceremony, Prachum Ben and the Water Festival follow
the lunar calendar and move a few days forward or back each year.
Some holidays which are not legal holidays in Cambodia such as
Chinese New Year receive almost as much attention and celebration as
legal holidays.
Official Holidays
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Jan 01: |
International New Year Days |
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Jan 07:
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Victory Day Day |
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Mid Apr: |
Cambodia
local New
Year Days |
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May 1:
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International Labour Day (May Day)
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Nov 09 |
Independence Day |
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Mid Nov |
Water and Moon Festival |
See
all Festivals and events in
Cambodia
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