Cambodia – country information

Country name	Cambodia
Official name	Cambodian state
Capital	Phnom Penh
Continent	Asia
Area	181,035 km2
Population	15,135,000 (2013)
Foundation of a state	9/11/1953
The highest mountains	Phum Aural 1,813 m
Longest rivers	Mekong 4500 km (inland 425 km)
The largest lakes	Tonle Sap 5,700 km2
State system	a constitutional monarchy with a unicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Phnom Peng (capital) 1,100,000, Battambang 110,000, Sihanoukville 80,000
Official language	Khmer language
Ethnicity/National Composition	Khmer 94%, Chinese 3%, Cham 2%, others 1% (unknown number of Vietnamese)
Religious affiliation	Buddhists 90%, Muslims 2%, others 8%
Currency	1 riel = 100 sens
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$2,395 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	59.29 years (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture, forestry and fishing 40%, mining and industry 14%, construction 6%, services 40%

Cambodia – Neighboring States

State	Capital	Area	Population
Laos	Vientiane	236,800 km2	6,580,800
Thailand	Bangkok (Krung Thep)	513,115 km2	65,926,261
Vietnam	Hanoi	331,689 km2	89,708,900

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, Cambodia – the state of the Khmers – is part of the former Indochina (it was temporarily known as Kampuchea). Cambodia, one of the poorest countries in Asia, has been plagued by civil war and military intervention from abroad for a quarter of a century, and its future is also currently uncertain.

Country data

Location: Southeast Asia

Time zone: CET + 6 (in summer CET + 5)

Total area: 181,035 km²

Land area: 176,515 km²

Water area: 4,520 km²

Length of the state border: 2,530 km

Bordering countries:
Laos: 555 km
Thailand: 817 km
Vietnam: 1,158 km

Coastline: 443 km

Capital: Phnom Penh

Provinces: 23
Banteay Mean Cheay, Batdambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Spoe, Kampong Thum, Kampot, Kandal, Kaoh Kong, Keb, Krachen, Mondol Kiri, Otdar Mean Cheay, Phnum Penh, Pouthisat, Preah Seihanu, Preah Vihear, Prey Veng, Rotanah Kiri, Siem Reab, Stoeng Treng, Svay Rieng, Takev

Electric current: 220 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 855 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m

Population

Population: approx. 15.5 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 1.6% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 86

Life expectancy: 61 (male), 66 (female)

Official language: Khmer

Religions:

• 97% Buddhists
• 2% Muslim
• 1% other

Climate

In the tropical climate, it is hottest in the period from March to June, with temperatures of up to 40 ° C.

The rainy season also lasts from mid-May to the end of October, with some very heavy rains.

In the north of the country it is a little cooler in winter. However, here too the temperatures rarely drop below 25 ° C.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: Riel (KHR)

Classification: 1 Riel = 100 Sen

ATMs: are only available in a few large cities or airports.

International credit cards: These are only accepted occasionally in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Regulations: All currencies can be imported in unlimited amounts. The export is permitted in the amount of the declared import.

A declaration is required from a value of over 10,000 US dollars.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 250 g tobacco
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

Travel advice

The crime rate in Cambodia is very high. Therefore, you shouldn’t stay outside of houses after dark.

Due to the sometimes very bad roads, the plane is the safest and most comfortable means of transport within the country.

Minefields have not yet been cleared in many parts of the country. Therefore, you should not leave paved roads.

The border regions to Thailand are particularly unsafe areas for tourists.

Behavioral advice

Valuable items should only be kept in the hotel safe and should not be openly shown in the street.

Economy

The Vietnam War made Cambodia one of the poorest countries on earth.

Although the economy is slowly recovering, most of the residents are self-sufficient in agriculture and fishing.

Industries: mining, fishing, wood processing, agriculture, textiles, tourism

Natural resources: precious stones, iron ores, wood, manganese, phosphate, hydropower

Land use:

• Land: 13%
• Grain cultivation: 0%
• Pasture area: 11%
• Forests: 66%
• other: 10%

Plants

Compared to other Asian countries, Cambodia has a largely intact flora.

In the huge forest areas, which take up about 66% of the country, there are hundreds of different plant species and many rare tree species (e.g. the Siamese rosewood tree and blackwood trees).

The largest and most untouched forest areas in all of Asia can be found here.

Animals

Due to the distinctive flora, the diversity in the animal world is also very high. Monkeys, bears, leopards, otters, red deer, tigers, monitor lizards and water buffalo are some of the animals that can be found in the vast, partly untouched landscapes.

The fish species are particularly diverse, making the fish processing industry an important economic factor. In addition to the fish, dolphins, sharks and turtles are also common in the waters.