A bit of history

Cambodia’s history can be divided into three parts: pre-Angkor era, Angkor era and modern Cambodia.

Pre-Angkor era

The pre-Angkor era starts as far back as the first century A.D. The kingdom of Funan, from China, established the first Indianized state in the southeast region that covered southern Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and southern Vietnam. The kingdom of Funan lasted for five centuries before it disappeared. The kingdom of Chenla then emerged.

The Angkor-era

It is during the reign of the kingdom of Chenla that the building of temples began. It started with King Jayavarman II in the then-capital of Siem Reap. This is where the world-famous Angkor Wat temple is located. His successors continued the task of building temples and the last temple was built in 1191.

Modern Cambodia

Cambodia’s capital was then moved to Phnom Penh. It wasn’t until Henri Mouhot discovered Angkor Wat in the jungle that the world learned about the existence of ancient temples in Cambodia. By then Cambodia was experiencing some struggles on the political level which gave way to a civil war that ravaged the country from 1970 to 1979. However, the first five years of war were not as bloody as the last three years. From 1975 until January 7, 1979, the country was ruled by the communist party Khmer Rouge. Its leader, Pol Pot, had new reforms for the country and as a result, about 2 million people died. Most of them were killed either because of their nationality (Chinese or Vietnamese), or their position in the former government, or their level of education (educated people were often considered as a threat and thus executed). Others died because of sickness or famine. Finally, on January 7, 1979, a defected Khmer rouge office and Vietnamese troops crossed the border and conquered the capital of Phnom Penh. The Khmer Rouge’s rule ended then although they continued to stir up trouble until the death of their leader Pol Pot in 1998. Now the seven remaining Khmer rouge leaders await trial on the genocide created by their party in those years. Very slowly, the country started to reshape itself although it took almost twenty years before political stability was installed in the country. Nowadays, Cambodia is considered a third-world country and receives international aid in order to close the development gap when compared to neighboring countries caused by war and political instability.

Facts (about the country)

Location: Cambodia is situated in Southeast Asia and is bordered on the north by Thailand and Laos and, on the east and south by Vietnam. The Gulf of Thailand is on the west coast of Cambodia.

Area:The country is quite small with an area of about 181,040 square kilometers.

Capital: Phnom Penh

Official language: Khmer

Other spoken languages: Chinese, English, French and Vietnamese

Climate: Tropical Rainy season: June to October

             Cool season: November to February

             Hot season: March to May

Population: 14, 144,000 habitants (est. in 1993 by UN)