Cambodia

Cambodia,[a] officially the Kingdom of Cambodia,[b] is a country in Southeast Asia on the Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline along the Gulf of Thailand in the southwest. It spans an area of 181,035 square kilometres (69,898 square miles), dominated by a low-lying plain and the confluence of the Mekong river and Tonlé Sap, Southeast Asia's largest lake. It is dominated by a tropical climate and is rich in wildlife and biodiversity. Cambodia has a population of about 17 million people,[15] the majority of which are ethnically Khmer. Its capital and most populous city is Phnom Penh, followed by Siem Reap and Battambang.[16]

Kingdom of Cambodia

ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា (Khmer)

Preah Reacheanachak Kampuchea

Flag

Coat of arms

Motto: ជាតិ សាសនា ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ

Cheat, Sasna, Preah Mohaksat

"Nation, Religion, King"

Anthem: នគររាជ

Noko Reach

"Majestic Kingdom"

Duration: 1 minute and 31 seconds.1:31

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Capital

and largest city

Phnom Penh

11°34′10″N 104°55′16″EOfficial languagesKhmer[1]Official scriptKhmer[1]Ethnic groups 

(2021[2])

96.2% Khmer

2.0% Cham

0.3% Vietnamese

1.4% others

Religion 

(2019[3])

97.1% Buddhism (official)[4]

2.0% Islam

0.3% Christianity

0.5% others

Demonym(s)

Cambodian

Khmer

Kampuchean (historical)

GovernmentUnitary dominant-party parliamentary constitutional elective monarchy under an authoritarian hereditary dictatorship[5][6][7]

• Monarch

Norodom Sihamoni

• Prime Minister

Hun Manet

• President of the Senate

Hun Sen

• President of the National Assembly

Khuon SodaryLegislatureParliament

• Upper house

Senate

• Lower house

National AssemblyFormation

• Funan

68–550

• Chenla

550–802

• Khmer Empire

802–1431

• Middle period

1431–1863

• French protectorate

11 August 1863

• Independence from France

9 November 1953Area

• Total

181,035 km2 (69,898 sq mi) (88th)

• Water (%)

2.5Population

• 2024 estimate

17,638,801[8] (71st)

• Density

94.4/km2 (244.5/sq mi)GDP (PPP)2025 estimate

• Total

 $150.590 billion[9] (89th)

• Per capita

 $8,678[9] (132th)GDP (nominal)2025 estimate

• Total

 $51.159 billion[9] (94th)

• Per capita

 $2,948[9] (139th)Gini (2013)36.0[10]

medium inequalityHDI (2022) 0.600[11]

medium (148th)Currency

Riel (៛) (KHR; de jure and de facto)

United States dollar ($) (USD; de facto)

[12][13]Time zoneUTC+07:00 (ICT)Calling code+855ISO 3166 codeKHInternet TLD.

        

       

        In 1955, Sihanouk abdicated in favour of his father to participate in politics and was elected prime minister. Upon his father's death in 1960, Sihanouk again became head of state, taking the title of prince. As the Vietnam War progressed, Sihanouk adopted an official policy of neutrality in the Cold War. Sihanouk allowed the Vietnamese communists to use Cambodia as a sanctuary and a supply route for their arms and other aid to their armed forces fighting in South Vietnam. In December 1967 Washington Post journalist Stanley Karnow was told by Sihanouk that if the US wanted to bomb the Vietnamese communist sanctuaries, he would not object unless Cambodians were killed.[56]

The same message was conveyed to US President Johnson's emissary Chester Bowles in January 1968.[57] In public Sihanouk refuted the right of the U.S. to use air strikes in Cambodia, and on 26 March he said "these criminal attacks must immediately and definitively stop". On 28 March a press conference was held and Sihanouk appealed to the international media: "I appeal to you to publicise abroad this very clear stand of Cambodia—that is, I will, in any case, oppose all bombings on Cambodian territory under whatever pretext." Nevertheless, the public pleas of Sihanouk were ignored and the bombing continued.