Cambodia

Cambodia Country Facts At-a-Glance

Geography: Located in Southeast Asia, Cambodia borders Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. Cambodia is slightly smaller than Oklahoma, with a terrain primarily composed of low, flat plains and mountainous areas in the southwest and north.

Capital City: Phnom Penh.

Population: 17.3 million (2023 est.).

Languages: The official language is Khmer. Many people also speak English, French, or Chinese as a second language.

Religions: Buddhism 97.1%, Muslim 2.0%, Christianity/other 0.9%.

Ethnic Groups: Khmer 97.9%, Cham 1.1%, Chinese 0.3%, Vietnamese 0.2%, other 0.5% (2023 est.).

Life Expectancy: 71 years.

Literacy Rate: 84.5% (2023 est.).

Government: Multiparty democracy with a king, also known as a constitutional monarchy.

Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal.

Current Head of State: King Norodom Sihamoni (since October 29, 2004) and Prime Minister Hun Manet (since August 22, 2023). The king is chosen by a Royal Throne Council from among all eligible males of royal descent. Following legislative elections, a member of the majority party or majority coalition is named prime minister.

Independence: November 9, 1953 (from France).

Currency: Cambodian riel (KHR).

GDP per Capita: $4,100 USD (2023 est.).

Unemployment Rate: 0.5% (2023 est.). According to the International Labor Organization, more than 80% of workers are in vulnerable employment, such as unpaid family work and self-employment.

GDP – Composition by Sector:

• Agriculture: 22.0% – rice, rubber, corn, vegetables, cashews, cassava (manioc), silk
• Industry: 35.0% – tourism, garments, construction, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles
• Services: 43.0%

Source: CIA World Factbook

Cambodia Basics

Located in Southeast Asia, Cambodia borders Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. Cambodia is slightly smaller than Oklahoma and the terrain is made up of mostly low, flat plains with mountainous areas in the southwest and north.

In the south-central region is the capital city of Phnom Penh. To the north is Siem Reap which is home to hundreds of natural and manmade attractions such as temples, colonial buildings, museums and floating villages.

Brief History of Cambodia

Most Cambodians consider themselves Khmer, or the descendants of the Angkor dynasty, which at one point extended over present day Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, southern Vietnam, Burma, and Malaysia. The empire shrank from the 15th century onward, and eventually became a part of French Indochina in 1887. During World War II, the Japanese claimed control over Cambodia. In 1945, King Sihanouk began a quest for Cambodian independence, but it wasn’t officially declared until 1953.

In 1970, King Sihanouk was ousted after a five-year struggle, and Khmer Rouge forces took control of the country. Aiming to revolutionize the country into an agrarian cooperative, the Khmer Rouge instituted a campaign of terror, emptying cities and executing dissidents across the country. Studies estimate that at least one-and-a-half million and most likely around two-and-a-quarter million people died both at the hands of Khmer Rouge soldiers and indirectly by starvation and lack of medicine for diseases such as malaria.

In 1978, Vietnamese forces invaded the country, taking over Phnom Penh and pushing the Khmer Rouge out into Thailand. Unexpectedly, the international community condoned Vietnam’s invasion, and the U.S. and other developed countries suspended aid to Cambodia. In 1985, Hun Sen was appointed Prime Minister of Cambodia and peace talks began between opposing factions. However, it was not until 1991 that a Peace Conference was held and peace accords were signed, mandating democratic elections and a cease fire.

Language

The official language is Khmer, but many people also speak English, French, or Chinese as a second language.

Language is one of the most difficult barriers to overcome when traveling in a new place, but it is also one of the best ways to build relationships and show your interest in the local culture.

Greetings:

• Hello សួស្តី (Sure-sday)
• How are you? អ្នកសុខសប្បាយទេ? (Neak sok sabai tay)
• Good ល្អ (Lar-or)
• Good morning អារម្មណ៍សួស្តី (Ah roun sure-sdey)
• Good afternoon សុខសប្បាយទេ (Sa yourn sure-sdey)
• Good night រាល់យប់សួស្តី (Rea trey sure-sdey)
• Welcome សូមស្វាគមន៍ (Som sva kum)
• Goodbye លាស់បង្គាប់ (Lear-hiey)

Etiquette:

• Please សូម (Som)
• Thank you អរគុណ (Or-kun)
• Excuse me សុំស្រាយ (Som tos)
• Sorry សុំសោក (Som tos)

Pronouns:

• I ខ្ញុំ (Kha nhom)
• You អ្នក (Neark)
• He/she គាត់ (Kort/neang)
• We យើង (Pourk yeing)
• You (plural) អ្នកយើង (Pourk-neark)
• They ពួកគាត់ (Pouk-ke)

Conversational:

• What is your name? អ្នកឈ្មោះអី? (Teh neak chmours a vey?)
• My name is _. ខ្ញុំឈ្មោះ។ (Kha nhom chhmow __.)
• Where are you from? អ្នកមកពីណា? (Teh neak mork pi protes na.)
• I am from _. ខ្ញុំមកពី។ (Kha nhom mork pi __.)
• How old are you? អ្នកអត់ប៉ុន្មានឆ្នាំហើយ? (Teh neark ah yu pon manh?)
• I am ___ years old. ខ្ញុំអត់ប៉ុន្មានឆ្នាំ___។ (Kha nhom ah yu ___.)
• Do you speak English? អ្នកអាចនិយាយភាសាអង់គ្លេសបានទេ? (Teh neark niyeay phea sar anglay  ban)
• I speak a little Khmer. ខ្ញុំមិនយ៉ាងល្អបំផុតពាក្យខ្មែរ។ (Kha nhom niyeay phear sa khmer  ban tech.)

Useful:

• Could you repeat that please? តើអ្នកចង់ប្រាប់មួយទេ? (Som neark niyeay mdong teat?)
• How do you say ___ in Khmer. ខ្ញុំមិនយ៉ាងល្អបំផុតពាក្យខ្មែរវិញ។ (___ phea sar khmer hao ah vie?)
• I don’t understand. ខ្ញុំមិនយល់ចេញ។ (Kha nhom min yol te.)
• I want to go to . ខ្ញុំចង់ទៅ។ (Kha nhom chong touv ___.)
• Where is ____? នៅកន្លែង___ណា? (Nouv er na ___?)
• I would like . ខ្ញុំចង់បង្កើត។ (Kha nhom chong ban ___.)
• How much is it? តើនេះតម្លៃប៉ុន្មាន? (Thlai pun man?)

Present tense:

• To want ចង់ (Chorng)
• I want ខ្ញុំចង់ (Kha nhom chong)
• You want អ្នកចង់ (Neark chong)
• He/she wants គាត់ចង់ (Kort/neang chong)
• You (plural) want អ្នកយើងចង់ (Pourk-neark chorng)
• We want យើងចង់ (Pourk yeing chorng)
• They want ពួកគាត់ចង់ (Pourk-ke chong)

Feelings:

I am ___. / ខ្ញុំមានអារម្មណ៍ថា___. (Kha nhom mearn ah rom tha ___.)

•   cold / ត្រជាក់ (tro cheark)
•   hot / ក្តៅ (kdoa)
•   sleepy / ងុយគេង (nguy derk)
•   hungry / ឃ្លាន (khlearn)
•   thirsty / ស្រេកទឹក (srek teuk)
•   angry / ខឹង (kheoung)
•   happy / សប្បាយ (sub bye)

Food

Traditional food consists mostly of fish and rice, so be prepared to eat plenty of rice. There are many varieties of rice in Cambodia, including sticky rice, which can also be eaten with coconut milk and mango as a dessert. When in Cambodia, you will also feast on…

• Lok lak (marinated pork or beef slices served with spicy green peppercorns)
• Char kadow (spice chicken)
• Amok (vegetables or meat steamed in a savory coconut-based curry)
• Fried tarantulas

Ethnic Groups

95.4 percent of the population are Khmer, 2.4 percent Cham, 1.5 percent Chinese, and 0.7 percent other ethnic minorities.

Currency

The official currency used in Cambodia is the Riel (KHR). Eleven different bills exist between 50 Riel all the way up to 100,000 Riel.

Cambodia has an unofficial dual currency system, with US dollars accepted and widely used across Cambodia. For purchases over a dollar, US dollars are used, and for purchases under or received change you normally receive Riel.

Religion

Buddhism has been the Cambodian state religion since the 13th century AD. Today, 97-percent of the population are Buddist. Muslim, Christian and other religions make up the rest of the population.

Cultural Expectations 

While in Cambodia, you can expect…  

to wear the traditional krama (scarf), to visit incredible temples, and to take a fun ride in a tuk-tuk.

While in Cambodia, locals will expect you…  

to be respectful of Buddhist customs, dress appropriately in temples, and be mindful and considerate of your surroundings.

Cultural Icon

Angkor Wat, the largest Hindu temple in the world, was built in the early 12th century. It was rediscovered in 1860, when two missionaries came across the ruins of a lost city twice as large as Manhattan in the Cambodian jungle. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and was featured in Angelina Jolie’s film Tomb Raider.

Did You Know?

• Most young men in Cambodia are Buddhist monks for a short time.
• The Cambodian flag is the only flag in the world that features a building. The building is Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Over the past 50 years Cambodia has changed its name five times. Currently it’s back to the Kingdom of Cambodia, which was the country’s name from 1953–1970.
• Hun Sen led Cambodia as Prime Minister for over 25 years up until 2023. Now Prime Minister Hun Manet has succeeded his father as the country’s leader.
• Buffalo racing is a traditional sport in Cambodia.
• In Buddhist countries, it is considered rude to point feet, particularly the soles, towards a person or things, so tuck them away when sitting on the floor or on a chair.
• The golden age of Cambodia was between the 9th and 14th century, during which it was a powerful and prosperous empire that flourished and dominated almost all of inland Southeast Asia.
• About 50 percent of the Cambodian population is under the age of 15.
• Cambodians typically give their children names that rhyme with another family member as a form of endearment.
• Angkor Wat was initially used for Hindu celebrations.
• There are more than 800 species of fish in Cambodian waters and a species of freshwater dolphin in the Mekong River.
• Cambodians greet each other with hands pressed together and a small bow, called a sompeah.

Hot Topics in Cambodia

• Nicknamed the NGO Capital of the World, Phnom Penh has one of the highest concentrations of non-governmental organizations in the world. NGOs have played a key role in the development of Cambodia, but in recent years, the government has implemented policies and regulations that many feel are an effort to restrict social action and human rights work.
• Workers rights, particularly for garment factory workers, are an increasingly hot issue in Cambodia. As garment factory workers’ wages rise in China and Bangladesh, many retailers are moving to Cambodia where the average factory worker earns $128 a month for sixty-hour work weeks. Although the minimum wage is increasing, there are still protests and demands from workers to make the wage even higher. The garment industry accounts for 80 percent of Cambodia’s total exports and is the largest source of export earnings for the country.
• Cambodia’s turbulent past continues to disrupt some sparsely populated areas along the country’s border with Thailand. Decades of conflict (Vietnam War, Khmer Rouge Regime, and civil war in the 1980s) have resulted in unrecovered land mines and unexploded ordinances (UXO) which, while decreasing each year, still plague the primarily rural farming population of these areas. In 2011, UXO lead to 211 casualties in Cambodia. Many organizations are doing great work to eradicate UXO, including Cambodia Mine Action Committee (CMAC) and Mines Advisory Group (MAG). You can rest assured that Rustic Pathways does not travel into or near any affected areas.