Cambodia

At a glance Land People Economy Achievements and challenges Links with Australia   Cambodia at a glance Did you know? During the rainy season the Tonle Sap River reverses its direction, flooding the Tonle Sap Lake to almost ten times its dry season size and making it the largest freshwater body in Southeast Asia. Region South East Asia Population 13.8 million Land Geography: Mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north Climate: Tropical; rainy, monsoon and dry seasons with little temperature variation People Religion: Buddhist (Theravada) 95% Muslim and Roman Catholic 5% Language: Official: Khmer 95%, French, English Economy GDP per person (PPP): $2,600 (2006 est.) GDP by sector: Agriculture: 35%, Industry: 30%, Services: 35% Government Multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy Land Physical geography Cambodia covers an area of 181,035 square kilometres and stretches about 580 km from east to west and 450 km from north to south. The country is dominated by the fertile lowland around the north-south flowing Mekong River and Tonle Sap (Great Lake). The lowland is bordered by forested highlands whose highest point is Phnum Aoral at 1,810 metres. Climate Cambodia has a tropical monsoonal climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. During the wet season (May-September) spectacular electrical storms can flood large areas within minutes. Temperatures are high all year round with the annual average varying from 21°C to 35°C. Environment The once extensive forests are rapidly being logged. Small numbers of elephants, tigers, leopards, rhinoceros, gibbons, bats and crocodiles are in the remaining forest. Butterflies, snakes and birds such as cormorants, cranes and ducks are common. Landmines make much of the land inaccessible. People About 90% of the population of 13.8 million live in the central lowlands region. Most live in farming communities while about 18% live in cities. Phnom Penh, the capital, has a population of about 1.2 million people, although during the dry season, many thousands of people move into the city from the countryside to seek work. People Culture and identity Most people are Khmer (90%), with small Vietnamese (5%) and Chinese (1%) communities. The remaining 4% include the Cham community, who are Muslims and are spread across several provinces, as well as indigenous hill tribes in the remote north-east of Cambodia. Cambodians traditionally greet each other by pressing their palms together in front of their bodies and bowing, called a sompeah. Generally, a younger or lower rank person initiates the greeting. Losing your temper, especially in public, is regarded as impolite and a poor reflection on you. The traditional Khmer costume consisted of a shirt or blouse and a skirt-like lower garment, sampot for women and sarong for men and the krama, or long scarf, which is worn around the neck, over the shoulders, or wrapped turban-style around the head. Most Cambodians today wear simple western dress. Contemporary Cambodia has a rich cultural heritage from the Khmer dynasties, which were at their peak from the 9th to 13th centuries. The vast Buddhist complex at Angkor in western Cambodia is one of the world's greatest antiquities. Buddhist images are portrayed in carved sandstone reliefs which decorate many buildings and handicraft items. Classical Cambodian dance mimes the legendary lives of ancient religious deities. Health Cambodia has a high infant mortality rate (69/1000 live births) and life expectancy is only 57 years for males and 61 years for females, caused largely by poor access to health services and safe water and sanitation. Communicable diseases, including acute respiratory infection, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, affect large numbers of people. Around 45% of children are moderately to severely stunted as a result of chronic malnutrition. Landmines cause significant injury and ongoing demands on the limited health facilities. Religion and beliefs Theravada Buddhism is a significant influence in Cambodian life and was reinstituted in 1989 as the state religion. Through their beliefs people aspire for nirvana, extinction of one's self, living a good life by earning merit and avoiding misdeeds. Astrology is also widely observed. Small Muslim and Christian communities also exist. Food and shelter The basic foods are rice, in several varieties, fish, and vegetables. Rice may be less thoroughly milled than it is in many other rice-eating countries, and consequently it contains more vitamins and roughage. Fermented fish in the form of sauce or paste are important protein supplements to the diet. Hot peppers, lemon grass, mint and ginger are the main flavours. Beef, pork, poultry and eggs are eaten on special occasions, or, if the family can afford it, daily. Bananas, mangoes, papayas, rambutan, jack fruit and palm fruit are the common fruits. In the cities many Western foods are eaten. The French influence is seen in the daily-baked bread. Rural Cambodian houses are rectangular buildings on stilts with walls of woven bamboo. Typically a house contains three rooms separated by partitions of woven bamboo. City houses include single storey brick homes and multi-storey apartment blocks. Economy Wealth and poverty Poverty is widespread particularly amongst subsistence farmers. The gap between the rich and poor is great with the poorest 10% having only 3% of the income while the richest 10% have 34%. Education and work Most children attend primary school but educational standards are low. Only about 20% of children attend secondary school and Cambodia faces an urgent need for practical and relevant technical and vocational training. The literacy rate is 73.6% - men 84.7%, women 64.1% (2004 est). The vast majority of the population are rurally employed in forestry, fishing and subsistence agriculture. Industries and products Tourism is Cambodia's fastest growing industry with over one million visitors a year. Garment manufacture, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining and textiles production are the main industries. Trade Timber, clothing, rubber, rice and fish are the main exports to markets in US (49%), Hong Kong (24%), Germany (5%), Canada (4%). Cambodia imports petroleum products, cigarettes, gold, construction materials and machinery from Hong Kong (16%), China (13%), Vietnam (7%) and Singapore (5%). Achievements and challenges Cambodia is one of Asia's least developed countries as it continues to recover after decades of war, isolation and genocide. It is heavily reliant on foreign assistance particularly to address issues around the political instability and unreliable legal environment means in order to attract foreign direct investment. With nearly 50% of the population under 20 there is great pressure to increase the manufacturing sector to provide employment. The garment industry dominates the industrial sector and is committed to labour standards. It has been able to survive after the expiry of support during the start-up phase ceased. Landmine and unexploded ordnance clearance is progressing rapidly but still affects most rural farmers with an average of two casualties each day. Cambodia and the UN have agreed to set up a tribunal to try the surviving leaders of the genocide years. Links with Australia Cambodians have arrived in Australia in small numbers from the 1940s, with about 13,000 arriving as refugees after the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia in 1975. Today there are around 23,000 Cambodia-born people living mainly in Australia - New South Wales (9,690), Victoria (9,060), South Australia (2,310) and Queensland (940). Their Buddhist temples are a recognisable feature in many communities. Approximately 2,000 Australians, most of them dual Cambodian-Australian citizens or expatriates involved in development assistance work, live in Cambodia. Approximately 2,000 Australian tourists visit Cambodia each month. Two way merchandise trade between Australia and Cambodia in 2005 was worth $55 million. As a least developed country, Cambodian products are granted tariff-free access to Australia to help promote investment and economic growth. Australia and Cambodia are working together closely to combat people smuggling and trafficking, child sex tourism, norcotics trafficking and terrorism. The focus of Australia's aid to Cambodia is on governance, including legal and judicial reform, and on supporting increased agricultural productivity to improve food security, promote economic growth and engage in demining activities. Australia also provides scholarships for postgraduate study in Australia. Main sources: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html http://www20.sbs.com.au/worldguide/index.php http://hdr.undp.org/ http://www.dfat.gov.au/

An ox-cart transporting bags of charcoal across a mine field to sell in a district town in the north-west province Farmers thresh paddy rice by hitting it on a piece of wood