MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
|
|
Cambodia
Index
It was under such exigencies that a Cambodian army was created,
primarily by Prince Monireth, the heir to the throne, who earlier
had been passed over by the French in favor of Prince Norodom
Sihanouk, who was considered more pliable. In the fall of 1945,
Monireth gained the concurrence of returning French authorities in
his plan to raise an indigenous military force to fill the vacuum
left by the defeated Japanese and to counter mounting internal
disorder. On November 23, in his capacity as defense minister, he
made public two decisions concerning this issue. The first was to
form the first battalion of a nascent Cambodian army, and he
invited former noncommissioned officers (NCOs) of the demobilized
colonial light infantry battalion to join the new unit. The second
was to open an officer-candidate school, and he extended an
invitation to young men between the ages of eighteen and twentyfive with a junior high-school education to apply for admission.
The school duly opened on January 1, 1946, and part of it was
reserved for NCO training.
Two important agreements between Phnom Penh and Paris gave the
Cambodian military forces a firmer official footing in 1946. The
first, the Franco-Cambodian Modus Vivendi of January 7, 1946, for
the most part concerned political matters. In military affairs,
however, it gave official recognition to the existence of a
Cambodian army, although it placed French advisers in the Cambodian
Ministry of Defense and declared that French authorities had
responsibility for maintaining order in Cambodia.
The second agreement, the Franco-Khmer Military Convention of
November 20, 1946, was more significant in Cambodian military
history because it established the organization and the mission of
the nation's armed forces. The pact affirmed that Cambodia, as an
autonomous state within the French Union, would have at its
disposal indigenous forces, the missions of which were to uphold
the sovereignty of the king, to preserve internal security, and to
defend the frontiers of the country. The accord also noted that
Cambodia participated in the defense of the French Union by placing
its military units at the disposal of the French High Commissioner
for Indochina, and that, reciprocally, other French Union forces
helped to defend Cambodia. The Cambodian forces were to be composed
of units with a territorial responsibility and a mobile reserve.
The supreme commander would be the king, who would exercise his
powers through a Ministry of Defense assisted by a Franco-Khmer
general staff. The Cambodians also were granted the
responsibilities of recruiting, of determining obligatory military
service, of designating unit tables of organization and equipment,
and of deploying troops internally. The stationing of Cambodian
units outside the country, however, was to be based on mutual
understanding between the king and the French High Commissioner for
Indochina
(see The Struggle for Independence
, ch. 1).
In 1947 the Cambodian government faced a mounting threat from
several thousand Khmer Issarak combatants, whose numbers would
swell to around 10,000 by 1949. In an effort to keep pace with
their domestic adversaries, the Cambodian military forces slowly
but inexorably grew in numbers as the months and years passed. In
January 1947, the effective strength of the Cambodian military
stood at about 4,000 personnel, of which 3,000 served in the
constabulary. The remainder were in a mobile reserve of two
battalion-sized units (one of them newly formed) named,
respectively, the First Cambodian Rifle Battalion and the Second
Cambodian Rifle Battalion (Bataillon de Chasseurs Cambodgiens).
These first Cambodian military units went into action in 1947
against the Khmer Issarak. During the next two years, two more
rifle battalions were added, bringing total strength up to 6,000
personnel, with about half serving in the Garde Nationale and half
in the mobile reserve. The latter at this time comprised three
rifle battalions (one battalion had been allocated to French Union
forces elsewhere in Indochina).
In July 1949, in another military agreement with France,
Cambodian forces were granted autonomy within operational sectors
in the provinces of Siemreab and Kampong Thum, which had been part
of the territory returned to Cambodia by Thailand in early 1947.
Under an additional protocol signed in June 1950, provincial
governors were assigned the responsibility for the pacification of
the territories under their jurisdictions; to accomplish this
mission they were each given a counterinsurgency force consisting
of one independent infantry company.
The early 1950s were marked by further milestones in the
development of the Cambodian military forces. In the fall of 1950,
a military assistance agreement between the United States and
France provided for an expansion of indigenous forces in Indochina,
and by 1952 Cambodian troop strength had reached 13,000 personnel,
greater than that of French forces in the country. In the meantime,
more rifle battalions were formed, combat-support units were
established, and a framework for logistical support was set up.
Cambodian units were given wider responsibility: protection of the
rubber plantations in the area of the middle Mekong, and, to
prevent infiltration by the Viet Minh, surveillance of the coastal
areas of the southern provinces and of the eastern frontier with
Cochinchina.
In June 1952, Prince Sihanouk--determined to transcend his
figurehead role--seized power, staging what was termed a "royal
coup d'état." He suspended the constitution "to restore...order and
security throughout the country." Taking command of army
operations, he led his troops against Son Ngoc Thanh's Khmer
Issarak forces in Siemreab Province, where he announced that he had
driven "700 red guerrillas" across the border into Thailand. As the
year wore on, the French returned to Cambodian control the
battalion that had been assigned to the French Union forces since
the late 1940s. The unit returned ceremoniously to Phnom Penh in
October. In December the Cambodian operational sector of Siemreab
was enlarged by the addition of Batdambang Province, and the
subsector of Batdambang City came under the command of a previously
obscure lieutenant colonel, Lon Nol. The operational sector of
Kampong Thum was given its own combat element, the Third Cambodian
Rifle Battalion, an elite unit that was subject to the direct
orders of the monarch.
In early 1953, Sihanouk embarked on a world tour to publicize
his campaign for independence, contending that he could "checkmate
communism by opposing it with the force of nationalism." Following
his tour, he "retired" to Batdambang Province, which was declared
a "free zone of independence" and where he was joined by 30,000
Cambodian troops and police in a show of support and strength.
Elsewhere, Cambodian troops under French officers staged slowdowns
or refused the commands of their superiors, as a demonstration of
solidarity with Sihanouk. Full independence was granted by France
in November 1953, and Sihanouk, returning to Phnom Penh, took
command of the army of 17,000 troops, which had been renamed the
Royal Khmer Armed Forces (Forces Armées Royales Khmères--FARK--see
Appendix B).
In March 1954, combined Viet Minh and Khmer Issarak forces
launched attacks from Vietnam into northeastern Cambodia. Sihanouk
personally directed a sustained counterattack. Conscription was
instituted for men between fifteen and thirty-five years of age,
and national mobilization was declared. Following the conclusion of
the Geneva Conference on Indochina in July, Viet Minh
representatives agreed to withdraw their troops from Cambodia.
After a brief rebellion by the Khmer Issarak in late 1954, one of
its principal leaders, Son Ngoc Thanh, surrendered in response to
an amnesty decree, but, upon denial of an audience with Sihanouk,
he departed for Thailand. FARK force levels were 47,000, but, with
demobilization after Geneva, this dropped to 36,000, the
approximate level at which it was to be maintained for the next
fifteen years except during periods of emergency.
Data as of December 1987
- Cambodia-Illicit Trade with Thailand and with Singapore
- Cambodia-THE KAMPUCHEAN (OR KHMER) UNITED FRONT FOR NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION AND DEFENSE
- Cambodia-Politics under the Khmer Rouge
- Cambodia-Chapter 1 - Historical Setting
- Cambodia-Airports
- Cambodia-First Plan, 1986-90
- Cambodia-Vietnamese Aid
- Cambodia-The Economy
- Cambodia-Local People's Revolutionary Committees
- Cambodia-Austronesian
- Cambodia-The March 1970 Coup d'Etat
- Cambodia-The Constitution
- Cambodia-Fisheries
- Cambodia-Water Transportation Railroads
- Cambodia-The Khmer People's National Liberation Front
- Cambodia-The Economy under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-79
- Cambodia-Handicrafts
- Cambodia-SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION
- Cambodia-Establishing Democratic Kampuchea
- Cambodia-Taxes
- Cambodia-Intraparty Conflict
- Cambodia-ECONOMIC SETTING
- Cambodia-CAMBODIA UNDER SIHANOUK, 1954-70
- Cambodia-INDUSTRY
- Cambodia-Other Religions
- Cambodia-Khmer People's National Liberation Armed Forces
- Cambodia-The Fall of Phnom Penh
- Cambodia-Petroleum
- Cambodia-HEALTH AND WELFARE
- Cambodia-East Germany
- Cambodia-The Successor State of Chenla
- Cambodia-People's Security Service LAW ENFORCEMENT AND COUNTERSUBVERSION
- Cambodia-Conditions of Service
- Cambodia-Livestock
- Cambodia-PREFACE
- Cambodia-THE ANGKORIAN PERIOD
- Cambodia-GEOGRAPHY
- Cambodia-Natural Resources
- Cambodia-THE MEDIA
- Cambodia-The Second Indochina War, 1954-75
- Cambodia-Democratic Kampuchea
- Cambodia-Composition and Deployment
- Cambodia-FOREIGN AFFAIRS
- Cambodia-CAMBODIA
- Cambodia-Origins of the Coalition
- Cambodia-HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
- Cambodia-The French Protectorate
- Cambodia-ECONOMY
- Cambodia-Distribution Dynamics
- Cambodia-Revolutionary Terror
- Cambodia-Soviet Aid
- Cambodia-Sihanouk's Peacetime Economy, 1953-70
- Cambodia-Public Health
- Cambodia-Foreign Economic and Technical Assistance
- Cambodia-The Geneva Conference
- Cambodia-Protection under the Law
- Cambodia-ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- Cambodia-Coalition Government Resistance Forces
- Cambodia-Origins of Buddhism on the Indian Subcontinent
- Cambodia-The Japanese Occupation, 1941-45
- Cambodia-Social Stratification and Social Mobility
- Cambodia-Other Groups
- Cambodia-DOMESTIC COMMERCE
- Cambodia-Public School System
- Cambodia -COUNTRY PROFILE
- Cambodia-The Time of Greatness, A.D - 802-1431
- Cambodia-From "Proximity Talks" to a "Cocktail Party"
- Cambodia-Early Indianized Kingdom of Funan
- Cambodia-The Purge
- Cambodia-PREHISTORY AND EARLY KINGDOMS
- Cambodia-National United Front for an Independent, Peaceful, Neutral, and Cooperative Cambodia
- Cambodia-Soviet Union
- Cambodia-The KPRP Second Congress
- Cambodia-The First Indochina War, 1945-54
- Cambodia-The Council of Ministers
- Cambodia-INTO THE MAELSTROM: INSURRECTION AND WAR, 1967-75
- Cambodia-Vietnam
- Cambodia-Welfare Programs
- Cambodia-The Council of State
- Cambodia-Collectivization and Solidarity Groups
- Cambodia-Early Khmer Rouge Atrocities
- Cambodia-Hydroelectric Power
- Cambodia-Period of Decline, 1431-1863
- Cambodia-Private Education
- Cambodia-Poland
- Cambodia-The Chinese
- Cambodia-Composition of Trade
- Cambodia-THE KAMPUCHEAN, (OR KHMER) PEOPLE'S REVOLUTIONARY PARTY
- Cambodia-MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS IN POSTWAR CAMBODIA
- Cambodia-THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KAMPUCHEA
- Cambodia-The Colonial Economy
- Cambodia-The Khmer
- Cambodia-FOREIGN TRADE AND AID
- Cambodia-Drainage
- Cambodia-AGRICULTURE
- Cambodia-Other Food and Commercial Crops
- Cambodia-Migration and Refugees
- Cambodia-Major Manufacturing Industries
- Cambodia-DEMOCRATIC KAMPUCHEA, 1975-78
- Cambodia-Domestic Developments
- Cambodia-Cambodian Adaptations
- Cambodia-Role of Buddhism in Cambodian Life
- Cambodia-The Coalition's Strategy
- Cambodia-Regional Divisions
- Cambodia-Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment
- Cambodia-Foreign Troops and Advisers
- Cambodia-Austroasiatic-Mon-Khmer LANGUAGES
- Cambodia-Vietnamese Invasion of Cambodia
- Cambodia-New Economic Policy and System
- Cambodia-THE FRENCH COLONIAL PERIOD, 1887-1953
- Cambodia-Housing
- Cambodia-The Vietnamese
- Cambodia-Roads and Highways
- Cambodia-The Widening War
- Cambodia-Ports
- Cambodia-Chapter 4 - Government and Politics
- Cambodia-The French Protectorate, 1863-1954
- Cambodia-National Army of Democratic Kampuchea
- Cambodia-Coalition Structure
- Cambodia-Major Trading Partners
- Cambodia-Penal System
- Cambodia-Dress
- Cambodia-TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Cambodia-Chinese Religion
- Cambodia-NATIONAL SECURITY
- Cambodia-Buddhism RELIGION
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-The Emergence of Nationalism
- Cambodia-Armée Nationale Sihanoukiste
- Cambodia-ECONOMIC ROLE OF THE KAMPUCHEAN PEOPLE'S REVOLUTIONARY PARTY
- Cambodia-The Search for Peace
- Cambodia-Other Ethnic Groups
- Cambodia-The Wartime Economy, 1970-75
- Cambodia-Climate
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-Threats and Capabilities
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS AFTER INDEPENDENCE
- Cambodia-Chapter 5 - National Security
- Cambodia-Government Structure
- Cambodia-Khmer Rouge Armed Forces MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS UNDER THE KHMER ROUGE
- Cambodia-POPULATION
- Cambodia-Topography
- Cambodia-The Judiciary
- Cambodia-Islam
- Cambodia-International and Western Aid
- Cambodia-EDUCATION
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-Diet
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
- Cambodia-The Cambodian Left: The Early Phases
- Cambodia-CAMBODIA'S STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL, 1432-1887
- Cambodia-Foreword
- Cambodia-Cambodia in Turmoil
- Cambodia-Domination by Thailand and by Vietnam
- Cambodia-TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Cambodia-Background MAJOR POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS, 1977-81
- Cambodia-FINANCE
- Cambodia-Religious and Minority Communities
- Cambodia-The Paris Student Group
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-Mission and Doctrine
- Cambodia-Nonaligned Foreign Policy
- Cambodia-Phnom Penh and Its Allies
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-Organization and Control
- Cambodia-Chapter 3 - The Economy
- Cambodia-COALITION GOVERNMENT OF DEMOCRATIC KAMPUCHEA
- Cambodia-Labor Force
- Cambodia-Buddhist Education
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-Rice Production and Cultivation
- Cambodia-Currency Banking
- Cambodia-Society under the Angkar
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-Tenuous Security
- Cambodia-ENVIRONMENT
- Cambodia-Education and Health
- Cambodia-INTRODUCTION
- Cambodia
Background | | Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, descendants of the Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached its zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. Attacks by the Thai and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire, ushering in a long period of decline. The king placed the country under French protection in 1863 and it became part of French Indochina in 1887. Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953. In April 1975, after a five-year struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh and evacuated all cities and towns. At least 1.5 million Cambodians died from execution, forced hardships, or starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy under a coalition government. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability. The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders are awaiting trial by a UN-sponsored tribunal for crimes against humanity. Elections in July 2003 were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed. In October 2004, King Norodom SIHANOUK abdicated the throne and his son, Prince Norodom SIHAMONI, was selected to succeed him. Local elections were held in Cambodia in April 2007, and there was little in the way of pre-election violence that preceded prior elections. National elections in July 2008 were relatively peaceful.
|
Location | | Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos
|
Area(sq km) | | total: 181,035 sq km land: 176,515 sq km water: 4,520 sq km
|
Geographic coordinates | | 13 00 N, 105 00 E
|
Land boundaries(km) | | total: 2,572 km border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km
|
Coastline(km) | | 443 km
|
Climate | | tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation
|
Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m
|
Natural resources | | oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential
|
Land use(%) | | arable land: 20.44% permanent crops: 0.59% other: 78.97% (2005)
|
Irrigated land(sq km) | | 2,700 sq km (2003)
|
Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 476.1 cu km (1999)
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 4.08 cu km/yr (1%/0%/98%) per capita: 290 cu m/yr (2000)
|
Natural hazards | | monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts
|
Environment - current issues | | illegal logging activities throughout the country and strip mining for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand have resulted in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in particular, destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural fisheries); soil erosion; in rural areas, most of the population does not have access to potable water; declining fish stocks because of illegal fishing and overfishing
|
Environment - international agreements | | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
|
Geography - note | | a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap
|
Population | | 14,494,293 note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
|
Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 2,388,922/female 2,336,439) 15-64 years: 63.8% (male 4,498,568/female 4,743,677) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 197,649/female 329,038) (2009 est.)
|
Median age(years) | | total: 22.1 years male: 21.4 years female: 22.8 years (2009 est.)
|
Population growth rate(%) | | 1.765% (2009 est.)
|
Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 25.73 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 8.08 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
|
Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | NA
|
Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 22% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 4.6% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
|
Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
|
Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 54.79 deaths/1,000 live births male: 61.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 47.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
|
Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 62.1 years male: 60.03 years female: 64.27 years (2009 est.)
|
Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 3.04 children born/woman (2009 est.)
|
Nationality | | noun: Cambodian(s) adjective: Cambodian
|
Ethnic groups(%) | | Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4%
|
Religions(%) | | Buddhist 96.4%, Muslim 2.1%, other 1.3%, unspecified 0.2% (1998 census)
|
Languages(%) | | Khmer (official) 95%, French, English
|
Country name | | conventional long form: Kingdom of Cambodia conventional short form: Cambodia local long form: Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea (phonetic pronunciation) local short form: Kampuchea former: Khmer Republic, Democratic Kampuchea, People's Republic of Kampuchea, State of Cambodia
|
Government type | | multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy
|
Capital | | name: Phnom Penh geographic coordinates: 11 33 N, 104 55 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
|
Administrative divisions | | 23 provinces (khett, singular and plural) and 1 municipality (krong, singular and plural) provinces: Banteay Mean Cheay, Batdambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Spoe, Kampong Thum, Kampot, Kandal, Kaoh Kong, Keb, Krachen, Mondol Kiri, Otdar Mean Cheay, Pailin, Pouthisat, Preah Seihanu (Sihanoukville), Preah Vihear, Prey Veng, Rotanah Kiri, Siem Reab, Stoeng Treng, Svay Rieng, Takev municipalities: Phnum Penh (Phnom Penh)
|
Constitution | | promulgated 21 September 1993
|
Legal system | | primarily a civil law mixture of French-influenced codes from the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) period, royal decrees, and acts of the legislature, with influences of customary law and remnants of communist legal theory; increasing influence of common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
|
Suffrage | | 18 years of age; universal
|
Executive branch | | chief of state: King Norodom SIHAMONI (since 29 October 2004) head of government: Prime Minister HUN SEN (since 14 January 1985) [co-prime minister from 1993 to 1997]; Permanent Deputy Prime Minister MEN SAM AN (since 25 September 2008); Deputy Prime Ministers SAR KHENG (since 3 February 1992); SOK AN, TEA BANH, HOR NAMHONG, NHEK BUNCHHAY (since 16 July 2004); BIN CHHIN (since 5 September 2007); KEAT CHHON, YIM CHHAI LY (since 24 September 2008); KE KIMYAN (since 12 March 2009) cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch elections: 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 by the Chairman of the National Assembly and appointed by the king
|
Legislative branch | | bicameral, consists of the Senate (61 seats; 2 members appointed by the monarch, 2 elected by the National Assembly, and 57 elected by parliamentarians and commune councils; members serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (123 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011); National Assembly - last held 27 July 2008 (next to be held in July 2013) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - CPP 69%, FUNCINPEC 21%, SRP 10%; seats by party - CPP 45, FUNCINPEC 10, SRP 2; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CPP 58%, SRP 22%, HRP 7%; NRP 6%; FUNCINPEC 5%; others 2%; seats by party - CPP 90, SRP 26, HRP 3, FUNCINPEC 2, NRP 2
|
Judicial branch | | Supreme Council of the Magistracy (provided for in the constitution and formed in December 1997); Supreme Court (and lower courts) exercises judicial authority
|
Political pressure groups and leaders | | Cambodian Freedom Fighters or CFF; Partnership for Transparency Fund or PTF (anti-corruption organization); Students Movement for Democracy; The Committee for Free and Fair Elections or Comfrel other: human rights organizations; vendors
|
International organization participation | | ACCT, ADB, APT, ARF, ASEAN, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
|
Flag description | | three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (double width), and blue with a white three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat outlined in black in the center of the red band note: only national flag to incorporate an actual building in its design
|
Economy - overview | | From 2004 to 2007, the economy grew about 10% per year, driven largely by an expansion in the garment sector, construction, agriculture, and tourism. Growth dropped to below 7% in 2008 as a result of the global economic slowdown. With the January 2005 expiration of a WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, Cambodian textile producers were forced to compete directly with lower-priced countries such as China, India, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. The garment industry currently employs more than 320,000 people and contributes more than 85% of Cambodia's exports. In 2005, exploitable oil deposits were found beneath Cambodia's territorial waters, representing a new revenue stream for the government if commercial extraction begins. Mining also is attracting significant investor interest, particularly in the northern parts of the country. The government has said opportunities exist for mining bauxite, gold, iron and gems. In 2006, a US-Cambodia bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) was signed, and several rounds of discussions have been held since 2007. The tourism industry has continued to grow rapidly, with foreign arrivals exceeding 2 million per year in 2007-08, however, economic troubles abroad will dampen growth in 2009. Rubber exports declined more than 15% in 2008 due to falling world market prices. The global financial crisis is weakening demand for Cambodian exports, and construction is declining due to a shortage of credit. The long-term development of the economy remains a daunting challenge. The Cambodian government is working with bilateral and multilateral donors, including the World Bank and IMF, to address the country's many pressing needs. The major economic challenge for Cambodia over the next decade will be fashioning an economic environment in which the private sector can create enough jobs to handle Cambodia's demographic imbalance. More than 50% of the population is less than 21 years old. The population lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic infrastructure.
|
GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $28.01 billion (2008 est.) $26.67 billion (2007 est.) $24.2 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
|
GDP (official exchange rate) | | $11.25 billion (2008 est.)
|
GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 5% (2008 est.) 10.2% (2007 est.) 10.8% (2006 est.)
|
GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $2,000 (2008 est.) $1,900 (2007 est.) $1,800 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
|
GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 29% industry: 30% services: 41% (2007 est.)
|
Labor force | | 8.6 million (2008 est.)
|
Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 75% industry: NA% services: NA% (2004 est.)
|
Unemployment rate(%) | | 3.5% (2007 est.) 2.5% (2000 est.)
|
Population below poverty line(%) | | 35% (2004)
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 34.2% (2007)
|
Distribution of family income - Gini index | | 43 (2007 est.) 40 (2004 est.)
|
Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 22.4% of GDP (2008 est.)
|
Budget | | revenues: $1.274 billion expenditures: $1.592 billion (2008 est.)
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 25% (2008 est.) 5.9% (2007 est.)
|
Stock of money | | $591.7 million (31 December 2008) $513.6 million (31 December 2007)
|
Stock of quasi money | | $2.328 billion (31 December 2008) $2.309 billion (31 December 2007)
|
Stock of domestic credit | | $1.67 billion (31 December 2008) $1.131 billion (31 December 2007)
|
Market value of publicly traded shares | | $NA
|
Economic aid - recipient | | $698.2 million pledged in grants and concession loans for 2007 by international donors (2007)
|
Agriculture - products | | rice, rubber, corn, vegetables, cashews, tapioca, silk
|
Industries | | tourism, garments, construction, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles
|
Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 8% (2008 est.)
|
Current account balance | | -$1.06 billion (2008 est.) -$506.3 million (2007 est.)
|
Exports | | $4.708 billion (2008 est.) $4.089 billion (2007 est.)
|
Exports - commodities(%) | | clothing, timber, rubber, rice, fish, tobacco, footwear
|
Exports - partners(%) | | US 54.4%, Germany 7.7%, Canada 5.9%, UK 5.5%, Vietnam 4.5% (2008)
|
Imports | | $6.534 billion (2008 est.) $5.424 billion (2007 est.)
|
Imports - commodities(%) | | petroleum products, cigarettes, gold, construction materials, machinery, motor vehicles, pharmaceutical products
|
Imports - partners(%) | | Thailand 26.8%, Vietnam 19%, China 14.5%, Hong Kong 8.1%, Singapore 6.9% (2008)
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $2.641 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $2.143 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
|
Debt - external | | $4.127 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $3.89 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
|
Exchange rates | | riels (KHR) per US dollar - 4,070.94 (2008 est.), 4,006 (2007), 4,103 (2006), 4,092.5 (2005), 4,016.25 (2004)
|
Currency (code) | | riel (KHR)
|
Telephones - main lines in use | | 45,100 (2008)
|
Telephones - mobile cellular | | 4.237 million (2008)
|
Telephone system | | general assessment: mobile-phone systems are widely used in urban areas to bypass deficiencies in the fixed-line network; fixed-line connections stand at well less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage, aided by increasing competition among service providers, is increasing and stands at 30 per 100 persons domestic: adequate landline and/or cellular service in Phnom Penh and other provincial cities; mobile-phone coverage is rapidly expanding in rural areas international: country code - 855; adequate but expensive landline and cellular service available to all countries from Phnom Penh and major provincial cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) (2008)
|
Internet country code | | .kh
|
Internet users | | 74,000 (2008)
|
Airports | | 17 (2009)
|
Roadways(km) | | total: 38,093 km paved: 2,977 km unpaved: 35,116 km (2007)
|
Ports and terminals | | Phnom Penh, Kampong Saom (Sihanoukville)
|
Military branches | | Royal Cambodian Armed Forces: Royal Cambodian Army, Royal Khmer Navy, Royal Cambodian Air Force (2009)
|
Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | conscription law of October 2006 requires all males between 18-30 to register for military service; 18-month service obligation (2006)
|
Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 3,759,034 females age 16-49: 3,784,333 (2008 est.)
|
Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 2,673,383 females age 16-49: 2,763,256 (2009 est.)
|
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 177,881 female: 175,332 (2009 est.)
|
Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 3% of GDP (2005 est.)
|
Disputes - international | | Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of boundary with missing boundary markers and claims of Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory; maritime boundary with Vietnam is hampered by unresolved dispute over sovereignty of offshore islands; Thailand accuses Cambodia of obstructing inclusion of Thai areas near Preah Vihear temple ruins, awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962, as part of a planned UN World Heritage site
|
Electricity - production(kWh) | | 1.273 billion kWh (2007 est.)
|
Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 65% hydro: 35% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
|
Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 1.272 billion kWh (2007 est.)
|
Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
|
Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 167 million kWh (2007 est.)
|
Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 4,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 30,970 bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
|
Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008 est.)
|
Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008 est.)
|
Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
|
Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 0.8% (2007 est.)
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | 75,000 (2007 est.)
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths | | 6,900 (2007 est.)
|
Major infectious diseases | | degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)
|
Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 73.6% male: 84.7% female: 64.1% (2004 est.)
|
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 10 years male: 10 years female: 9 years (2006)
|
Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 1.7% of GDP (2004)
|
|
|