Geography

The Kingdom of Cambodia, formerly Kampuchea, Motto is Nation-Religion-King. The capital city is Phnom Penh, Time (GMT +7), Currency is Riel (US$1 = 4000 R) and national language is Khmer.

Situated in the southwest of the Indochinese peninsula, Cambodia occupies a total area of 181,035 square kilometers and borders Thailand to the west and northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, and Gulf of Thailand to the southwest.

Cambodia’s geographic coordinates are 13 00 N, 105 00 E.

Cambodia’s terrain consists mainly of low plains, with mountains to the southwest and north.

Two dominant physical features of Cambodia are the Mekong river, which runs from north to south of the country, and the Tonlé Sap Lake.

Natural resources include oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential.

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Population

Cambodia’s population is approximately 14 million. Ninety per cent of residents are Khmer; the rest are Cham (Khmer Muslim), Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Thai, Phnorng, Kuoy, Stieng, Tamil, etc. Population density is 78/ km2.

Climate

Like most of Southeast Asia, Cambodia’s climate is hot and warm almost all year round. The climate is dominated by the annual monsoon cycle of rainy and dry seasons. The rainy season lasts from May to October, and the dry season from November to April. December to January are the coolest months, while the hottest period is in April. The average temperature is around 27-28ºC.

National Flag

The flag of Cambodia symbolizes the country’s slogan: Nation, Religion, King. The two large blue stripes represent royalty and the center red stripe represents the nation. The image of the white temple stands for the nation’s religion.



National Flower

The romduol (ផ្ការំដួល), a small yellowish-white flower, is the national flower of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Since ancient times, Cambodian women have often been compared to the Romduol flower because of its attractive fragrance; a unique scent that is prominent in the late afternoon and can travel over long distances with the wind. With its sturdy stems that measure up to 30cm, the Romduol plant can grow to a height of 12 meters. These plants are being planted to enhance public parks.

National Tree

Palm Tree (ដើមត្នោត) is a robust tree and can live more than 100 years and reach a height of 30 metres (98 ft), with a canopy of green-bluish leaves with several dozen fronds spreading 3 m (9.8 ft) across. The very large trunk resembles that of the coconut tree and is ringed withleaf scars. Young palmyra palms grow slowly in the beginning but then grow faster with age.

National Fruit

Lady Finger Banana (ចេកពងមាន់)  [chék pông moan]

National Fish

Giant Barb Fish  (ត្រីគល់រាំង)  [trei kól reang], ranks among the largest freshwater fish in the world, and is probably the largest fish in the family Cyprinidae. It may reach 3 m (9.8 ft) (although this claimed maximum length needs confirmation) and weigh up to 300 kg (660 lb). Few large individuals are caught today. For example, no individual weighing more than 150 kg (330 lb) has been caught in Cambodia since 1994. Today the maximum length is about 1.8 m (5.9 ft) with an average length of 1 m (3.3 ft). Among the cyprinids, only the golden mahseer can reach a comparable length, but it is a relatively slender fish that weighs far less.

National Reptile

Southern river terrapin (អណ្ដើកហ្លួង) [ândaeuk luong] (‘royal turtle’)

National Bird

Giant Ibis bird (ត្រយ៉ង) [trâyâng]

National Mammal

Wild ox, kouproh or grey ox (គោព្រៃ) [kou prey] (‘forest cattle’)