Country Profile of Cambodia

Cambodia shares borders with Vietnam to the east, Laos to the north, Thailand to the west, and the ocean coast to the Southwest.

NATIONAL FLAG & COAT OF ARMS:

Cambodia Flag [ Click to enlarge flag ]: The flag was designed arround 1850 that has three horizontal bands of blue (top and bottom) and red (central) with a depiction of Angkor Watt in the center. The flag was abandoned in a few years during the Khmer Rouge and the occupation of Vietnamese in Cambodia. The flag was readopted in 1993 after the first general election with the returned the monarchy.

CONVENTIONAL NAME

• Preah-reach-ana-chak Kampuchea – is  the official name used by the Royal Government of Cambodia. It means, the Kingdom of Kampuchea.
• • Preah – means Sacred
  • Reach – derived from Sanskrit. It means King or Royal
  • Ana – derived from Pali It means Authority or Power.
  • Chak – derived from Sanskrit. It means Wheel
• Srok Khmer (local short form) – common and general used by Khmer People. Srok means Territory.  
• Pra-Tehs Khmer (local short form) -   the formal name and general writing.  Pra-Tehs means “Country”.
• Pra-Tehs Kampuchea (local short form)– Kampuchea was derived from Sanskrit  word as Kambuja. 

BRIEF OVERVIEW:

• Main Language: Khmer
• Main Religion: Buddhism (Theravada)
• Population: 14,805,358 (World Bank, 2009)
• Poplulation in Phnom Penh: 2,009,264 (wiki - 2008)
• Ethnic group: Khmer, Vietnamese and Chinese minorities
• Monetary unit: 1 riel = 100 sen
• Climate:  tropical humid climate: rainy (monsoon) season (May to November) and dry season (December to April)
• Capital: Phnom Penh
• Major Cities: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanouk Ville, Koh Kong
• Area: 181,035 sq km (69,898 sq miles) : Water 2.5%
• Border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km
• Coastline: 443 km
• Independence: 9 November 1953
• Constitution:Promulgated 21 September 1993
• GDP: USD $10,027,957,789 (World Bank, 2009)
• GNI per capita: USD $650 (World Bank, 2009)
• Life expectancy at birth, total (years): 61 (World Bank, 2008)
• Major Exports: Garments, Fisheries Products, Rubber
• Major Export Trading Countries: United States, Germany, UK, Singapore, Japan
• Major Imports: petroleum products, construction materials, vehicles and motorcycles, clothing
• Major Import Trading Countries: Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, South Korea
• Internet domain: .kh
• International dialling code: +855
• Electricity: 220V AC 50 Hz
• Driving: Right hand side; International Driving Permit required
• Airport: Phnom Penh International (PNH), Siem Reap International Airport, & Sihanoukville International Airport - Website
• Direct Flight: from Bangkok (Thailand), Taipei (Taiwan), Hong Kong (China), Singapore (Singapore), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Vientiane (Lao), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Guangzhou (China), Soul (South Korea)

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

The signing of the Paris Peace Agreements in October 1991 launched Cambodia in a process of reconstruction after two decades of conflict and civil war. The process, which was backed by a United Nations presence until the first national elections in May 1993, facilitated the foundation of a constitutional monarchy with King Norodom Sihanouk as head of State, and led to the establishment of a power-sharing government.

• Type:  Constitutional monarchy, Parliamentary representative democracy
• Head of States: His Majesty Samdech Preah Baromneath Norodom Sihamoni (elected October 29, 2004)
• Head of Government:   Prime Minister Hun Sen (appointed on January 14 1985, elected in 1998, 2003, and 2008) is in charge of overall execution of national policies and programs, and is accountable to the National Assembly.
• • Born April 4, 1951 (family photo)
  • Wife: Bun Rany Hun Sen
  • Leading 10 deputy prime ministers, 17 senior ministers, 172 secretaries of state, and 28 ministers.
  • Directory of the Government
• Legislature: The Constituent Assembly, now called the National Assembly, promulgated Cambodia’s sixth Constitution on 24 September 1993. The 1993 Constitution was amended in March 1999 to establish the Senate, a new legislative body. The Constitution declares liberal democracy and a multiparty system as the foundations of the political regime of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Under the Constitution, the Cambodian people are masters of their own country, possess all powers, and exercise their powers through the National Assembly, Senate, Royal Government, and Judiciary. It also stipulates that the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of government shall be separate. Furthermore, all Khmer citizens possess the right to establish associations and political parties.
• • Senate(Upper House): Chaired by Samdech Chea Sim and consisting of 62 Senators (referring to Figure 1)
  • National Assembly (Lower House): Chaired by Samdech Heng Samrin and consisting of 123 elected members (referring to Figure 2).
• Judiciary Branch: Supreme Council of the Magistracy (provided for in the constitution and formed in December 1997); Supreme Court (and lower courts) exercises judicial authority.
• Local Government: The Constitution divides the territory of the Kingdom of Cambodia into provinces and municipalities. Currently, there are 24 provinces and four municipalities (Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Kep, and Pailin). Each province is divided into districts (srok), and each district into communes (khum). In addition, there are a group of villages (phum), although they are not considered formal administrative units. Each municipality is divided into sections (khan), each section into quarters (sangkat). The Ministry of Interior is in charge of administering provinces and municipalities.

Members of Cambodia Senate (2006-01-22 Senate Elections Results). (Figure 1)

The 4th Mandate Election of Members of National Assembly 2008 (Figure 2)

Resources & Referrences:

• UN
• Council of Jourists