Cambodia
Name
| Official name | Kingdom of Cambodia — Preah Reacheanachak Kampuchea (ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា) |
|---|---|
| Former names | Khmer Republic (1970–1975); Democratic Kampuchea (1975–1979); People's Republic of Kampuchea (1979–1989); State of Cambodia (1989–1993) |
| Demonym | Cambodian; Khmer |
| Meaning of the name | From Kambuja, the name the Khmer kings of Angkor gave their realm in the 9th century — by tradition the land of Kambu, a legendary sage; Cambodia and Kampuchea are the same word in French and Khmer dress |
| Motto | "Nation, Religion, King" — Cheat, Sasna, Preah Mohaksat |
Quick facts
| Capital | Phnom Penh — the capital since 1865; about 2.3 million |
|---|---|
| Largest cities | Phnom Penh; Siem Reap; Battambang; Sihanoukville; Kampong Cham; Poipet |
| Official language | Khmer — written in its own script, descended from the Pallava of southern India; French and English widely taught |
| Currency | Riel — ISO code KHR, ៛; about 4,000 to the U.S. dollar, which circulates alongside it |
| Time zone | Indochina Time, UTC+7, all year |
| Calling code | +855 |
| Internet domain | .kh |
| ISO 3166 codes | KH · KHM · 116 |
| Vehicle registration code | K |
| Driving side | Right |
| Electricity | 230 V, 50 Hz; plug types A, C and G |
| Independence | 9 November 1953, from France |
| National days | 9 November, Independence Day; 24 September, Constitution Day; 7 January, Victory over Genocide Day; 14 May, the King's birthday; 20 May, the Day of Remembrance; Pchum Ben, Khmer New Year in April and the Water Festival in November |
| Constitution | 24 September 1993 — the kingdom restored; amended 1999, 2004, 2008, 2014, 2018 and 2022 |
| Population | 15,552,211 at the census of 2019; 17.2 million (CIA World Factbook, 2025 est.); about 17.8 million (UN) |
| Area | 181,035 km² (69,898 sq mi) — land 176,515 km², water 4,520 km²; a little smaller than Oklahoma |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | A red band between two of blue with the white towers of Angkor Wat at the center — the Nation in red, Religion in the temple, the King in blue; the kingdom's flag of 29 October 1948, restored by the Constitution of 24 September 1993, and the only national flag whose emblem is a building.Flag of Cambodia |
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| Royal arms | Two lions bearing five-tiered parasols on either side of the sacred sword under the royal crown, over the motto — the arms of the kingdom, restored 1993 |
| National anthem | "Nokor Reach" ("Majestic Kingdom") — words by Chuon Nath, music by Chuon Nath and F. Perruchot and J. Jekyll, adopted 1941; restored 1993 |
| National motto | "Nation, Religion, King" |
| National colors | Blue and red |
| National animal | The kouprey — the wild forest ox, unseen since the 1980s; designated by royal decree 21 March 2005 |
| National bird | The giant ibis — designated 2005 |
| National flower | The rumdul, Mitrella mesnyi — designated 2005 |
| National tree | The sugar palm — thnot — designated 2005 |
| National fish and fruit | The giant barb and the chicken egg banana — designated 2005 |
| National monument | Angkor Wat — on the flag since the 1870s |
| Symbol status | The flag, anthem, motto and arms are fixed by Article 4 of the Constitution; the seven natural symbols by the royal decree of 2005 |
Geography
| Location | Mainland Southeast Asia — between Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, on the Gulf of Thailand |
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| Land borders | 2,530 km (1,572 mi) with three countries |
| Border with Vietnam | 1,158 km (720 mi) |
| Border with Thailand | 817 km (508 mi) — the Dângrêk escarpment; disputed at Preah Vihear and the temples of the north, the fighting of 2025 |
| Border with Laos | 555 km (345 mi) |
| Coastline | 443 km (275 mi) on the Gulf of Thailand |
| Highest point | Phnom Aural, 1,810 m (5,938 ft), in the Cardamom Mountains |
| Lowest point | The Gulf of Thailand, 0 m |
| Mean elevation | 126 m (413 ft) |
| The Mekong | About 500 km (310 mi) through the country from Laos to Vietnam — the life of the plain; the Irrawaddy dolphins of Kratie |
| Tonlé Sap | The largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia — about 2,700 km² in the dry season, swelling to 16,000 km² in the monsoon as the Tonlé Sap River reverses its flow; a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1997 |
| Terrain | The central plain of the Mekong and the lake; the Cardamom and Elephant Mountains in the southwest; the Dângrêk range on the Thai border; the eastern highlands of Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri |
| Climate | Tropical monsoon — the rains from May to October, the dry season from November to April; hot all year |
| Natural hazards | Floods of the Mekong and the lake; drought; the land mines of the wars, still being cleared |
| Natural resources | Timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower, offshore oil and gas |
| Land use | Agricultural land about 32%; forest about 45%, falling |
| National parks | Virachey, Botum Sakor, Kirirom, Phnom Kulen, Ream, the Cardamoms — and the Angkor Archaeological Park |
| UNESCO World Heritage | 5 — Angkor (1992); the Temple of Preah Vihear (2008); Sambor Prei Kuk (2017); Koh Ker (2023); the Cambodian Memorial Sites of the Khmer Rouge years — Tuol Sleng, Choeung Ek and M-13 (2025) |
| Administrative divisions | 25 provinces (khaet), including the capital — the youngest, Tboung Khmum, created 2013 — divided into districts, communes and villages |
People
| Population | 15,552,211 (census of 2019); 17.2 million (2025 est.) |
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| Population density | About 95 per km² (250 per sq mi) |
| Population growth | About 1% a year |
| Median age | About 27 years |
| Life expectancy | About 71 years |
| Fertility rate | About 2.4 births per woman |
| Urban population | About 27% |
| Adult literacy | About 84% |
| Ethnic groups | Khmer about 95%; Cham about 2%; Chinese, Vietnamese and the hill peoples of the northeast — the Khmer Loeu |
| Languages | Khmer by about 95%; Cham, Vietnamese, Chinese and the highland languages; English in the cities and tourism, French among the older educated |
| Religion | Theravada Buddhism about 97% — the state religion under the Constitution; Muslim about 2%, mostly Cham; Christian about 0.5% |
| Largest cities | Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Battambang, Sihanoukville, Kampong Cham, Poipet |
| Human Development Index | 0.600 (2023 data, 2025 report) — medium; 146th of 193 |
| Sport | Kun Khmer, the kickboxing of the kingdom; football; the Southeast Asian Games hosted for the first time in 2023 |
| Diaspora | Some 2 million abroad — in the United States (Long Beach and Lowell), France, Australia, Canada and Thailand — most from the flight of 1975–80 |
Government
| Form of government | Constitutional monarchy under the Constitution of 1993 — the King reigns, the prime minister governs |
|---|---|
| King | Norodom Sihamoni, since 29 October 2004 — chosen by the Throne Council on the abdication of his father, Norodom Sihanouk, on 14 October 2004; a former ballet dancer and UNESCO ambassador |
| Prime Minister | Hun Manet (Cambodian People's Party), since 22 August 2023 — a West Point graduate and former army commander; the son of Hun Sen, prime minister 1985–2023 |
| Senate President | Hun Sen, since 3 April 2024 — the head of state when the King is abroad |
| The 2023 election | Held 23 July 2023: the Cambodian People's Party 120 of 125 seats, with the Candlelight Party, the main opposition, disqualified from standing; the FUNCINPEC royalists 5 |
| Parliament | The National Assembly — 125 members elected for five years; the Senate — 62 members, mostly elected by the commune councils |
| The next election | The general election due in July 2028 |
| Legal system | Civil law on the French model, with the Constitutional Council and the Supreme Court; the UN-backed Khmer Rouge Tribunal (2006–2022) convicted three leaders |
| The Thai border | Fighting with Thailand along the disputed frontier on 24–28 July 2025 — dozens killed, more than 300,000 displaced — ended by the Putrajaya ceasefire of 28 July, mediated by Malaysia; the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord signed 26 October 2025 in the presence of the U.S. president; fighting resumed in December 2025 before a further ceasefire; in 2026 Cambodia says Thai forces remain on its territory, and military conscription has begun |
| Provinces | 25, each under a governor appointed by the government |
| United Nations | Member since 14 December 1955 |
| Regional memberships | ASEAN (30 April 1999); the WTO (2004); the Mekong River Commission; the Greater Mekong Subregion; RCEP |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$50 billion (2025, IMF) |
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| GDP per capita | About US$2,900 (2025) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | About US$8,700 (2025) |
| GDP growth | About 5–6% a year (2023–25) — among the fastest in Asia over two decades; U.S. tariffs on garments the risk of 2025 |
| Economy by sector | Services about 42%, industry about 33%, agriculture about 25% |
| Currency | Riel (KHR); the U.S. dollar in wide use |
| Garments and footwear | About 60% of exports — the largest employer of women; the United States and the European Union the markets |
| Tourism | About 6–7 million visitors a year before 2020; Angkor the draw — some 2.5 million ticketed visitors a year at its peak |
| Agriculture | Rice — a top-ten exporter; cassava, rubber, Kampot pepper with a protected origin, cashews |
| China | The largest investor and lender — Sihanoukville, the Funan Techo canal begun in August 2024, the Ream naval base |
| The scam compounds | Online fraud centers, staffed largely by trafficked workers, a multi-billion-dollar shadow of the economy under international sanction |
| Income classification | Lower-middle income (World Bank); least developed country, with graduation set for 2029 |
Transport & infrastructure
| Main airports | Techo International Airport, the new Phnom Penh airport opened September 2025; Siem Reap–Angkor International, opened 2023; Sihanoukville |
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| Airline | Cambodia Angkor Air, the national carrier since 2009; Air Cambodia |
| Main port | Sihanoukville, the deep-water port; Phnom Penh on the Mekong |
| Railways | About 650 km (400 mi), meter gauge — Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville and to Poipet; the Phnom Penh airport train |
| Roads | About 60,000 km (37,000 mi); the Phnom Penh–Sihanoukville expressway, opened 2022, the first |
| The Mekong | Navigable from the sea to Phnom Penh; the Funan Techo canal, 180 km to the Gulf, under construction |
History in dates
| 1st–6th century | Funan — the first Khmer state, on the Mekong delta |
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| 802 | Jayavarman II proclaims the Khmer Empire on Phnom Kulen |
| c. 1113–1150 | Suryavarman II builds Angkor Wat |
| c. 1181–1218 | Jayavarman VII — Angkor Thom and the Bayon; the empire at its height |
| 1431 | Angkor sacked by Ayutthaya; the capital moves south |
| 1863 | The French protectorate, 11 August |
| 1953 | Independence, 9 November — Norodom Sihanouk |
| 1970 | Lon Nol's coup, 18 March; the Khmer Republic, 9 October |
| 1975 | The Khmer Rouge take Phnom Penh, 17 April — Democratic Kampuchea; some 1.5 to 2 million die by 1979 |
| 1979 | Vietnamese forces take Phnom Penh, 7 January; the People's Republic of Kampuchea |
| 1991 | The Paris Peace Accords, 23 October |
| 1993 | The UN-run election, May; the kingdom and the flag restored, 24 September |
| 1998 | Pol Pot dies, 15 April; the last Khmer Rouge surrender |
| 2004 | Sihamoni king, 29 October |
| 2012 | Norodom Sihanouk dies, 15 October |
| 2023 | Hun Manet prime minister, 22 August |
| 2025 | The fighting with Thailand, July and December; the memorial sites inscribed by UNESCO, July |
Records & firsts
| The largest religious monument in the world | Angkor Wat — about 162 hectares |
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| The largest pre-industrial city | Angkor at its height, spread over some 1,000 km² |
| The only flag with a building as its emblem | Angkor Wat, since the 1870s |
| The largest lake in Southeast Asia | The Tonlé Sap — and the river that reverses |
| The oldest alphabet-descended script in Southeast Asia | Khmer — on stone since 611 |
| The deadliest regime by share of population | The Khmer Rouge — about a quarter of Cambodians, 1975–79 |
| The world's largest Khmer New Year | Angkor Sankranta at Siem Reap |
| A king from the ballet | Sihamoni, a dancer trained in Prague and Paris |
| Kampot pepper | The first Cambodian product with a protected geographical indication, 2010 |
| Two new international airports in three years | Siem Reap–Angkor (2023) and Techo at Phnom Penh (2025) |
Frequently asked questions
What is the official name of Cambodia?
The Kingdom of Cambodia — Preah Reacheanachak Kampuchea in Khmer — since the Constitution of 24 September 1993 restored the monarchy. The country has changed its name with each regime: the Khmer Republic from 1970, Democratic Kampuchea under the Khmer Rouge from 1975, the People's Republic of Kampuchea from 1979 and the State of Cambodia from 1989. Kampuchea and Cambodia are the same word, from Kambuja, the name of the Khmer kingdom of the 9th century.
What is the capital of Cambodia?
Phnom Penh, at the meeting of the Mekong, the Tonlé Sap and the Bassac rivers — the capital since 1865, with about 2.3 million people in the city and its province; emptied by the Khmer Rouge in April 1975 and repopulated from 1979. Siem Reap, the gateway to Angkor, and Battambang and Sihanoukville, the port, are the other large cities.
How big is Cambodia, and how many people live there?
About 181,035 km² (69,898 sq mi) — a little smaller than Oklahoma — between Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, with a coast on the Gulf of Thailand. The census of 2019 counted 15,552,211 people; the CIA World Factbook estimates 17.2 million for 2025 and the UN about 17.8 million. The population is young — a median age of about 27 — because of the deaths of 1975–79 and the baby boom that followed.
What are the highest and lowest points of Cambodia?
Phnom Aural, 1,810 m (5,938 ft), in the Cardamom Mountains in the west, is the highest point; the Gulf of Thailand the lowest. The country is a low basin around the Tonlé Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, drained by the Mekong and ringed by the Cardamoms, the Elephant Mountains and the Dângrêk escarpment on the Thai border; the mean elevation is only about 126 m.
What currency does Cambodia use?
The riel (ISO code KHR, ៛), at about 4,000 to the U.S. dollar — but the dollar circulates alongside it in most of the economy, with the riel used for small change, and the central bank has been pushing its use since 2020. Clocks keep Indochina Time, UTC+7, all year.
Who governs Cambodia?
King Norodom Sihamoni, on the throne since 29 October 2004, reigns; Prime Minister Hun Manet has governed since 22 August 2023, when he succeeded his father Hun Sen after 38 years — Hun Sen now presides over the Senate. The Cambodian People's Party holds 120 of the 125 seats of the National Assembly after the election of July 2023, from which the main opposition party was barred, and every seat of the Senate. The next general election is due in 2028.
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