Cambodia
The Country of the Week
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Phnom Penh
- Population
- 17,230,333 (2025 est.)
- Area
- 181,035 sq km
- Government
- parliamentary constitutional monarchy
- Religions
- Buddhist (official) 97.1%, Muslim 2%, Christian 0.3%, other 0.5% (2019 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Khmer 95.4%, Cham 2.4%, Chinese 1.5%, other 0.7% (2019-20 est.)
- Currency
- riels (KHR)
- Life Expectancy
- 71.4 years (2024 est.)
- Internet Domain
- .kh
- Climate
- tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation
- Terrain
- mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north
- Natural Resources
- oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential, arable land
- Major Exports
- garments, semiconductors, trunks and cases, footwear, gold (2023)
Source: CIA World Factbook (public domain)
Overview
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…