South-East Asia.

GMT + 7.

181,035 sq km (69,900 sq miles).

14.8 million (UN estimate, 2005).

81.7 per sq km.

Phnom Penh. Population: 1.17 million (2005).

Cambodia shares borders in the north with Laos and Thailand, in the east with Vietnam and in the southwest with the Gulf of Thailand. The landscape comprises tropical rainforest and fertile cultivated land traversed by many rivers. In the northeast area rise highlands. The capital is located at the junction of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. The latter flows from a large inland lake, also called Tonle Sap, situated in the centre of the country. There are numerous offshore islands along the southwest coast.

Constitutional monarchy since 1993. Head of State: King Norodom Sihamoni since 2004. Head of Government: Prime Minister Hun Sen since 1998. Recent history: The authoritarian, extreme-left KPK (Kanakpak Pracheachon Kâmpuchéa -Cambodian People's Party) remained in Government following the 2003 elections, suggesting that Cambodia was, to some extent, still dominated by an authoritarian regime hiding behind the veneer of democratic practice. Further symptoms of turbulence include the recent abdication of King Norodom Sihanouk in late 2004, who abdicated due to old age and frail health, but also, he claimed, because of the worry of more violence in a land still traumatised by Pol Pot's brutal rule in the 1970s, without a clear succession. This event diagnosed the nation's widespread and continuing fears and frictions. Last-minute legislation had to be administered since the constitution did not permit abdication and, eventually, the nine-member throne council appointed his son, Norodom Sihamoni, as the new King. King Norodom Sihamoni has vowed to remain politically neutral and open to ideas from all Cambodians. Only time will tell if the succession marks a new, more optimistic, era for Cambodia.
Legislative power belongs to the 120-member National Assembly, which is popularly elected for a term of five years. Executive power is vested in the Cabinet of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister. The King holds the post of Head of State.

Khmer is the official language and spoken by 95 per cent of the population. Chinese and Vietnamese are also spoken. French was widely spoken until the arrival of the Pol Pot regime and is still taught in schools, but English is now a more popular language to learn among the younger generation.

90 per cent Buddhist (Theravada), the remainder Muslim and Christian. Buddhism was reinstated as the national religion in 1989 after a ban on religious activity in 1975.

220 volts AC, 50Hz and two-pin plugs are in use. Power cuts are frequent. Outside Phnom Penh, electrical power is available only in the evenings from around 1830-2130.

Sensitivity to politically-related subjects in conversation is advisable. Avoid pointing your foot at a person or touching someone on the head. Women should wear long clothing that covers the body. Photography: Permitted, with certain restrictions, such as the photographing of military installations, airports and railway stations. It is polite to ask permission before photographing Cambodian people, especially monks.