Country: CAMBODIAcambodia

Capital: Phnom Penh

Geographic Coordinates: 13 00 N, 105 00 E

Population: 14,753,320. Note:  estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)

Main Religion: Theravada Buddhism

Language: Khmer

Head of State: King Norodom SIHAMONI; Prime Minister HUN SEN

Main Industries: tourism, garments, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles

GDP in US Dollars (per capita): $1,900 (2009 est.)

Currency Code: Riel (KHR)

Life Expectancy: 57 years (men), 62 years (women) (UN)

Environment - current issues: Illegal logging activities throughout the country and strip mining for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand have resulted in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in particular, destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural fisheries); Soil erosion; In rural areas, most of the population does not have access to potable water; Declining fish stocks because of illegal fishing and overfishing.

Issues facing Women and Children:

  • Cambodia has the highest infant and under-five mortality rates in the region, at 97 and 141 per 1,000 live births, respectively. Vaccine-preventable diseases, diarrhea, and respiratory infections are among the leading causes of childhood death. Maternal mortality is also high.
  • Malnutrition affects most Cambodian children: 45 per cent show moderate or severe stunting.
  • Primary school enrolment rates are high, with a declining gender gap. But so many children repeat grades that it takes on average more than 10 years to complete primary school. Less than half of all students make it that far.
  • Cambodia is one of the hotspots for human trafficking and child prostitution. An estimated 1/3 of all prostitutes are underage. Babies have also been reported to be kidnapped for adoption purposes.
  • Landmines pose a grave hazard for internally migrating children and youths who attempt to salvage unexploded ordnance and sell it as valuable scrap metal.

Land Mine Ban Signatory: Y

Local Media: Press: Reaksmei Kampuchea, Kaoh Santepheap, Cambodia Daily, Phnom Penh Post; Radio and TV: National Television of Cambodia (TVK), TV3, TV5

Interesting Fact:  The Cambodian monarch is a trained classical ballet dancer. Son of former king Norodom Sihanouk, Sihamoni was sworn in on 29 October 2004, after his father abdicated because of poor health. Born in 1953, King Sihamoni studied in Czechoslovakia. He left Cambodia for France after the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979.

Famous for: Angkor Wat, apsara (classical dance), Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot, Elephant Range, Tonle Sap,  sapphires, rubies, durian

 

Official Tourism Website: https://www.tourismcambodia.com/

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