Cambodia

Cambodia's modem-day culture has its roots in the 1st to 6th centuries in a state referred to as Funan, known as the oldest Indianized state in Southeast Asia.

The dominant features of the Cambodian landscape are the large, almost generally located, Tonle Sap (Great Lake) and the Bassac River Systems and the Mekong River, which crosses the country from North to South. Surrounding the Central Plains which covered three quarters of the country’s area are the more densely forested and sparsely populated highlands, comprising: the Elephant Mountains and Cardamom Mountain of the southwest and western regions; the Dangrek Mountains of the North adjoining of the Korat Plateau of Thailand; and Rattanakiri Plateau and Chhlong highlands on the east merging with the Central Highlands of Viet Nam.

The capital city is Phnom Penh.

About Cambodia

Country flag
Short Name
CAM
Capital
Phnom Penh
Language
Khmer
Population
14,241,640
Area
181,035 km²
Calling Code
+855

National Olympic Committee

Country flag
NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
National Olympic Committee of Cambodia
NOC President
Recognition Year
1994
Address
P.O. Box 101, No. 1 St.276, Beug Kengkang II, Phnom Penh
Web Address

Sports

Football and martial arts are the more popular sports.

Volleyball, bodybuilding, field hockey, rugby union, golf, and baseball are gaining popularity while traditional boat racing maintains its appeal as a national sport.

Cambodia attended its first Olympic Games in 1956.

 

Climate

Cambodia's temperatures range from 10° to 38 °C (50° to 100 °F) and experiences tropical monsoons.

It has two distinct seasons. The rainy season, which runs from May to October, can see temperatures drop to 22 °C and is generally accompanied with high humidity. The dry season lasts from November to April when temperatures can raise up to 40 °C around April.

The best months to visit Cambodia are November to January when temperatures and humidity are lower. Annual precipitation varies considerably throughout the country, from more than 200 inches (5,000 mm) on the seaward slopes of the southwestern highlands to about 50–55 inches (1,270–1,400 mm) in the central lowland region.

Three-fourths of the annual rainfall occurs during the months of the southwest monsoon.

Culture

Cambodian/Khmer culture, as developed and spread by the Khmer empire, has distinctive styles of dance, architecture and sculpture, which have strongly influenced neighbouring Laos and Thailand.

Bonn Om Teuk (Festival of Boat Racing), the annual boat rowing contest, is the most attended Cambodian national festival.

Over nearly two millennia, Cambodians have developed a unique Khmer culture and belief system from the syncreticism of indigenous animistic beliefs and the Indian religions of Buddhism and Hinduism.

The Kingdom of Funan was most probably the first Khmer state to benefit from this influx of Indian ideas.