Travel to Cambodia

Overview of Cambodia

• Official name: Kingdom of Cambodia 
• Regime: Constitutional Monarchy
• Area: 181, 035km2  
• Capital: Phnom Penh (2 million inhabitants)
• Official languages: Khmer, but English and French are widely spoken
• National Holiday: November 9 (anniversary of Cambodia’s independence in 1953)
• Population: over 15 million
• Religion: Theravada Buddhism is practiced by the majority of the population. 
• Main cities: Battambang, Sihanoukville, Siem Reap 

Cambodia is acclaimed as an always-smiling nation. From the tropical jungle to the southern beach and the Tonle Sap Lake, this country has satisfied both the tourists looking for leisure travel and those who are into adventure travel. Nature reserves are home to exotic wildlife. Tourists can explore the real nature in different ways, either by boat, on foot or even on elephants. Meanwhile, for beach lovers, Cambodia is a must-see country with majestic deep blue ocean and pristine white sand on the islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem. 

A glimpse into history

The history of Cambodia is so rich that it’s difficult to put it in a few words. However, being aware of major events will allow you to fully grasp this kingdom, where ancient and modern worlds collide, and embark on an amazing adventure. 
It is believed that the country was first inhabited by human beings at least 40,000 years ago.  Around 5000 BC, more people from China, Mon and Khmer ancestors started to settle down in this area. From the 1st century, the Khmer Empire started to flourish along the coast. From the 3rd to 6th century, the Khmer Kingdom of Chenla was the vassal of Funan, a kingdom of the Mekong Delta. During this time, elements of Indian culture had significantly influenced every aspect of Cambodian people’s life, from language to religion. The history of Cambodia had turned to a new page by the late 7th century as the prince Jayavarman began to consolidate the kingdom. He founded the dynasty called Angkor. The 9th century marked the beginning of the golden age of the Khmer empire, Jayavarman II unified the Khmer princes and freed the empire from the Javanese. During its heyday, Angkor was a powerful kingdom that dominated the mainland Southeast Asia. 
In the 12th century, the empire encompassed a large part of Thailand, a part of Vietnam and Laos. However, the struggles between Hindus and Buddhists, between monks, Khmer and Cham eventually led the kingdom to decline. The Siamese ended up taking power in Cambodia until the 19th century. In 1863, the Cambodian king, fearful of Thai intentions, asked France to provide protection for his kingdom. This has brought Cambodia to the edges of the developed world. After Cambodia gained its independence from France in 1953, it entered a short period of peace and prosperity, which was the golden age in many older Khmer’s eyes. By the late 1960s, the Khmer Communist Party had taken up arms. In 1970, a military “coup d'état” precipitated Cambodia in a civil war that killed more than 300,000 people.
In April 1975, the Khmer Rouge took power. From then, the country underwent a tragic period of time with more than 3 million people being killed by Pol Pot’s forces. 
In 1991, Norodom Sihanouk was elected to become the president by the Supreme National Council. 
Norodom Sihanouk becomes King of Cambodia and Norodom Ranadiddh and Hun Sen share the seat of prime minister. Khmer Rouge guerrillas continued sporadically until 1996.