Cambodia
The Kingdom of Cambodia [1] (sometimes transliterated more
accurately as Kampuchea) is a Southeast Asian nation bordered
by Vietnam to the east, Laos to the north, Thailand to the northwest,
and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest.
Understand
Cambodia has had a pretty bad run of luck for the last half-millennium
or so. Ever since the fall of Angkor in 1431, the once mighty
Khmer Empire has been plundered by all its neighbors, plus colonial
France as well. After a false dawn of independence in 1953,
Cambodia promptly plunged back into the horrors of civil war
in 1970 to suffer the Khmer Rouge's incredibly brutal reign
of terror, and only after UN-sponsored elections in 1993 did
the country begin to totter back onto its feet.
Much of the population still subsists on less than US$1 a day,
the provision of even basic services remains spotty, and political
intrigue remains as complex and opaque as ever; but the security
situation has improved immeasurably, and increasing numbers
of visitors are rediscovering Cambodia's temples and beaches.
Siem Reap, the gateway to Angkor, now sports luxury hotels,
chic nightspots, ATMs, and an airport fielding flights from
all over the region, while Sihanoukville is getting good press
as an up-and-coming beach destination. However travel beyond
the most popular tourist destinations is still an adventure.
History
Following a five-year struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge forces
captured Phnom Penh in 1975 and ordered the evacuation of all
cities and towns. Over 1 million displaced people died from
execution or enforced hardships. A 1978 Vietnamese invasion
drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside and touched off 13
years of fighting. As a result of the devastating politics of
the Khmer Rouge regime, there was virtually no infrastructure
left. Institutions of higher education, money, and all forms
of commerce industries were non-existent in 1978, so the country
had to be built up from nothing. UN-sponsored elections in 1993
helped restore some semblance of normalcy, as did the rapid
diminution of the Khmer Rouge in the mid-1990s. A coalition
government, formed after national elections in 1998, brought
renewed political stability and the surrender of remaining Khmer
Rouge forces.
Economy
The two pillars of Cambodia's newly-stable economy are textiles
and garments, and tourism. The latter has grown rapidly with
over 1.7 million visitors arriving in 2006. The long-term development
of the economy after decades of war remains a daunting challenge,
as the population (more than half under 27 years of age) lacks
education and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden
countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic
infrastructure. 80% of the population still gets by on subsistence
farming. On the brighter side, the government is addressing
these issues - plus government corruption - with assistance
from bilateral and multilateral donors.
Cities
