CAMBODIA
Kingdom of Cambodia
Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea
CAPITAL : Phnom Penh
FLAG : The flag has a red center field with a white silhouette of the temple complex at Angkor Wat. The center field is bordered top and bottom by blue bands.
ANTHEM : Nokoreach, beginning "Heaven protects our King."
MONETARY UNIT : The new riel ( CR ) is a paper currency of 100 sen. CR 1 = $0.0002534 (or $1 = CR 3,946.00) as of May 2003.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES : Both the metric system and traditional weights and measures are in general use.
HOLIDAYS : National Day, 9 January; New Year, April; Labor Day, 1 May; Feast of the Ancestors, 22 September; Independence Day, 9 November.
TIME : 7 PM = noon GMT.
CLIMATE
The climate is tropical, with a wet season from May through November and a dry season from December to April. Temperatures range from 10° to 38° C (68–97° F ), and humidity is consistently high. Average rainfall varies from about 127 to 140 cm (50 to 55 in) in the central basin to about 508 cm (200 in) in the southwestern mountains.
ETHNIC GROUPS
Over 90% of the entire population in 1999 were ethnic Khmers, descendants of the original population in the area. The largest minority groups were the Vietnamese, estimated at 5% of the population, and the Chinese, estimated at 1%. Groups designated as other comprised the remaining 4% of the population. National minorities are the Cham and a number of small tribal groups.
LANGUAGES
Khmer, the national language, is spoken by most inhabitants. Unlike Thai or Vietnamese, Khmer is a non-tonal language; most words are monosyllabic. French, the second language, is often used in commercial and official circles. The Vietnamese and the Chinese use their own languages, as do other minorities. English is also spoken.
ARMED FORCES
Cambodia has approximately 125,000 active personnel in the armed forces. The army consists of around 75,000 with over 100 main battle tanks. The navy numbers around 3,000 and the air force has 2,000 personnel with 24 combat aircraft. Provincial forces number some 45,000. There is a paramilitary of 67,000 police including gendarmerie. Defense expenditures in 2001 were $112 million or 3% of GDP.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Since 1979, foreign technicians have been helping to revive the economy. Aside from a School of Medicine and Pharmacy, there is virtually no opportunity within Cambodia to pursue scientific training or research. In 1987–97, science and engineering students accounted for 13% of college and university enrollments.
INSURANCE
All insurance companies were "Cambodianized" in 1960; 16 companies were in operation prior to 1975. Under the Pol Pot government, normal insurance operations were suspended. No current information is available concerning insurance in the PRK.
DEPENDENCIES
Cambodia has no territories or colonies.
