The 2010 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

ushering in a long period of decline. The king placed the country under French protection in 1863 and it became part of French Indochina in 1887. Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953. In April 1975, after a five-year struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh and evacuated all cities and towns. At least 1.5 million Cambodians died from execution, forced hardships, or starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy under a coalition government. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability. The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders have been tried or are awaiting trial for crimes against humanity by a hybrid UN-Cambodian tribunal supported by international assistance. Elections in July 2003 were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed. In October 2004, King Norodom SIHANOUK abdicated the throne and his son, Prince Norodom SIHAMONI, was selected to succeed him. Local elections were held in Cambodia in April 2007, with little of the pre-election violence that preceded prior elections. National elections in July 2008 were relatively peaceful.

      Geography ::Cambodia

      Location:

      Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand,

       Vietnam, and Laos

      Geographic coordinates:

      13 00 N, 105 00 E

      Map references:

      Southeast Asia

      Area:

      total: 181,035 sq km country comparison to the world: 89 land: 176,515 sq km

      water: 4,520 sq km

      Area - comparative:

      slightly smaller than Oklahoma

      Land boundaries:

      total: 2,572 km

      border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km

      Coastline:

      443 km

      Maritime claims:

      territorial sea: 12 nm

      contiguous zone: 24 nm

      exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

      continental shelf: 200 nm

      Climate:

      tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation

      Terrain:

      mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north

      Elevation extremes:

      lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m

      highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m

      Natural resources:

      oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential

      Land use:

      arable land: 20.44%

      permanent crops: 0.59%

      other: 78.97% (2005)

      Irrigated land:

      2,700 sq km (2003)

      Total renewable water resources:

      476.1 cu km (1999)

      Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

      total: 4.08 cu km/yr (1%/0%/98%)

      per capita: 290 cu m/yr (2000)

      Natural hazards:

      monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts

      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

      Environment - international agreements:

      party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

       Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,

       Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

       Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

      signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

      Geography - note:

      a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap

      People ::Cambodia

      Population:

      14,453,680 country comparison to the world: 66 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.)

      Age structure:

      0–14 years: 32.6% (male 2,388,922/female 2,336,439)

      15–64 years: 63.8% (male 4,498,568/female 4,743,677)

      65 years and over: 3.6% (male 197,649/female 329,038) (2010 est.)

      Median age:

      total: 22.6 years

      male: 21.8 years

      female: 23.3 years (2010 est.)

      Population growth rate:

      1.705% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 73

      Birth rate:

      25.58 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 60

      Death rate:

      8.19 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 100

      Net migration rate:

      −0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population country comparison to the world: 136

      Urbanization:

      urban population: 22% of total population (2008)

      rate of urbanization: 4.6% annual rate of change (2005–10 est.)

      Sex ratio:

      at birth: 1.045 male(s)/female

      under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

      15–64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female

      65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female

      total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

      Infant mortality rate:

      total: 56.94 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 37 male: 64.09 deaths/1,000 live births

      female: 49.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

      Life expectancy at birth:

      total population: 62.28 years country comparison to the world: 177