CONSUMED BY HIS CALL

History

Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, descendants of the Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached its zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. 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. The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the remaining Khmer Rouge leaders are awaiting trial for crimes against humanity. 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 Sihanouk abdicated the throne due to illness and his son, Prince Norodom Sihamoni, was selected to succeed him. National elections were held in Cambodia in July 2008, and there was little in the way of pre-election violence that preceded prior elections.

Facts

Literacy: 73.6%
Population: 14,241,640
Official Language: Khmer
People living with AIDS: 170,000
Religion: Theravada Buddhist 95%, Other 5%
Currency: Riel (Exchange rate - approx 4000 Riel to 1 US Dollar)
Area: 69,898 sq mi -- Similar to the size of Missouri (69,704 sq mi)
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos
Climate: Tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little temperature variation
Cambodia has the highest H.I.V. infection rate in Asia with 100 new cases each day