Cambodia

transitional government currently administered by the Supreme NationalIndependence 9 November 1949 (from France)

Cambodia as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 75 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalPhnom Penh
Area181,040 km2
LocationSoutheast Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand and Vietnam
1993

Every edition of Cambodia

Populationas each edition published it
9.9 million July 1993 est. · 6.99m in 1990
Population growth% a year
4.41% 1993 est. · 0.95% in 2025
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 19.2 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
49.06 years 1993 est. · 71.4 yrs in 2025
Fertility ratechildren per woman
5.81 children per woman 1993 est. · 4.5 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
111.5 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 128 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$280 1991 est. · $7,000 in 2025
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition 7.5% in 1994

Geography

Southeast Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand and Vietnam

14 fields

Land useshare of 181,040 km2

arable land 16%permanent crops 1%meadows and pastures 3%forest and woodland 76%other 4%irrigated 920 km2 (1989 est.)
Area
181,040km2
land area: 176,520 km2comparative area: slightly smaller than Oklahoma
Coastline
443km
contiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
Land boundaries
2,572km
total · Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km

Location

Southeast Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand and Vietnam

Map references

Asia, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

International disputes

offshore islands and three sections of the boundary with Vietnam are in dispute; maritime boundary with Vietnam not defined

Climate

  • tropical;
  • rainy, monsoon season (May to October);
  • dry season (December to March);
  • little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain

mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north

Natural resources

timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential

Environment

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

Note

buffer between Thailand and Vietnam

People

14 fields
Population
9,898,900
(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 4.41% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth
45.52Death
16.57Net migration
15.15

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years49.06
47.6 · 50.6
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy35%
48% · 22%
MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990)

Ethnic divisions

Khmer 90%Vietnamese 5%Chinese 1%other 4%
Labor force
2,500,000to 3,000,000
by occupation: agriculture 80% (1988 est.)

Infant mortality rate

111.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.81 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Cambodian(s)
adjective:
Cambodian

Religions

Theravada Buddhism 95%, other 5%

Languages

Khmer (official), French

Government

Transitional government currently administered by the Supreme National

20 fields

Names

conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Cambodia

Type

transitional government currently administered by the Supreme National Council (SNC), a body set up under United Nations' auspices, in preparation for an internationally supervised election in 1993 and including representatives from each of the country's four political factions

Capital

Phnom Penh

Administrative divisions

  • 20 provinces (khet, singular and plural);
  • Banteay Meanchey, Batdambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Spoe, Kampong Thum, Kampot, Kandal, Kaoh Kong, Kracheh, Mondol Kiri, Phnum Penh, Pouthisat, Preah Vihear, Prey Veng, Rotanokiri, Siemreab-Otdar Meanchey, Stoeng Treng, Svay Rieng, Takev

Independence

9 November 1949 (from France)

Constitution

a new constitution will be drafted after the national election in 1993

National holiday

NGC:
Independence Day, 17 April (1975)
SOC:
Liberation Day, 7 January (1979)

Political parties and leaders

  • Democratic Kampuchea (DK, also known as the Khmer Rouge) under KHIEU SAMPHAN;
  • Cambodian Pracheachon Party or Cambodian People's Party (CPP) under CHEA SIM;
  • Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF) under SON SANN;
  • National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC) under Prince NORODOM RANARIDDH;
  • Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) under SAK SUTSAKHAN

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Elections

  • UN-supervised election for a 120-member constituent assembly based on proportional representation within each province is scheduled for 23-27 May 1993;
  • the assembly will draft and approve a constitution and then transform itself into a legislature that will create a new Cambodian Government

Executive branch

  • a 12 member Supreme National Council (SNC), chaired by Prince NORODOM SIHANOUK, composed of representatives from each of the four political factions;
  • faction names and delegation leaders are: State of Cambodia (SOC) - HUN SEN;
  • Democratic Kampuchea (DK or Khmer Rouge) - KHIEU SAMPHAN;
  • Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF) - SON SANN;
  • National United Front for an Independent, Peaceful, Neutral, and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC) - Prince NORODOM RANARIDDH

Legislative branch

pending a national election in 1993, the incumbent SOC faction's unicameral National Assembly is the only functioning national legislative body

Judicial branch

Supreme People's Court pending a national election in 1993, the incumbent SOC faction's Supreme People's Court is the only functioning national judicial body

Leaders

Chief of State:
SNC - Chairman Prince NORODOM SIHANOUK, under UN supervision
Head of Government:
NGC - vacant, but will be determined following the national election in 1993; SOC - Chairman of the Council of Ministers HUN SEN (since 14 January 1985)

Member of

AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU, LORCS, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US

the Supreme National Council (SNC) represents Cambodia in international organizations

US diplomatic representation

US representative:
Charles TWINNING
mission:
27 EO Street 240, Phnom Penh
mailing address:
Box P, APO AP 96546
telephone:
(855) 23-26436 or (855) 23-26438
FAX:
(855) 23-26437

Flag

  • SNC - blue background with white map of Cambodia in middle;
  • SOC - two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and blue with a gold stylized five-towered temple representing Angkor Wat in the center

Economy

Cambodia remains a desperately poor country whose economic recovery is held | hostage to continued political unrest and factional hostilities.

18 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$280
(1991 est.)
External debt
$717million
(1990)

Overview

Cambodia remains a desperately poor country whose economic recovery is held hostage to continued political unrest and factional hostilities. The country's immediate economic challenge is an acute financial crisis that is undermining monetary stability and preventing disbursement of foreign development assistance.

Cambodia is still recovering from an abrupt shift in 1990 to free-market economic mechanisms and a cutoff in aid from former Soviet bloc countries; these changes have severely impacted on public sector revenues and performance. The country's infrastructure of roads, bridges, and power plants has been severely degraded, now having only 40-50% of prewar capacity.

The economy remains essentially rural, with 90% of the population living in the countryside and dependent mainly on subsistence agriculture. Statistical data on the economy continue to be sparse and unreliable.

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $2 billion (1991 est.)

Budget

revenues $120 million; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)

Exports

$59 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)

commodities:
natural rubber, rice, pepper, wood
partners:
Vietnam, USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, India

Imports

$170 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.)

commodities:
international food aid; fuels, consumer goods, machinery
partners:
Vietnam, USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, India

Electricity

35,000 kW capacity; 70 million kWh produced, 9 kWh per capita (1990)

Industries

rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining

Agriculture

  • mainly subsistence farming except for rubber plantations;
  • main crops - rice, rubber, corn;
  • food shortages - rice, meat, vegetables, dairy products, sugar, flour

Economic aid

  • US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $725 million;
  • Western (non-US countries) (1970-89), $300 million;
  • Communist countries (1970-89), $1.8 billion

Currency

1 riel (CR) = 100 sen

Exchange rates

riels (CR) per US$1 - 2,800 (September 1992), 500 (December 1991), 560 (1990), 159.00 (1988), 100.00 (1987)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields

Networkskm

Highways
13,351Railroads
612
Highways: ; 2,622 km bituminous; 7,105 km crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth; 3,624 km unimproved earth; some roads in disrepair · Railroads: , government owned

Railroads

612 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned

Highways

  • 13,351 km total;
  • 2,622 km bituminous;
  • 7,105 km crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth;
  • 3,624 km unimproved earth;
  • some roads in disrepair

Inland waterways

3,700 km navigable all year to craft drawing 0.6 meters; 282 km navigable to craft drawing 1.8 meters

Ports

Kampong Saom, Phnom Penh

Airports

total:
15
usable:
9
with permanent-surface runways:
5
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
4

Telecommunications

  • service barely adequate for government requirements and virtually nonexistent for general public;
  • international service limited to Vietnam and other adjacent countries;
  • broadcast stations - 1 AM, no FM, 1 TV

Defense Forces

3 fields

Branches

SOC:
Cambodian People's Armed Forces (CPAF)
Communist resistance forces:
National Army of Democratic Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge)
non-Communist resistance forces:
Armee National Kampuchea Independent (ANKI) which is sometimes anglicized as National Army of Independent Cambodia (NAIC), Khmer People's National Liberation Armed Forces (KPNLAF)

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 1,883,679;
  • fit for military service 1,033,168;
  • reach military age (18) annually 74,585 (1993 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

Central Intelligence Agency. “Cambodia.” The World Factbook 1993. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/cambodia/1993.

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