Cambodia




                                 Geography


Location:
     Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand
     and Vietnam
Map references:
     Asia, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     181,040 sq km
land area:
     176,520 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than Oklahoma
Land boundaries:
     total 2,572 km, Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km
Coastline:
     443 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
     24 nm
continental shelf:
     200 nm
exclusive economic zone:
     200 nm
territorial sea:
     12 nm
International disputes:
     offshore islands and sections of the boundary with Vietnam are in
     dispute; maritime boundary with Vietnam not defined; parts of border
     with Thailand in dispute; maritime boundary with Thailand not clearly
     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
Land use:
arable land:
     16%
permanent crops:
     1%
meadows and pastures:
     3%
forest and woodland:
     76%
other:
     4%
Irrigated land:
     920 sq km (1989 est.)




Environment:
current issues:
     deforestation resulting in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in
     particular, destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural
     fisheries)
natural hazards:
     monsoonal rains (June to November)
international agreements:
     party to - Marine Life Conservation; signed, but not ratified -
     Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
Note:
     a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle
     Sap


                                  People


Population:
     10,264,628 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     2.87% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     45.09 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     16.36 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     110.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     49.26 years
male:
     47.8 years
female:
     50.8 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     5.81 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Cambodian(s)
adjective:
     Cambodian
Ethnic divisions:
     Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4%
Religions:
     Theravada Buddhism 95%, other 5%
Languages:
     Khmer (official), French
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     35%
male:
     48%




female:
     22%
Labor force:
     2.5 million to 3 million
by occupation:
     agriculture 80% (1988 est.)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Kingdom of Cambodia
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Reacheanachak Kampuchea
local short form:
     Kampuchea
Digraph:
     CB
Type:
     multiparty liberal democracy under a constitutional monarchy
     established in September 1993
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)
National holiday:
     Independence Day, 9 November 1949
Constitution:
     promulgated September 1993
Legal system:
     currently being defined
Suffrage:
     18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
     King Norodom SIHANOUK (reinstated NA September 1993)
head of government:
     power shared between First Prime Minister Prince Norodom RANARIDDH and
     Second Prime Minister HUN SEN
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers; elected by the National Assembly
Legislative branch:
     unicameral; a 120-member constituent assembly based on proportional
     representation within each province was establised following the
     UN-supervised election in May 1993; the constituent assembly was
     transformed into a legislature in September 1993 after delegates
     promulgated the constitution




Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court established under the constitution has not yet been
     established and the future judicial system is yet to be defined by law
Political parties and leaders:
     National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and
     Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC) under Prince NORODOM RANARIDDH;
     Cambodian Pracheachon Party or Cambodian People's Party (CPP) under
     CHEA SIM; Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party under SON SANN; Democratic
     Kampuchea (DK, also known as the Khmer Rouge) under KHIEU SAMPHAN
Member of:
     ACCT (observer), AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
     IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, ITU,
     LORCS, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
     Ambassador SISOWATH SIRIRATH represents Cambodia at the United Nations
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Charles H. TWINING
embassy:
     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:
     horizontal band of red separates two equal horizontal bands of blue
     with a white three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat in the
     center


                                  Economy


Overview:
     The Cambodian economy - virtually destroyed by decades of war - is
     slowly recovering. Government leaders are moving toward restoring
     fiscal and monetary discipline and have established good working
     relations with international financial institutions. Despite such
     positive developments, the reconstruction effort faces many tough
     challenges. Rural Cambodia, where 90% of almost ten million Khmer
     live, remains mired in poverty. The almost total lack of basic
     infrastructure in the countryside will hinder development and will
     contribute to a growing imbalance in growth between urban and rural
     areas over the near term. Moreover, the new government's lack of
     experience in administering economic and technical assistance
     programs, and rampant corruption among officials, will slow the growth
     of critical public sector investment. Inflation for 1993 as a whole
     was 60%, less than a quarter of the 1992 rate, and was declining
     during the year. The government hoped the rate would fall to 10% in
     early 1994.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent -  $6 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     7.5% (1993 est.)




National product per capita:
     $600 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     60% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     NA%
Budget:
revenues:
     $350 million
expenditures:
     $350 million, including capital expenditures of $133 million (1994
     est.)
Exports:
     $70 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
     natural rubber, rice, pepper, raw timber
partners:
     Thailand, Japan, India, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Vietnam
Imports:
     $360 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
commodities:
     international food aid; fuels, consumer goods, machinery
partners:
     Japan, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Vietnam
External debt:
     total outstanding bilateral official debt to OECD members $248 million
     (yearend 1991), plus 840 million ruble debt to former CEMA countries
Industrial production:
     growth rate 15.6% (year NA); accounts for 10% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
     35,000 kW
production:
     70 million kWh
consumption per capita:
     9 kWh (1990)
Industries:
     rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem
     mining
Agriculture:
     accounts for 50% of GDP; mainly subsistence farming except for rubber
     plantations; main crops - rice, rubber, corn; food shortages - rice,
     meat, vegetables, dairy products, sugar, flour
Illicit drugs:
     secondary transshipment country for heroin produced in the Golden
     Triangle
Economic aid:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $725 million; Western
     (non-US countries) (1970-89), $300 million; Communist countries
     (1970-89), $1.8 billion; donor countries and multilateral institutions
     pledged $880 million in assistance in 1992
Currency:
     1 new riel (CR) = 100 sen




Exchange rates:
     riels (CR) per US$1 - 2,390 (December 1993), 2,800 (September 1992),
     500 (December 1991), 560 (1990), 159.00 (1988), 100.00 (1987)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     612 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned
Highways:
total:
     13,351 km (some roads in serious disrepair)
paved:
     bituminous 2,622 km
unpaved:
     crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth 7,105 km; unimproved earth
     3,624 km
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:
     20
usable:
     13
with permanent-surface runways:
     6
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     8
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


Branches:
Khmer Royal Armed Forces (KRAF):
     created in 1993 by the merger of the Cambodian People's Armed Forces
     and the two non-Communist resistance armies; note - the KRAF is also
     known as the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF)
Resistance forces:
     National Army of Democratic Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge)
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 2,182,912; fit for military service 1,217,357; reach
     military age (18) annually 67,463 (1994 est.)




Defense expenditures:
     $NA, NA% of GDP