General Information
Area: 181,035 sq km (69,898 sq miles).
Population: 13,311,000 (official estimate 2001).
Population Density: 73.5 per sq km.
Capital: Phnom Penh. Population: 999,804 (1998).
Geography: Cambodia shares borders in the north with Laos and Thailand, in the east with Vietnam and in the southwest with the Gulf of Thailand. The landscape comprises tropical rainforest and fertile cultivated land traversed by many rivers. In the northeast area rise highlands. The capital is located at the junction of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. The latter flows from a large inland lake, also called Tonle Sap, situated in the centre of the country. There are numerous offshore islands along the southwest coast.
Government: Constitutional monarchy since 1993. Head of State: King Norodom Sihamoni since 2004. Head of Government: Prime Minister Hun Sen since 1998.
Language: Khmer is the official language and spoken by 95 per cent of the population. Chinese and Vietnamese are also spoken. French was widely spoken until the arrival of the Pol Pot regime and is still taught in schools, but English is now a more popular language to learn among the younger generation.
Religion: 90 per cent Buddhist (Theravada), the remainder Muslim and Christian. Buddhism was reinstated as the national religion in 1989 after a ban on religious activity in 1975.
Time: GMT + 7.
Electricity: 230 volts AC, 50Hz. Power cuts are frequent. Outside Phnom Penh, electrical power is available only in the evenings from around 1830-2130.
Communications:
- Telephone: IDD is available to Cambodia. At present, outgoing international calls can not be made. Country code: 855. Phnom Penh code: 23. Prepaid telephone cards are available in post offices, hotels and supermarkets for public phones around Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
- Mobile telephone: GSM 900 and 1800 networks cover Phnom Penh and other main cities. Main network operators include Cambodia Shinawatra, CamGSM and Samart (Hello GSM).
- Fax: Service is available in hotels and Internet shops.
- Internet: ISPs include OnlineCOM. Internet cafes are available in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
- Post: Airmail to Europe takes four to five days, and seven to 10 days to the USA. The Post & Telephone Office (PTT) in Phnom Penh is located across from the Hotel Monorom at the corner of Achar Mean Boulevard and 126 Street and is open 0700-1200 and 1300-2300. The main post office in Phnom Penh is located on the western side of 13 Street between 98 Street and 102 Street, open 0630-2100. General post office hours: Mon-Fri 0730-1200 and 1430-1700.
- Press: The Phnom Penh Post (fortnightly), Cambodia Times (weekly) and Cambodia Daily are printed in English.
- Radio: BBC World Service and Voice of America can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.
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