Total Area: Approx. 69,900 sq. miles (181,035 sq. km.). This is slightly smaller than the state of Oklahoma. Location: Southeast Asia; bordered by Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and the Gulf of Thailand. Population (2004 Estimate): 13,607,069 Capital: Phnom Penh Largest Cities: Phnom Penh, Battambang, Kompong Som, Siem Reap, Kompong Cham, Kompong Thom Largest Lake: Tonle Sap Major Waterway: Mekong River Mountain Ranges: Cardamom, Dangrek Highest Point: Phnom Aoral, 5,948 feet Climate: Tropical, with two monsoon seasons, Rainy (May through October) and Dry (October through May). Temperature rarely falls below 75 degrees Farenheit. Land and Land Usage: Mostly low, flat plains, with some small mountains in the north and southwest. About threequarters tropical forest; roughly one-fifth arable land. Bulk of remaining land is composed of sandy and infertile soil.
Health and Education
Poverty: population below the poverty line 36%
Infant Mortality Rate: 71.48 deaths per 1000 live births Life Epectancy at Birth: 58.41 years Literacy: Approximately 67.3% (57% among females, 79.5% among males).(Source: Royal Government of Cambodia Census, 1998). Water Access: CARE estimates that only 36% of the population has access to safe drinking water. The Cambodian government's 1998 census estimates 29% overall, with 60.3% of urban households and 23.7% or rural households having access to safe water.
Ethnicity: Khmer (approx. 90%); Chinese (approx. 5%); Vietnamese (approx. 5%); small minorities of hill tribes, Chams, Burmese, and Thai Urban population: 19% (c.f. 41% for Southeast Asia) Religions: Theraveda Buddhism (95%); Islam; animism; atheism Languages: Khmer (95%); some French, Vietnamese, Chinese, and English
