Portal:Cambodia

Welcome to the Cambodia Portal / សូមស្វាគមន៍

Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Mainland Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline along the Gulf of Thailand in the southwest. It spans an area of about 181,035 km² (69,898 sq mi), dominated by a low-lying plain and the confluence of the Mekong river and Tonlé Sap, Southeast Asia's largest lake. It is dominated by a tropical climate. Cambodia has a population of about 17 million people, the majority of which are ethnically Khmer. Its capital and most populous city is Phnom Penh, followed by Siem Reap and Battambang.

In 802 AD, Jayavarman II declared himself king, uniting the warring Khmer princes of Chenla under the name "Kambuja". This marked the beginning of the Khmer Empire. The Indianised kingdom facilitated the spread of first Hinduism and then Buddhism to Southeast Asia and undertook religious infrastructural projects throughout the region, the most famous of which is Angkor Wat. In the 15th century, it began a decline in power until, in 1863, Cambodia became a French protectorate.

Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy and a de jure multi-party state, although the CPP dominates the political system and rules the country as de facto one-party state. The UN designates Cambodia a least developed country. Agriculture remains its dominant economic sector, with growth in textiles, construction, garments, and tourism leading to increased foreign investment and international trade. Corruption, deforestation, human rights issues and organized crime have remained major challenges in Cambodia's post-conflict development. The official and most widely spoken language is Khmer, and the most widely practiced religion is Buddhism. (Full article...)

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Front side of the main complex

Angkor Wat (/ˌæŋkɔːr ˈwɒt/; Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត, 'City/Capital of Temples') is a Vaishnava Hindu and Theravada Buddhist temple complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and the largest religious complex in the world. Located on a site measuring 162.6 hectares (1.6 km²; 401.8 acres) within the ancient capital of Angkor, it was constructed between 1113 and 1150 CE during the reign of the Khmer king Suryavarman II as a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu. From the late 13th century onward, the complex was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple and has remained an active center of Buddhist worship for centuries. Angkor Wat is noted for its monumental scale, extensive bas-reliefs, and architectural unity characteristics of Khmer architecture. Unlike most Angkorian temples, it is oriented toward the west. It is a symbol of Cambodia and appears on the Cambodian national flag.

The temple was commissioned by Suryavarman II in Yaśodharapura, the capital of the Khmer Empire, as a state temple and is generally considered to have been intended as his mausoleum. Its architectural design combines the temple-mountain and galleried temple forms characteristic of Khmer architecture. The overall layout is commonly interpreted as a symbolic representation of Mount Meru, a cosmological concept shared by both Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The complex is surrounded by a broad moat and enclosed by an outer wall, within which three progressively elevated galleries rise toward a central quincunx of towers. (Full article...)

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Credit:User:Markalexander100

Monks in front of a tree growing out of a shrine, Preah Khan

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General images

The following are images from various Cambodia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Portrait statue of Jayavarman VII (from History of Cambodia)
Image 2The mainland of Southeast Asia at the end of the 13th century (from History of Cambodia)
Image 3Flag of Democratic Kampuchea (from History of Cambodia)
Image 4Unauthorized sand mining at the Tatai River in the Koh Kong Conservation Corridor, Cambodia 2012 (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 5Cambodian Pidan (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 6Lon Nol (from History of Cambodia)
Image 7A map of Cambodia's Köppen climate classification zones (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 8Agricultural fields in the Kampong Cham province, aerial (from Agriculture in Cambodia)
Image 9Map of South-east Asia c. 900 CE, showing the Khmer Empire in red, Champa in yellow and Haripunjaya in light green, plus additional surrounding states (from History of Cambodia)
Image 10Bakong, one of the earliest temple mountain in Khmer architecture (from History of Cambodia)
Image 11Traditional male clothing (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 12Norodom Sihanouk and his wife in Indonesia, 1964 (from History of Cambodia)
Image 13Southern Annamites montane rain forests: ecoregion territory (in purple) (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 14Traditional Khmer music performance (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 15A map of rainfall regimes in Cambodia, source: DANIDA (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 16Choeung Ek Monument contains more than 5,000 human skulls. (from History of Cambodia)
Image 17An overview of drainage divides (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 18A polluted estuary near Ream commune in Sihanoukville province, Cambodia 2014 (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 19Mekong tributary, Stung Treng Province (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 20Phnom Penh in 1973 amid the Cambodian Civil War. (from History of Cambodia)
Image 21Cambodian musical instruments (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 22Worldwide zones of Tropical savanna climate (Aw). (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 23Longvek, the former capital of Cambodia (from History of Cambodia)
Image 24The territories of Eastern Wu (in green), 262 CE (from History of Cambodia)
Image 25Khmer musical instruments and theatre masks (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 26A fishing hut on the Tonle Sap (from Agriculture in Cambodia)
Image 27Archaeologists examine prehistoric cave paintings in Pursat province (from Early history of Cambodia)
Image 28Roman trade with India according to the Periplus Maris Erythraei, 1st century CE (from History of Cambodia)
Image 29Jacqueline Kennedy, Sisowath Kossamak, and Norodom Sihanouk in 1967. (from Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970))
Image 30Geographic map of Cambodia (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 311780 map of Cambodia and Southeast Asia (from History of Cambodia)
Image 32John F. Kennedy and Prince Sihanouk in New York, 1961 (from Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970))
Image 33Nang Sbek Thom figure plate. (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 34Norodom Sihanouk and his wife with Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife Elena Ceauşescu, 1974 (from History of Cambodia)
Image 35Emblem of the Salvation Front at the former head office in Phnom Penh (from History of Cambodia)
Image 36Chrey Thom Waterfall Mondulkiri Province (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 37Cambodian farmers planting rice (from Agriculture in Cambodia)
Image 38Mountain panorama view in Mondulkiri Province, north-eastern Cambodia, November 2012 (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 39A welcoming ceremony for Sihanouk in China, 1956 (from Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970))
Image 40Khmer folk dance (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 41King Norodom Sihamoni (from History of Cambodia)
Image 42An aerial view of bomb craters in Cambodia (2014) (from History of Cambodia)
Image 43Phnom Penh in 1964. (from Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970))
Image 44Coronation of Norodom Sihanouk in 1941 (from History of Cambodia)
Image 45Floating homes on the Mekong (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 46Worldwide zones of tropical monsoon climate (Am). (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 47Kampot Province, countryside with remote Elephant Mountains (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 48Sisowath Sirik Matak with President Richard Nixon (from History of Cambodia)
Image 49Hun Sen was the longest-serving head of government in Cambodia's history. (from History of Cambodia)
Image 50Eisenhower and Sihanouk in 1959 (from Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970))

Did you know (auto-generated)

... that in Thailand and Cambodia, cats are used in a procession to ask for rain?
... that had Cambodian swimmer Apsara Sakbun declined her invitation to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics, her sister would have become an Olympian instead?
... that Cambodian architect Vann Molyvann declined a request from Lee Kuan Yew to help design Singapore?
... that an American citizen was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to overthrow the government of Cambodia?
... that the French, when they began to colonize Cambodia, agreed that Angkor Wat was in Thailand?
... that Isoup Ganthy, who was part of Cambodia's first Olympic team, later died in prison after being accused of working to overthrow the Khmer Rouge?

More Did you know

... that Mae Jemison, the first black woman in space, worked at a Cambodian refugee camp in Thailand and was a medical officer for the Peace Corps before becoming an astronaut?

... that the first research center for potatoes in Cambodia was opened in the country in 2016?

...that Saigon was founded by Cambodians?

Famous Cambodians

Notable Cambodians include:

François Chau - Actor/Fisherman
Chuon Nath - Supreme Patriarch of Cambodian Buddhism, father of the Khmer dictionary
Patricia Hy-Boulais - Professional tennis player
Keng Vannsak - Famous Khmer writer, philosopher and linguist
Khun Srun - Khmer writer
Kong Bunchhoeun - Famous Khmer poet and songwriter.
Kris Dim - Pro bodybuilder
Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt - Angelina Jolie's adopted son
Haing S. Ngor - Academy Award winner
Somaly Mam - Human rights activist, Olympic flag bearer
Rithy Panh - Director
Dith Pran - New York Times photo journalist
Norodom Sihanouk - King, Prime Minister, Actor, Director, Songwriter, Screenwriter
Loung Ung - Human rights activist
Chhun Yasith - President of Cambodian Freedom Fighters
Ros Sereysothea - One of the greatest female Khmer singers from the 1960s and early '70s
Sinn Sisamouth - Considered the greatest Khmer singer ever who also often sang with Sothea
Soth Polin - Famous Khmer writer
Touch Sunnix - Famous female Khmer singer.
Vann Molyvann - Considered the greatest Cambodian architect
Vong Sarendy - Fleet Admiral in the Khmer Republic, head of the Khmer National Navy (MNK) from 1970 to 1975.
Sosthène Fernandez - commander-in-Chief of the Khmer National Armed Forces (FANK) and chief of general staff of the Khmer Republic.

Recognized content

Extended content

This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Cambodia}}) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.

Featured articles

Featured lists

List of World Heritage Sites in Cambodia

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In the News articles

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Main page featured lists

List of World Heritage Sites in Cambodia

Things you can do

Help expand articles in under the Cambodia category and under its sub-categories
Find Cambodia related articles and categorize them, if they aren't already, to the Cambodia category with: Category:Cambodia
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