Dângrêk Mountains in Northern Cambodia
The Kingdom of Cambodia, formerly known as Kampuchea, Khmer: Preăh Réachéa Nachâk Kâmpŭchéa, derived from Sanskrit Kambujadesa, is a country in Southeast Asia that borders Thailand to the west and northwest, Laos to the north, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the south. The geography of Cambodia is dominated by the Mekong River (Khmer: Tonle Thom ("the great river") and the Tonlé Sap ( "the fresh water lake").
The kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with Norodom Sihamoni as king who has reign since 2004. Phnom Penh is the kingdom's capital and largest city, and is the center of political, commercial, industrial and cultural activities. Siem Reap, a city located near the famous ruins of Angkor Wat is the gateway to the Angkor region, and is Cambodia's main destination for tourism. Battambang, the largest city in western Cambodia, is known for its rice production, and Sihanoukville, a coastal city, is the primary sea port and beach resort.
Cambodia has an area of 181,035 square kilometres (69,898 sq mi) and a population of over 14 million ethnic Khmer. A citizen of Cambodia is usually identified as "Cambodian" or "Khmer", though they strictly refer to ethnic Khmers. Most Cambodians are Theravada Buddhists, but the country also have a minority number of Muslim Cham, as well as ethnic Chinese, Vietnamese and small animist hill tribes.
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