Geography: Cambodia covers 182,035 sq km and lies in the middle of Southeast Asia. It is bound by Thailand in the west, Laos in the north, and Vietnam in the east. To the south, Cambodia had a coast on the Gulf of Thailand.
We’re staying in the Capital, Phnom Penh. (Where the star is on the map)
Topography: The two most important features of Cambodia are the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap Lake. These two features provide yearly floods and sediment deposits to the central region of the country which makes the area great for rice farming. Cambodia is very flat except for mountain ranges to the southwest and to the northeast of the country.
Climate: Because of two monsoon seasons in Cambodia, November to April is very dry and May to October has heavy rains. The average temperature is about 29 degrees C. December is the coolest month of the year and temperature can reach 26 degrees C. ***April is the hottest month and of course we would be here in April 🙂
Population: Cambodia has a population of more than 14 million people. Ethnic Khmer are the largest people group, consisting of more than 90% of the population. Other major groups included ethnic Vietnamese, Chinese, and Cham. There are also many hill tribe peoples in the northeast.
It is currently estimated that 50% of the population is under the age of 20. Roughly 80% of the population is under the age of 30. Only 3% of the population is over the age of 65. This is due to deaths during the conflict era, a high mortality rate, and a higher birth rate.
Religion: Most of the population (93%) of Cambodia practices Theravada Buddism. However, animistic spirit worship, Chinese ancestor worship, and Hindu symbology are mixed into their beliefs. ***Christianity comprises about 2% of the population. Most of the Cham people are Muslim.
Christianity in Cambodia: The first protestant Christian missionaries came to Cambodia in 1923. Christianity grew dramatically just before the Khmer Rouge, but then most of the Christians were killed. In 1989, there was estimated to be 300 Christians. Now there are more than 200,000 Christians throughout the country.
Monarchy: The current monarch is King Norodom Sihamoni. His father Norodom Sihanouk gave the kingship to his son in 2004. Their royal family has held the monarchy for centuries. The Cambodian people have great respect for the king.
Money: Exchanging money can be done at markets or exchange shops. Credit cards are not commonly used. The exchange rate is about $1 US to 4,000 RIEL. (Majority of the shops use US dollar bills and Cambodian Riel. They don’t use US coins.)
Tipping: Tipping is not a normal part of Cambodian culture and is therefore not expected.
All information is from University of Nations Cambodia (YWAM)
