The Best of Cambodia & Laos

place largely without violence, Cambodia
is now politically stable. From 2001 to
2004, the economy grew at a rate of 6.4%.
In 2005, oil and natural gas deposits were
found beneath Cambodia’s territorial
waters, representing a new revenue stream
for the government if drilling begins.
Arrivals in tourism topped two million in
2008. Cambodia’s garment industry
employs more than 350,000 people and
contributes to more than 70% of Cambodia’s
exports. The major challenge for
Cambodia over the next decade will be
creating an economic environment in
which enough jobs can be created to handle
Cambodia’s demographic imbalance.
Rural poverty is still a major concern, as
the infrastructure in the countryside
remains patchy or nonexistent. Levels of
education are also woeful and that inevitably
holds the country back.
In 2004, the mercurial King Sihanouk
abdicated in favor of his son, Norodom
Sihamoni, who has gained respect for his
quiet dignity in the way he fulfills his
duties, although Sihanouk, or “Papa” as
many Cambodians refer to him, remains a
seminal figure.
3 THE LAY OF THE LAND
Cambodia borders Thailand to the west
and the north, Laos to the north, and
Vietnam to the east and south. It is slightly
smaller than Oklahoma at 181,035 sq. km
(69,898 sq. miles). It has a coastline of
443km (275 miles) along the gulf of Thailand.
It is largely, although not exclusively,
flat and is bisected by the mighty Mekong
River, which flows north to south from
Laos, through Cambodia and then on to
Vietnam. The Tonle Sap, a tributary of the
Mekong, feeds the Tonle Sap Lake, the
largest in Southeast Asia. The Tonle Sap is
a geographical anomaly, since it is the only
river in the world that actually changes
direction twice a year. From November to
May, Cambodia’s dry season, the Tonle
Sap drains into the Mekong when it
reaches Phnom Penh. In June, when heavy
monsoon rains begin, the flow reverses to
form the enormous Tonle Sap Lake. The
Tonle Sap then drains the Mekong and
flows into the lake.
There are mountains in the northeast
around Ratanakiri, the Dangrek range in
the north and the Cardamoms in the
southwest. Most population concentrations
are around the fertile river valleys or
on the coast.
Cambodia used to be largely blanketed
by high-canopy rainforest but logging,
both legal and illegal, has seen that diminished
to almost nothing. The flatlands of
the river basin remain incredibly fertile
and the countryside is largely dominated
by rice production.
Land mines are still found in the areas
surrounding the mountain and jungle
areas, particularly along the Thai border
where the Khmer Rouge had their bases,
though this is only a basic rule of thumb.
4 CAMBODIA’S ART & ARCHITECTURE
ARCHITECTURE
Cambodia yields some of the most spectacular
sites in Asia. Yet most traditional
Cambodian houses are simple structures
made of wood and built on stilts raising
them from the ground. They vary in size,
measured by the number of vertical posts
used in their construction. Walls are of
woven bamboo. Cambodians generally
live communally in one large room, with a
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CAMBODIA IN DEPTH 2
CAMBODIA’S ART & ARCHITECTURE