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| Scuba Cambodia |
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Resources Overview
Cambodia has only a relatively short coastline facing the Gulf of Thailand, though there are several small islands in the adjacent waters. There is very little material available describing the coral reefs off this coastline, but there are known to be coral communities on the mainland coast and some fringing reef structures around the islands. Some 70 hard corals have been recorded at the Koh Tang island group and in a few places coral cover is reported to reach over 50 percent. On the mainland diversity is much lower, and communities are dominated by massive and encrusting corals. Bleaching was reported at a number of localities in 1998, but recovery is thought to have been fairly good.
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Geography
Area:181,040 sq. km. (69,900 sq. mi.); about the size of Missouri.
Cities: Capital--Phnom Penh (pop. between 1 million and 1.2 million). Other cities--Battambang, Siem Reap, Kompong Cham, Kompong Speu, Kompong Thom.
Terrain: Central plain drained by the Tonle Sap (Great Lake) and Mekong and Bassac Rivers. Heavy forests away from the rivers and the lake, mountains in the southwest (Cardamom Mountains) and north (Dangrek Mountains) along the border with Thailand.
Climate:Tropical monsoon with rainy season June-Oct. and dry season Nov.-May. |
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Cambodian(s), Khmer.
Population (1995): 10.56 million.
Avg. annual growth rate (4.1%):Births--44/1,000; deaths--16/1,000.
Health: Infant mortality rate--108/1,000.Life expectancy--48 years male/51 years female.
Ethnic groups: Cambodian 90%; Chinese and Vietnamese 5% each; small numbers of hill tribes, Chams, and Burmese.
Religions: Theravada Buddhism 95%; Islam; animism; atheism.
Languages: Khmer (official) spoken by more than 95% of the population, including minorities; some French still spoken; English increasingly popular as a second language.
Education: Literacy--35.2%. |
Economy
GDP(1995): $2.92 billion.
Per capita GDP (1995): $275.
Inflation (1995): 6%.
Natural resources: Timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese and phosphate, hydroelectric potential from the Mekong River.
Agriculture: About 4,848,000 hectares (12 million acres) are unforested land; all are arable with irrigation but less than 2 million hectares are cultivated. Products--rice, rubber, corn, meat, vegetables, dairy products, sugar, flour.
Industry: Types--rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, textiles, cement, some rubber production.
Central government budget (1995): Revenues $223.5 million; expenditure $407 million.
Budget deficit 13.5% of GDP; capital expenditure 5% of GDP, 34% of budget; defense spending 5.4% of GDP, 29% of budget.
Trade: Exports ($358 million, 1995 est.)--natural rubber, rice, pepper, wood. Major partners--Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia.Imports ($720 million, 1994)--vehicles, fuels, consumer goods, machinery. Major partners--Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong. Trade with the U.S.:Cambodian imports from U.S. (1995) $41 million; exports to U.S. (1994) $1.2 million.
Economic aid: $179 million in disbursements by official donors in fiscal year 1994-95. Major donors include Asian Development Bank ADB), UN Development Program (UNDP), Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Principle foreign commercial investors: Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand. |
Profile
Although Cambodia had a rich and powerful past under the Hindu state of Funan and the Kingdom of Angkor, by the mid-19th century the country was on the verge of dissolution. After repeated requests for French assistance, a protectorate was established in 1863. By 1884, Cambodia was a virtual colony; soon after it was made part of the Indochina Union with Annam, Tonkin, Cochin-China, and Laos. France continued to control the country even after the start of World War II through its Vichy government. In 1945, the Japanese dissolved the colonial administration, and King Norodom Sihanouk declared an independent, anticolonial government under Prime Minister Son Ngoc Thanh in March 1945. This government was deposed by the Allies in October. Many of Son Ngoc Thanh's supporters escaped and continued to fight for independence as the Khmer Issarak. |
History
Although France recognized Cambodia as an autonomous kingdom within the French Union, the drive for total independence continued, resulting in a split between those who supported the political tactics of Sihanouk and those who supported the Khmer Issarak guerrilla movement. In January 1953, Sihanouk named his father as regent and went into self-imposed exile, refusing to return until Cambodia gained genuine independence.
Full Independence
Sihanouk's actions hastened the French government's July 4, 1953 announcement of its readiness to perfect the independence and sovereignty of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Full independence came on November 9, 1953, but the situation remained uncertain until a 1954 conference was held in Geneva to settle the French-Indochina war. All participants, except the United States and the State of Vietnam, associated themselves (by voice) with the final declaration. The Cambodian delegation agreed to the neutrality of the three Indochinese states but insisted on a provision in the ceasefire agreement that left the Cambodian government free to call for outside military assistance should the Viet Minh or others threaten its territory. |
| Information provided by CIA Worldfactbook, US Department of State, Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). ReefBase: Oliver, J. and M. Noordeloos. Editors. 2002, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center, |
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