Cambodia Tourist Information

For tourist information covering all of Cambodia keep reading below or select one of these links:

General Information
Getting There
Visas
Climate Hanging out at Angkor Wat
Health
Personal safety
Insurance
Money
Email, Internet, Telephones and Post
Accommodation
Electricity
Public Transport
Food and Drink
Public Holidays and Festivals
Dos and Don’ts
Language
Things to Do and See

General Information

The Kingdom of Cambodia was formerly known as Kampuchea and is the successor state to the once powerful Khmer Empire which flourished from the 9th century to the 13th century.
Cambodia has land borders with Thailand, Laos and Vietnam and has a small coastline in the south facing onto the Gulf of Thailand.
The capital city is Phnom Penh and the population is 14 million Cambodians and ethnic Khmers.
95% of the population is Theravada Buddhist with 3% Muslims and 2% Christians.
Angkor was the centre of Khmer power and the temples that remain are a reminder of Cambodia's past importance in the region. Today, Angkor Wat is Cambodia's top tourist attraction.
Cambodia was a protectorate of France from 1863 until 1953 (except between 1941 and 1945 when Japan occupied the country) and gained independence from France on 9 November 1953 when it became a constitutional monarchy.
In 1975 the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot took over the country and so began the darkest and most brutal period in Cambodia's history with estimates of up to 3 million people killed under the Khmer Rouge campaign.
Since a peace settlement was brokered in 1991 Cambodia has been relatively stable and is still working to rebuild the nation with the help of foreign aid.
Tourism is now one of Cambodia's main industries along with garment making. Oil and natural gas reserves have recently been found in Cambodian waters which could greatly increase the country's wealth.