|
From the 1st to the 6th centuries, Cambodia
called the Kingdom of Funan. Modern Khmer
customs and language, as well as the national political
institutions, culture and art, evolved from this time.
 The
Angkorian era began in the 9th century and transformed
the Kingdom into a major artistic, religious, and
military power. This era produced a succession of
powerful kings who presided over an empire that
covered much of present-day Southeast Asia, stretching
from Myanmar to the South China Sea and north to
Laos. During this golden age, Khmer kings built
extensive ornate temples, including the spectacular
Angkor Wat. Angkor become the capital of a great
kingdom and the centre of education, religion and
commerce until the late 13 th century, when it was
invaded and ravaged. Angkor was abandoned, and the
Khmers were plagued by dynastic rivalries and warfare
with the Thais for the next century and a half.
|
|
In 1863, King Norodom signed a
treaty of protectorate agreement that resulted in
Cambodia being placed under French rule for the
next 90 years. In 1941, Preah
Bat Norodom Sihanouk came to the throne.
During World War II, in 1945, the Japanese ousted
the French, and King Sihanouk took control of the
country, proclaiming independence in 1953. King
Sihanouk became the head of state, and dominated
national politics for the following 15 years before
being overthrown by the army in 1970.
In 1969, the United States, aiming to eradicate
Vietnamese communist forces, bombed suspected communist
base camps in Cambodian. in 1970, along with South
Vietnamese troops, the US invaded Cambodia. Cambodia
became deeply involved in the war, fighting mainly
aganst the Communist Khmer military faction, the
Khmer Rouge. Under Pol Pot's leadership, the Khmer
Rouge took over the government in 1975.
The Khmer Rouge unleashed a reign of terror, turning
the population into slave labourers and systematically
torturing and killing an estimated 2 million people
(targeting the educated in particular). In 1979,
The People's Republic of Kampuchea, supported by
Vietnamese, liberated the capital. This presented
the opportunity for the country to become re-established
once again. The Vietnamese assisted in rebuilding
the economy until 1989, when they withdrew from
Cambodia. In 1993, the United Nations administered
elections that led to King Sihanouk being reinstated
as monarch. A second general election was held in
July 1998, making Hun Sen the leader of Cambodia.
Today, Cambodia operates as a constitutional monarchy,
with His Majesty Samdech Preah Barom Neat Norodom
Sihakmony, King and Head of State, H.E. Samdech
Chea Sim, President of the Senate, H.R.H Samdech
Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh, President of National
Assembly and H.E. Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister.
Once again, Cambodia is a peaceful country, "the
Golden Land", and a trove of tourist attractions.
Foreign investment has begun to pour in together
with the ever-increasing flood of visitors.
Cambodia has a land area of 181,035 square kilometers in the
southwestern part of the Indochina peninsula, about 20% of
which is used for agriculture. It lies completely within the
tropics with its southernmost points slightly more than 10º
above the Equator. 
The country’s capital city is Phnom Penh. International
borders are shared with Thailand and the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic on the west and on the north, and the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam on the east and the southeast.
The country is bounded on the southwest by the Gulf of Thailand.
In comparison with its neighbors, Cambodia is a geographically
compact country administratively composed of 20 provinces,
three of which have relatively short maritime boundaries,
3 municipalities, 172 districts, and 1,547 communes. The
country has a coastline of 435 km and extensive mangrove
stands, some of which are relatively undisturbed.
The dominant features of the Cambodia landscape are the
large, almost centrally located, Tonle Sap (Great Lake)
and the Bassac River systems and the Mekong River, which
crosses the country from north to south. Surrounding the
Central Plains which covered three quarters of the country’s
area are the more densely forested and sparsely populated
highlands, comprising: the Elephant Mountains and Cardamom
Mountains of the southwest and western regions; the Dangrek
Mountains of the north adjoining the Korat Planteau of Thailand;
and the Ratanakiri Plateau and Chhlong highlands on the
east merging with the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
The Tonle Sap Basin-Mekong Lowlands region consists mainly
of plains with elevations generally of less than 100 meters.
As the elevation increases, the terrain becomes more rolling
and dissected. The Cardamom Mountains in the southwest rise
to more than 1,500 meters and is oriented generally in a
northwest-southeast direction. The highest mountain in Cambodia
– Phnom Aural, at 1,771 meters – is in the eastern
part of this range.
The Elephant Range, an extension of the Cardamom Mountains,
runs toward the south and the southeast and rises to elevations
of between 500 and 1,000 meters. These two ranges are bordered
on the west by a narrow coastal plain facing the Gulf of
Thailand that contains Kampong Som Bay. The Dangrek Mountains
at the northern rim of the Tonle Sap Basin, consisting of
a steep escarpment on the southern edge of the Korat Plateau
in Thailand, marks the boundary between Thailand and Cambodia.
The average elevation of about 500 meters with the highest
points reaches more than 700 meters. Between the northern
part of the Cardamom ranges and the western part of the
Dangrek, lies an extension of the Tonle Sap Basin that merges
into the plains in Thailand, allowing easy access from the
border to Bangkok.
The Mekong River, Cambodia’s largest river, dominates
the hydrology of the country. The river originates in mainland
China, flows through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand before entering
Cambodia. At Phnom Penh, with its alternative arms, the
Bassak River form the south, and the Tonle Sap River linking
with the “Great Lake” itself – Tonle Sap
– from the northwest, it continues further southeastward
to its lower delta in Vietnam and to the South China Sea.
The section of Mekong River passing through Cambodia lies
within the tropical wet and dry zone. It has a pronounced
dry season during the northern hemisphere winter, with about
80% of the annual rainfall occurring during the southwest
monsoon in May-October. The Mekong River’s average
annual flow at Kratie of 44km3 is estimated as 93% of the
total Mekong run-off discharge into the sea. The discharge
at Kratie ranges from a minimum of 1,250m3/s to a maximum
66,700m3/s.
The role of the Tonle Sap as a buffer of the Mekong River
system floods and the source of beneficial dry season flows
warrants explanation. The Mekong River swells with waters
during the monsoon season reaching a flood discharge of
40,000 m3/s at Phnom Penh. By about mid?June, the g flow
of the Mekong and the Bassak Rivers fed by monsoon rains,
increases to a point where its outlets through the delta
cannot handle the enormous volume of water, flooding extensive
adjacent floodplains for 4-7 months. At this point, instead
of overflowing its banks, its floodwaters reverse the flow
of the Tonle Sap River (about 120 km in length), which then
has a maximum inflow rate of 1.8 m/s and enters the Great
Lake, the largest natural lake in Southeast Asia, increasing
the size of the lake from about 2,600 km2 to 10,000 km2,
at times exceptionally to 13,000 km2, and raising the water
level by an average 7m at the height of the flooding. This
specifity of the Tonle Sap River makes it the only "river
with return" in the world.
After the Mekong's waters crest, the flow reverses and
water flows out of the engorged lake. The Great Lake then
acts as a natural flood retention basin. When the floods
subside, water starts flowing out of the Great Lake, reaching
a maximum outflow rate of 2.0 m/s and, over the dry season,
increase mainstream flows by about 16%, thus helping to
reduce salinity intrusion in the lower Mekong Delta in Viet
Nam. By the time the lake water level drops to its minimum
surface size, a band 20-30km wide of inundated forest is
left dry with deposits of a new layer of sediment. This
forest, which is of great significance for fish, is now
greatly reduced in size through siltation and deforestation.
The area flooded around Phnom Penh and down to the Vietnamese
border is border is about 7,000km2. Back to top |
