Facts and stats about Cambodia

The Kingdom of Cambodia, as it is officially known, is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and is projected to be one of the top economic giants in the coming decades.

The country is very rich in history and there are many ancient structures in Cambodia which stand as testament to the former glory and greatness of the Southeast Asian nation. The Angkor Wat, for example, is one of the greatest and most extensive temples in the world, is considered as a World Heritage Site. For a long time, the Khmer kingdom has dominated much of Southeast Asia. However, the kingdom was invaded by Ayutthaya, a Siamese king, in the 15th century. Since then until the establishment of the French protectorate late in the 18th century, Cambodia was a vassal state by many of its neighboring kingdoms.

The country had experienced numerous internal and external conflicts during the early and mid 19th century. Vietnam invaded the country in 1978 and disposed of the authoritarian Khmer Rouge accused of killing hundreds of thousands of Cambodians. Today, members of the Khmer Rouge are facing trial for their past war crimes.

Although besieged by many problems, the country has experienced huge leaps in development. Cambodia has maintained a 7% increase of its economy for the last 12 years, and is expected to maintain the momentum for a foreseeable period. Today, Cambodia is identified by the IMF as one of the Next Eleven countries – countries which are perceived to occupy the economic top spots in the world