Cambodia (/kæmˈboʊdiə/; derived from Sanskrit: कम्बोजदेश Kambujadesa), officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia (Khmer: ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា
Preăh Réachéa Nachâk Kâmpŭchéa), is a country in Southeast Asia that borders Thailand to the west and northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. The geography of Cambodia is dominated by the Mekong River (Tonlé Mékong) and Tonlé Sap lake.
The kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with King Norodom Sihamoni as head of state, and prime minister Hun Sen as head of government. Phnom Penh is the kingdom's capital and largest city, and is the center of political, commercial, industrial and cultural activities. Siem Reap is the gateway to the Angkor region, a main destination for tourism is the temple of Angkor Wat and other Angkorian temples. Battambang, the largest province in northwestern Cambodia is known for its rice production, and Sihanoukville, a coastal city, is the primary sea port and beach resort.
Cambodia has an area of 181,035 square kilometres (69,898 sq mi) and a population of 14,494,293 people. A citizen of Cambodia is usually identified as "Cambodian" or "Khmer", although the latter strictly refers to ethnic Khmers. Theravada Buddhism is the official religion of Cambodia, which is practiced by around 96.4% of the Cambodian population. The country's minority peoples include Vietnamese 33.8%, Chinese 5.8%,Cham 2.1%, and various hill tribes 3.7%. About 54.6% of Cambodia's population comes from ethnic Khmer origin.
Agriculture has long been the most important sector to the Cambodian economy, with around 67.9% of the population relying on agriculture for their livelihood (with rice being the principal crop). Other important sectors include garments, construction and tourism - foreign visitors to Angkor Wat numbered more than 4 million in 2007. In 2005, oil and natural gas deposits were found beneath Cambodia's territorial waters, and once commercial extraction begins in 2011, the oil revenues could profoundly affect Cambodia's economy.
Etymology
The full official name of the modern country is (Preăh Réachéa Nachâk Kâmpŭchéa "ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា") meaning "Kingdom of Cambodia". Etymologically, its components are: Preah- ("sacred"); -reach- ("king, royal, realm", from Sanskrit raja); -ana- (from Pāli āṇā, "authority, command, power", itself from Sanskrit ājñā, same meaning) -châk (from Sanskrit chakra, meaning "wheel", a symbol of power and rule).
Names used on general occasions include "Cambodia", "Cambodge", "Kâmpŭchea" and "Srok Khmer", a transliteration of the colloquial (Khmer: ស្រុកខ្មែរ) which means "the Land of Khmers". The name used on formal occasions, such as political speeches and news programs, is Prâteh Kampuchea (Khmer: ប្រទេសកម្ពុជា), literally "the Country of Cambodia". "Cambodia" is the English form of the French "Cambodge" which, in turn, is a transliteration of the Khmer name "Kâmpŭchea" (កម្ពុជា). By Wikipedia
