General Information
Cambodia, officially called the Kingdom of Cambodia, which is now a constitutional monarchy, lies in the tropical zone in Southeast Asia and is relatively small compared to its neighboring countries; Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Cambodia has a population of approximately 15 million inhabitants, of which 95% are Khmer, who populated the area since what is believed to be 1500BC and the other 5% are Vietnamese, Cham, Muslims, Chinese or other local ethnic groups. The official language of Cambodia is Khmer, which originated from the Indian Sanskrit and Pali languages. The religion that is widely followed is Theravada Buddhism that is practiced by almost all the people living in the country. The capital city is Phnom Penh, which is also the political, economic, cultural centre and largest city of Cambodia. This city has been the national capital since the time of the French colonization of the country and was once known as the “Pearl of Asia”, one of the loveliest French-built cities in Indochina.
Cambodia lies entirely in the tropics, which means that the weather is divided in three seasons, Starting with the low season in May to September, also known as the rain season, the landscapes become emerald-green because of the monsoon, which bring almost three quarters of the annual rainfall in the country. During this period the accommodations become a little bit cheaper than normal, it is the perfect time to visit the many temples this country. Followed by the shoulder period that starts in April and ends in October, the temperature can hit up to 40 degrees Celsius. This is the time when you should start exploring the country, as the rain is not as prominent and the dry season has yet to begin. Finally we have the high season, also known as the dry season, where, similar to Mediterranean temperatures, are present in November till around February, which makes for perfect weather to visit the beach.
The long history of the Khmer allows Cambodia to be a country with many places of interest, with interesting culture, long history, beautiful sites, lush forests and beaches to be proud of, Cambodia is a perfect holiday country. The most famous place in Cambodia is Ankor Wat, however there are so many places that could be equally famous and these are what make this country so interesting. Many interesting sites to visit, forests to walk in, islands to see, people to meet, history to learn and behold, food to try, markets to experience and cities to go to, that it is almost impossible to see all there is to see in just a single holiday.
