LOCATION Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos CAPITAL and LARGEST

CITY Phnom Penh POPULATION 14,071,000 ETHNIC GROUPS Khmer (90%), Vietnamese (5%), Chinese (1%), and others (4%) OFFICIAL LANGUAGES Khmer (95%), French, and English GOVERNMENT Democratic constitutional monarchy KING Norodom Sihamoni CURRENCY Riel currency RELIGION Buddhist

CAMBODIA
PHNOM PENH

The Funan Kingdom, believed to have started around the first century BC, is the first known kingdom of Cambodia. The kingdom was strongly influenced by Indian culture by shaping the culture, art and political system. An alphabetical system, religions and architectural styles were also Indian contributions to the Funan Kingdom. There is archeological evidence of a commercial society in the Mekong Delta that prospered from the 1st to 6th centuries. Returning from abroad, a Khmer prince declared himself the ruler of a new kingdom during the 9th century. Known as Jayavarman II, he started a cult that honored Shiva, a Hindu god, as a devaraja (god-king) which then linked the king to Shiva.

He also began the great achievements in architecture and sculpture while his successors built an immense irrigation system around Angkor.. His successors (26 from the early 9th to the early 15th century), built a tremendous number of temples - of which there are over a thousand sites and stone inscriptions (on temple walls).
By the 12th century, Cambodia had spread into other areas, now known as Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia (the peninsula). There is actually still evidence of Khmer inhabitance in Thailand and Laos to this day. The 13th and 14th centuries were not as successful for Cambodia, some believe it was due to the increased power of (and wars with) Thai kingdoms that had at one time paid homage to Angkor. Others believe it was due to the induction of Theravada Buddhism, which was totally contrary to the Cambodian societal structure at that time. After this time historical records are rather sketchy at best regarding Cambodia and it is considered the "Dark Ages" of Cambodian history. Cambodia was ravaged by Vietnamese and Thai invasions and wars up until the 19th century, when new dynasties in these countries fought over control of Cambodia. The war, that began in the 1830's almost destroyed Cambodia. King Norodom signed a treaty that enabled the French to be a protectorate, thus effectively stopping the Viet-Thai war within. For the next 90 years, France in essence ruled over Cambodia.

. The majority of Cambodians follow Theravada Buddhism. . Originating in India, the religion teaches that life and death in this world are intertwined through the concept of reincarnation. . Every person lives a life as a worldly being and depending on their behavior will come back in their next life as a higher or lower being. . "Karma" is the term used to describe this - i.e. if you do good you will have good karma. A rough translation of this is, "you reap what you sow." Theravada Buddhism has the following principles: - Have the right thoughts. - Have the right goals. - Speak the right words. - Perform the right deeds. - Earn a living in the right way. - Make the right effort. - Be intellectually alert. - Meditate.

Loung Ung (born 1970) is a Cambodian-born American human-rights activist and lecturer. She is the national spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine-Free World. Between 1997 and 2003 she served in the same capacity for the "International Campaign to Ban Landmines", which is affiliated with the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. Ung was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the sixth of seven children and the third of four girls, to Seng Im Ung and Ay Choung Ung. Her actual birthdate is unknown; the Khmer Rouge destroyed many of the birth records of the inhabitants of cities in Cambodia. At ten years of age, she escaped from Cambodia as a survivor of what became known as "the Killing Fields" during the reign of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime. After emigrating to the United States and adjusting to her new country, she wrote two books which related her life experiences from 1975 through 2003. Today, Ung is married and lives with her husband in Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio.

Chanphal's is one of the most recognizable names in contemporary Cambodian writing. He is a novelist and contributes to magazines as well as blogging and e-publishing, an increasing area of literary exploration in Cambodia. But, perhaps most influentially he is a popular song writer with one of Cambodia's biggest star-making studios, and his songs have entered the popular imagination of contemporary Phnom Penh.