Country Fact File

The facts and figures

• Capital: Phnom Penh
• Population: 13 million
• Currency: Riel
• Time Zone: GMT + 7.00
• International dialling code: +855
• Languages: Khmer

The interesting stuff

• Read
  • First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung
  • River Of Time by Jon Swain

• Watch
  • The Killing Fields (1984)
  • Tomb Raider (2000)

• Do
  • Phnom Penh: S-21 and the killing fields are a harrowing reminder of Cambodia’s past.
  • Sihanoukville: The picturesque seaside town in the south of Cambodia is the perfect place to enjoy the country’s beautiful coastline.
  • Kratie: Nature-loving travellers head to Kratie, or nearby Kampi, hoping to catch dolphins on camera!

• Eat: Ansom chek (rice cake wrapped in banana leaves and filled with bananas)

• Cost of a beer: 65p (4,300 Riel) approx.

• Did you know?
  • Most young Cambodian men practice as Buddhist monks for a temporary period.
  • Angkor Wat appears on the Cambodian flag, making it the only flag in the world to feature a building.
  • The traditional Cambodian greeting is called the ‘Sompeah’. This is performed by pressing one’s palms together and bowing.
  • Showing the soles of one’s feet is considered distasteful in Cambodian culture.

• Useful links:
  • Lonely Planet
  • Meekong.net
  • Cambodia.org
  • Gogapyear.com
  • FCO’s Locate Service

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