Cambodia has regarded as the country of temples and towers, containing many mysteries that captivate many visitors. The humble, friendly and hospitable Cambodian people make everyone admires Cambodian tourism. Cambodia is now one of the Southeast Asian countries thriving in tourism, various foreign and Vietnamese tourists visit Cambodia to enjoy food and learn their culture. The article below will give you the most comprehensive information about this beautiful country.
Cambodia
1. Geography
The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country in Southeast Asia, located on the Gulf of Thailand and borders three countries, which are Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. Cambodia is located in the centre of Southeast Asia with an area of 181,035 km2.
Cambodia is located in the southwest of the Indochinese Peninsula, which is concentrated in three main basins: Tonle Thom, Tonle Sap and the Gulf of Thailand. Half of the area of Cambodia is plain, concentrated in the south and southeast; the other area is hill.
The Cambodian territory shape is almost a rectangle with rounded edges, Kom Pong Thom is the center of that rectangle. The north-south direction is 440 km and the east-west direction is 560 km. With this form, visitors can easily travel within the territory of Cambodia with the distance not too far, convenient for travel development, especially ecotourism.
Cambodia has lowland terrain in the central region, surrounded by mountains and highlands in the northeast. The southwest is the coastal plain. Cambodian terrain can be divided into four areas according to tourism development: Southeast Plains, The central area surrounds the Sea Lake, The Southwest Coast and The Northeast Mountain and Plateau.
2. Weather and climate
In Cambodia, the climate is monsoon tropical so the weather is hot and humid with a temperature of around 27 degrees. Weather can be divided into two rainy season and dry season. In the dry season, however, there are two cool season and hot season as follows:
Rainy Season: The rainy season lasts from June to October with a temperature fluctuating between 27 and 35 degrees.
Dry season: The dry season (cool season) lasts from November to February with the heat from 17-27 degrees.
Summer: The dry season (hot season) lasts from March to May with the temperature from 29-38 degrees.
Moisture is mainly from the waters of Sihanoukville, where the influence of the rainy season seems to slow things down. Due to the high rainfall that obstructs the tourist activities, the tourist services here reduced during the rainy season. The rainy season lasting from May to October every year is an opportunity for visitors to explore the temples of Angkor and other rural areas of Cambodia. The rainy season can be a bit difficult for tours, but it brings the rare and colorful beauty of the temples.
The best time to visit the “The Land of Pagodas” is from November to February when the weather is milder, less hot and less rain.
3. Population and language
Cambodia is the homogeneous nation, with 90% population of Cambodia are Khmer and the official language is Khmer, belonging to the Mon-Khmer group in South Asia.
The rest of population are Vietnamese, Cambodian, Chinese, Cham, Thuong living in the North and Northeast.
French and English are used by many Cambodians as second languages and are often used as language of study in schools and universities.
4. National currency
Riel is the currency of Cambodia. There are two distinct types of riel, the first of which issued between 1953 and May 1975, and the second since April 1, 1980. In Cambodia, the US dollar was widely used.
Cambodia Curency
5. Religion
Buddhism is the official religion of Cambodia. The Theravada tradition is widespread and vigorous in all provinces, with an estimated 4,392 monasteries throughout the country. Islam is the religion of the majority Cham and Malays minority in Cambodia. There are now more than 300,000 Muslims in the country.
6. Cuisine
Cambodian cuisine, as well as the culinary habits of many ethnic groups in the wet rice civilization in Asia, shows particular characteristics. Cambodians have a habit of eating plain rice and eating more fish than meat.
Cambodian cuisine strongly influenced the style of India and China, with most dishes tasted sweet and fat. Chinese food is found with many tastes and rather fat, most oily.
7. Main holidays of Cambodia
Cambodians, like other nations, use the Western calendar. However, with the exception of some Khmer holidays, they use the Cambodian calendar as a New Year’s Day, an open new house celebration or a wedding ceremony. The Khmer calendar may be earlier or later than the Western calendar depending on the time of year. Cultural and residential interference caused some Cambodian holidays to add a number of holidays, such as Vietnamese New Year and Chinese holiday.
• January 1st (New Year’s Day): the day of celebrating the Gregorian New Year beginning
• January 7th (Victory Day over Genocide): commemorate the end of the Khmer Rouge regime.
• April 14th to April 16th : Khmer New Year
• May 13th to May 15th : King Norodom Sihamoni’s Birthday
• June 18th :Queen Mother’s Birthday
• September 24th: Constitution Day
• October 15th: Commemoration Day of King’s Father
• October 20th: Coronation Day of King Sihamoni
• November 9th: Independence Day
8. Festivals of Cambodia
Festivals of Cambodia
• In January or February: Chinese New Year Festival
• In January or February: Hei Neak Ta
• In February: Siem Reap Puppet Parade
• In April: Qingming Festival
• In September: Silkworm Festival
• In September or October: Mid Autumn Festival
• In November or December: Kite Flying Festival
Explore more topics: Best places to visit in Cambodia; Places to visit in Siem Reap; Places to visit in Phom Penh; Best Places for shoping in Siem Reap; Tourist attractions in Battambang; Tourist attractions in Kratie; Famous food in Cambodia
