[kam-boh-dee-uh] 
| a republic in SE Asia: formerly part of French Indochina. 11,163,861; 69,866 sq. mi. (180,953 sq. km). Capital: Phnom Penh. |
Cam·bo·di·a (kām-bō'dē-ə)  (click for larger image in new window) A country of southeast Asia on the Gulf of Thailand. Once part of the Khmer empire that ruled the entire Mekong River valley, the area was controlled after the 15th century by the neighboring kingdoms of Siam and Annam. Cambodia became part of French Indochina in the 19th century and proclaimed its independence as a kingdom in 1953. After the overthrow of the monarchy in 1970, Cambodia commenced a long period of political and social disruption, especially under the Khmer Rouge regime led by Pol Pot, which was responsible for more than a million deaths from 1975 to 1979. The monarchy was restored in 1993. Phnom Penh is the capital and the largest city. Population: 14,000,000. Cam·bo'di·an adj. & n. |
Nation in Southeast Asia; bordered by Laos to the north, Vietnam to the east, the Gulf of Siam to the south, and Thailand to the west and north. Phnom Penh is its capital and largest city.
Note: Part of French-ruled Indochina until 1946, it then became self-governing. It was granted full independence in 1953.
Note: The Japanese occupied Cambodia during World War II.
Note: It was a major battleground of the Vietnam War.
Note: In 1975, Cambodian communists, called the Khmer Rouge, occupied Phnom Penh and then forcibly expelled most of its population to work in the countryside. More than one million Cambodians died at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, either by outright execution or because of forced labor and deprivation.
Note: In 1979, Vietnam invaded Cambodia and installed a puppet government. In 1989, Vietnamese troops withdrew from Cambodia.
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