peoples republic of kampuchea

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.