Cambodia, a nation with a great history and enthusiastic and enterprising
people is rapidly rebuilding itself. Emerging from years of violence and war,
that caused irreversible damage, devastation and degradation of its
developmental capacities, the country has taken up the challenge of
reconstruction, sustained economic development and integration with the global
community. Continued misery and suffering resulting from war and poverty may
not have disappeared entirely but is receding rapidly with the Royal
Government of Cambodia and the people showing great eagerness and interest in
implementing developmental strategies.
Geography
The Kingdom of Cambodia is
located in the tropical region of Southeast Asia in the Lower Mekong region.
It has an 800km border with Thailand in the West, 450km border with Lao PDR in the
North, 1,250km with Vietnam in the East and a coastline of 440km long. The
physical landscape is dominated by the lowland plains around the Mekong River
and the Tonle Sap Lake. Of the country's surface area of 181,035km˛,
approximately 49% remains covered by forest. There are about 2.5 million
hectares of arable land and over 0.5 million hectares of pasture land.
Climate
The climate in Cambodia is
tropical and subject to both southeast and northwest monsoons. The southeast
monsoon, which coincides with the rainy season, extends from May to October.
The northwest monsoon brings a cool but drier period from November to April.
The average annual rainfall is about 1500 mm, with the heaviest rainfalls of
up to 4000 mm per year occurring in the southwest coastal line. The
temperatures are fairly uniform in the central basin area with an average of
about 27°C. The maximum temperatures in the region vary from 35°C
to 38°C
which are common before the start of the rainy season, but the temperatures
very rarely fall below 10°C.
Population and Poverty
In 1998, the Ministry of
Planning completed a general population census which reported a population of
11.4 million with an annual growth rate of 2.5%; about 85% of which live in
rural areas. Administratively, Cambodia is divided into 24 provinces,
including 4 municipalities, 183 districts, 1621 communes and 13,406 villages.
The Poverty Profile of Cambodia, based on
1999 data, shows that 36 percent of the population are living below the
poverty line, however the figure is actually four times higher in rural areas
(40%) than in Phnom Penh (10%). Rural households, especially those for whom
agriculture is the primary source of income, account for almost 90% of the
poor.
Economy
Cambodia is classified as a
Least Developed Country (LDC) which ranks it amongst some of the poorest in
the world. The country’s official Gross Domestic Product is US$278 per person
per year. Agriculture accounts for more than half of GDP, with another 15%
from garment exports which has benefited from quotas in the USA and Europe.
These quotas are to be removed at the end of 2004. Cambodia’s economy is
still highly dependent on foreign assistance which accounts for some 14% of
GDP. Cambodia has joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO) but the
implications of this for the economy are as yet unclear.
