Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia bordered by Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and the Gulf of Thailand. Known for the 1970s genocide that took place there, its also home to the largest lake in Southeast Asia and the largest religious structure in the world.
Cambodia Basics
- Cambodia is 69,898 square miles, or 181,035 square kilometers and has a tropical climate.
- About 17 million people live there, most of whom are ethnically Khmer, and almost all are Buddhist. The capital and largest city is Phnom Penh.
- Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy and considered a multi-party state, though politics is dominated by the Cambodian People’s Party.
- The name Cambodia comes from the French transliteration of the Khmer name of the country. Khmer is the official language.
Cambodia National Symbols
The Cambodian flag features a wide red horizontal bar with narrower blue bars on either side. Inside the red bar is a depiction of Angkor Wat in the center (more on that below). The flag has included such a drawing since about 1875, and this version of the flag was adopted after their independence from the French in 1948. Several other flags were used when different groups were in power, but this flag was re-adopted in 1993.
Fun fact: only three other countries have buildings on their flags: Portugal, San Marino and Spain (thanks, Wikipedia!).
The national anthem is “Nokor Reach” or “Royal Kingdom,” which is based on a Cambodia folk tune and was first adopted as a national anthem in 1941, and reinstated in 1975 and 1993.
“Chat, Satsana, Phramahakasat” or “Nation, Religion, King,” is a Thai slogan as well as the official motto of Cambodia.
The national tree is Borassus flabellifer, also known as the Asian palmyra palm among many other names. It has large, wide palm fans and grows very tall. Its fruit can be eaten raw when unripe, or the outer layer can be eaten raw, boiled or roasted when the fruit is mature. The sap can be fermented, which is why it’s sometimes called a wine palm or toddy palm. The tubers produce and edible starch that can be made into flour.
Rumduol, a small yellow flower that has three petals pointing out and three curving in, is the national flower of Cambodia. The flowers grow on a tree and are strongly scented and also produce dark red fruits.
The national fruit is a small banana known as the lady finger banana or the chicken egg banana, which the kids are sure to like.
The giant barb (the largest carp in the world) is the national fish, while the royal turtle, aka the southern river terrapin, is the national reptile and is critically endangered. The giant ibis (also critically endangered) is the national bird and the kouprey, also known as the forest ox or grey ox, is the national mammal. They are possibly extinct, as the last scientific observation of one occurred in 1957.
Cambodia Activities for Kids
Learn about Angkor Wat, the largest religious complex in the world, built in the 12th century and made up of more than 1,000 buildings. Some call it the eighth wonder of the world. It is full of Hindu symbolism and was dedicated to the god Vishnu. The name means “City Temple.” Scholastic has a post form a kid who toured the temple, or you can learn more from Britannica Kids. Kids Konnect has a set of worksheets and fact sheets you can download, and there are lots of resources at Teachers Pay Teachers.
You can also find Cambodia country studies, information about the Khmer Rouge for older kids and more at Teachers Pay Teachers. The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust also has a good collection of information on the Cambodian genocide for older students.
Learn more about endangered species from National Geographic.
Cambodia women often wear a krama, a woven scarf that can be used to gather fruit or cotton, as a head scarf and in lots of other ways. It’s also a historical symbol of the nation you can learn about from UNESCO.
Amok, or curry, is a common food in Cambodia. Try this Khmer fish amok recipe from Silk Road Recipes, or make it with shrimp with this one from Elizabeth Chloe.
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