Gap Year Destinations

Where to go

Cambodia

Still emerging from the problems of the 1970s and 80s, Cambodia is a fascinating country rebuilding a proud, rich heritage.

Environment

Cambodia is in South East Asia, and borders Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. It also has a coastline onto the Gulf of Thailand. Cambodia’s most striking environmental feature is Tonle Sap (Great Lake), which expands and contracts with the changing seasons – it’s roughly 2500km2 in the dry season, but when the monsoon comes it gets ten times bigger! Many people live and work in the Tonle Sap plain growing rice. Most of Cambodia is, in fact, very flat, rarely reaching an elevation of more than 100m. Exceptions are the Cardmom Mountains , the Dâmrei (or ‘Elephant’) Mountains and the Dângrêk Mountains, which border Thailand’s Isan region. The capital is Phnom Penh.

Climate

Cambodia has two seasons, a rainy or monsoon season from May to October when the weather is humid and cool, and a dry season for the rest of the year when temperatures can reach 40°C.

Demographics and Language

Cambodian demographics show the aftermath of the civil war and Pol Pot’s Killing Fields - more than 50% of the population are under 25. The majority of Cambodians (90%) are ethnically Khmer, and they speak the Khmer language, which is the official language of Cambodia. The other 10% of the population are of Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Cham and Khmer Loeu ethnicities. Cambodia used to be a French colony, so some older members of the population still speak French as it was the language used in schools and commerce. More recently, however, English has started to be the foreign language of choice for young people in Cambodia.

Cuisine

Key flavours in Cambodian cuisine are prahok – fermented fish paste and coconut milk. From these basics curries, stir fries and soups are created and served with aromatic rice and noodles. For dessert, sticky rice is often eaten with durian fruit.

Religion

Most Cambodians are Theravada Buddhists (95%). Other major religions are Islam (3%) and Christianity (2%).

Economy and money

Cambodia’s chequered recent political history has had a huge impact on the economy, which has only really been recovering since the start of the 21st century. Indeed, the shadow of Pol Pot’s regime, lack of infrastructure, the Asian Financial Crisis, fear of foreign investment, political corruption and civil unrest meant that Cambodia was not even self sufficient in rice production, the country’s staple food, until 2000. Now, however, it exports rice, along with fish, timber, clothing and rubber, and per capita income is rapidly rising. Tourism is now the country’s second best source of income after clothing manufacturing. The currency is the Cambodian riel.

Culture and politics

Nowadays, Cambodia’s political system operates under a constitution within a framework of parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, with a King, Prime Minister and a multi-party system. Cambodian politicians are, however, frequently accused of corruption. The country is still recovering from the Khmer Rouge government of the 1970s and 80s, in which 1 to 3 million people are estimated to have died. Indeed, Pol Pot’s regime destroyed large aspects of the political, cultural, social and economic life of Cambodia, which are still being rebuilt and stabilised.

Despite this, Khmer culture is ancient, most clearly evidenced by Angkor Wat (meaning ‘city temple’) – a huge, sprawling complex of intricately decorated and highly individualised temples that merge Hindu and Buddhist images. Approximately 10% of the Cambodian population attend Bonn Om Teuk (Festival of Boat Racing) every year, when the end of the monsoon means that the Mekong River lowers and the Tonle Sap river reverses its flow. At the festival, boat racing is accompanied by fireworks, and a ceremony giving thanks to the moon.

A small culture has also emerged around museums documenting the events of the Khmer Rouge genocide. The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek (one of the main Killing Fields) have become much visited places, where Cambodians and tourists can learn about the tragedy and observe a lasting memorial to those who died.