Index : C : Cambodia

Structure Sub-topic of: Asia Interesting Questions, Facts and Information There are a total of 25 general entries. Frequently Asked Questions & Answers There are 3 user-asked question matches ( goto )

Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information

Cambodia

Which European country was the former colonial power in Cambodia?

Cambodia, Cambodia (alan03)


France. The French made Cambodia a protectorate in 1863, incorporating it with Vietnam and Laos in their colony of Indochina. Independence from France was achieved in 1953.



What is unusal about the Tonlé Sap river during the summer?

Cambodia, Cambodia (alan03)


Its flow reverses. The river is really an extension of the Tonlé Sap lake, connecting the lake to the Mekong river. When the monsoon rains arrive the deluge of water coursing down the Mekong forces the Tonle Sap river to reverse its flow, filling the lake.



What is the official name of Cambodia?

Cambodia, Cambodia (alan03)


The Kingdom of Cambodia. Cambodia has had a number of different names since independence from France. In the Khmer langauge the name of the country is Kampuchea. Cambodia is simply the anglicized version of the French translation of this (Cambodge). However, because of the Khmer Rouge's insistence on the use of Kampuchea in international circles during their brief and brutal regime, the term Cambodia is once again the preferred usage outside of Cambodia itself. The people of Cambodia refer to themselves as Khmer rather than Cambodians.



What is the name of the biggest lake in Cambodia?

Dreaming of Cambodia (DigitalAngel)


Tonle Sap. Tonle Sap is Cambodia's largest lake, its name meaning "Great Lake" in Khmer. It is also Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake and one of the most fish abundant in the world. Thousands of Cambodian's make the lake their home, many of them living on boats and who fish for a living. Every year, the lake will reverse direction during the rainy season. This reversal is celebrated in a three-day festival in either October or November known as the Water Festival.



What is the major religion of Cambodia?

Dreaming of Cambodia (DigitalAngel)


Theravada Buddhism. Cambodians, for the most part, are practitioners of Theravada Buddhism. This practice was abandoned during the Khmer Rouge era as they were anti-religion, like other Communist regimes.



What is the dominant religion in Cambodia?

Cambodia, Cambodia (alan03)


Buddhism. Around 95% of Khmers are Buddhist.



We know Phnom Penh is Cambodia's capital, but what does the word "phnom" mean in the Khmer language?

Dreaming of Cambodia (DigitalAngel)


Hill. "Phnom" is the Khmer word for "hill". Built on a hill near the Mekong River, Phnom Penh is so named because it was developed from a small monastery which had been built there in 1372 by a rich Khmer woman named Penh. Phnom Penh literally means "Penh's Hill" and became the country's capital about 64 years after the monastery was built.



Tuol Sleng prison was used by the brutal Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979. What was the building used for before it became a prison?

Cambodia, Cambodia (alan03)


School. The school was transformed into Security Prison 21 (or S-21). Classrooms became prison cells and children were often used as guards. About 15,000 enemies of the Khmer Rouge were imprisoned here, all but a few dying, either here or at the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. Today Tuol Sleng is a museum - a particularly grim museum - and memorial to its victims.



The Killing Fields of Choeuong Ek can be found near which city?

Dreaming of Cambodia (DigitalAngel)


Phnom Penh. The Killing Fields of Choeuong Ek are located 15km southwest of Phnom Penh. It is estimated that around 17,000 people were killed here and over 8,000 skulls are on display at the Memorial Stupa built there in 1988. Most of the victims were detained at the Tuol Svay Prey High School prior to their execution. The Tuol Sleng museum is dedicated to the memory of these victims and to the crimes of the Khmer Rouge era.



The Cambodians celebrate a Festival of the Dead. True or false?

Dreaming of Cambodia (DigitalAngel)


t. The Cambodian people remember and pay tribute to their ancestors and deceased family members in a festival known as Pchum Ben. This is celebrated in the 9th lunar month and takes place over the period of 15 days. On the 15th day of the Festival, known as Dak Ben, villages will offer foods and gifts to the monks at their local pagoda. Another tradition in this period is to built little mountains of sand, which represent the release of sins committed in the previous year. The Festival of the Dead once lasted an entire month, but it was reduced to 15 days as many families were busy with farming.



Sihanoukville, a port city named in honour of King Norodom Sihanouk who led the Cambodians to independence in 1953 and who is once again King, is also known by which other name?

Dreaming of Cambodia (DigitalAngel)


Kompong Saom. Kompong Saom is the other name that the city of Sihanoukville is known by. Constructed in the 1950s, it has since become a beach town which attracts a number of tourists every year. Siem Reap is the city closest to the highly popular Angkor Wat temple, Tonle Bati is a city about 30km south of Phnom Penh and Banteay Srei is the name of a thousand year old temple located north of Angkor Wat.



In what year was the seaside city Kompong Som created?

Cambodian Stumpers (PotShotTim2)


1956. Kompong Som was created in 1956. The road connecting it to Phnom Penh, the capital, was not built until later though.



In the large temple of Angkor Wat, north of Siem Reap, what do the five main towers represent?

Cambodian Stumpers (PotShotTim2)


Mt. Meru. Mt. Meru is the center of the universe in Hindu mythology.



In Cambodia you will have no problem paying for things using US dollars or Thai baht. However, what is the official currency of Cambodia?

Cambodia, Cambodia (alan03)


Riel. The dong is the currency of Vietnam, the kip of Laos and the kyat of Burma (Myanmar). Although the riel is the official currency, both dollars and baht are readily accepted, particularly in areas with high numbers of tourists.



In 2004, King Norodom Sihanouk abdicated. Which of his sons succeeded him?

Cambodia, Cambodia (alan03)


Norodom Sihamoni. Norodom Sihanouk has had an eventful career. He was twice king of Cambodia as well as serving as prime minister and being exiled and imprisoned by various regimes. He returned to Cambodia in 1993 and served as king until his abdication in 2004. He was succeded by his youngest son, Norodom Sihamoni, who was chosen by a succession council.



During a traditional Cambodian wedding, the groom and bride are tied at the wrists to each other with which colour thread?

Dreaming of Cambodia (DigitalAngel)


Red. They use red coloured thread, which is often soaked in holy water. Red is the colour of happiness in many Asian cultures. A Buddhist priest would preside over the ceremony and a candle would be passed around by married guests as a way of blessing the newly wed couple.



Did Chou Takuan (the Chinese traveler) arrive in Cambodia before or after the reign of Jayavarman VII?

Cambodian Stumpers (PotShotTim2)


AFTER. Chou Takuan arrived in ancient Cambodia in 1297 and left a year later. He was impressed with the large temples, especially Bayon and Angkor Wat.



Cambodia's most famous architechtural monuments are the temples of Angkor. Which city are the Angkor ruins closest to?

Cambodia, Cambodia (alan03)


Siem Reap. Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire which was one of the dominant powers in south-east Asia from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries CE, ruling over an area that included not only modern day Cambodia but much of Laos and Thailand as well as parts of Vietnam and Burma at its height. The most famous building at Angkor is Angkor Wat which appears on the Cambodian flag and is a source of pride to most Cambodians. Today Angkor is an important source of revenue for the Cambodian economy with thousands of foreign tourists visiting every year.



Cambodia was once under French rule and it achieved independence in 1953. When is Cambodia's Independence Day celebrated?

Dreaming of Cambodia (DigitalAngel)


9th November. Cambodians celebrate their Independence Day on the 9th of November. 10th of October is the Chinese national day, while the 4th of July is America's Independence Day. 31st December is, of course, New Year's Eve.



By what name was the brutal dictator Saloth Sar better known?

Cambodia, Cambodia (alan03)


Pol Pot. Pol Pot, sometimes known as Brother Number One, was born Saloth Sar in 1925. He achieved international notoriety as the head of the Khmer Rouge which overthrew the dictatorship of General Lon Nol and instituted a Maoist agrarian revolution which was far more brutal and repressive than the regimes of either Lon Nol or King Norodom Sihanouk. Anyone considered an enemy of the revolution could be imprisoned, tortured and killed - often clubbed to death to save on bullets. All intellectuals (and simply wearing glasses could be enough to brand you an intellectual) were considered enemies of the revolution. Estimates as to the number of Cambodians murdered during the Khmer Rouge regime vary but most agree that it was over a million people. Pol Pot and his government were overthrown by the invading Vietnamese in 1979 and fled into the mountainous jungles near the Thai border. Fighting would continue until 1993. Pol Pot himself died in 1998, never having been truly brought to justice.

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