Cambodia
by Eva, Hana, and Kennedy
Population:Cambodia has a population of 15,875,587, as of 2015, with a growth of 1.58%. That is 212 people per square mile. However, 85% live in rural areas. In these rural areas are villages of about 100 to 400 people. Life expectancy is 61 years old in men and 66 years in women.
3 Most Practiced Languages:The main language in Cambodia is Khmer. It is an austro-asiatic language and related to Vietnamese, Thai, and Lao. Unlike many other languages Khmer's semantics do not depend on vocal tone. The alphabet is related to Sanskrit, one of the first written languages. Click here for more info on pronunciation and alphabet. To learn how to speak Khmer click here. Now, English is a second language, however older generations may speak French.
Major Religions:About 95% of the population of Cambodia follows Therava Buddhism, which is heavily influenced by Shaivism and Vaishnavism. Cambodian religion is also influenced by animism, Islam, Christianity, and tribal animism. Therava Buddhism follows the Buddha and believe in the Four Noble Truths. These are; The world is full of suffering.This suffering is caused by desire. There is a cure for this suffering. The cure is to get rid of desire. Buddhism is centered around rebirth and "enlightenment".
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General Geography & Environment:Cambodia is on the border of Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Cambodia's land area is 181,035. Almost 40% of the land in Cambodia is mined. Cambodia is in Southeast Asia. The terrain of Cambodia is mostly flat but have mountains in the southwest and north. The climate of Cambodia is tropical but a dry season takes place from December to April. The natural resources in Cambodia are oil and gas, timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese, phosphates and hydropower potential.
Major Ethnicities:Ethnicities-13,684,985 people, 90% of Cambodia, are Khmer. 5% of Cambodia is Vietnamese, which is 760,277 people. 1% is Chinese, which is 152,055 people and the other 4% are other ethnicities, about 608,222 people. The Khmer historically lived near the lower Mekong river.
Popular Music:Cambodia has a diverse and cultural style, while also tapping in to the modern world. Click here to see the top 30 singles in Cambodia. Some of the native instruments include the Krap, a pair of flat bamboo or hardwood sticks, the Ching, a pair of small cymbals used to mark time, the Chap, a pair of flat cymbals, the Pan, a woodblock, the Nay Pay, a Pellow, and the Singdang, small size woodblocks. The national anthem is "Nokoreach", meaning royal kingdom, by Chuon Nat/F. Perruchot and J. Jekyll.
Listen to the National Anthem |
Cambodia & Water:
For 6.3 million out of Cambodia's 14.9 million clean, safe water is not accessible. In Phnom Penh, the countries capital, 80 percent have access to clean drinking water, but only 40 percent in rural areas. These places without sufficient water are not focused on that problem, but other things such as schools and roads. While these things are important, a girl cannot go to the school when she must walk and retrieve water every day. Cambodia holds the second lowest water supply coverage in the region and the lowest sanitation coverage. Industrial runoff, human waste, or contaminants such as arsenic and E.coli bacteria contaminate most ponds or open wells. Because they have no other choices, Cambodians use this water everyday. The government of Cambodia, has the objective that, "every person in rural communities has sustained access to safe water supply and sanitation services and [is] living in a hygienic environment by 2025." In 2010, at 43 and 51 deaths per 1,000 live births, Cambodia had some of the highest infant and under-five mortality rates in the region. Cambodia's population is increasing rapidly due to people moving back because the war has stopped.
Photographs are courtesy of the following websites:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cambodia_in_Asia_(-mini_map_-rivers).svg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Cambodia.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_people https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Khmer_New_Year_GA2010-146.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ching_(instrument http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/unicef-water-03212014154522.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Cambodia#/media/File:Cambodia_Topography.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodia
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cambodia_in_Asia_(-mini_map_-rivers).svg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Cambodia.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_people https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Khmer_New_Year_GA2010-146.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ching_(instrument http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/unicef-water-03212014154522.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Cambodia#/media/File:Cambodia_Topography.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodia