Cambodia

[kam-boh-dee-uh]

noun

1. a republic in Southeast Asia: formerly part of French Indochina. 69,866 sq. mi. (180,953 sq. km). Phnom Penh.

Cambodia

/ kæmˈbəʊdɪə /

noun

1. a country in SE Asia: became part of French Indochina in 1887; achieved self-government in 1949 and independence in 1953; civil war (1970–74) ended in victory for the Khmer Rouge, who renamed the country Kampuchea (1975) and carried out extreme-radical political and economic reforms resulting in a considerable reduction of the population; Vietnamese forces ousted the Khmer Rouge in 1979 and set up a pro-Vietnamese government who reverted (1981) to the name Cambodia; after Vietnamese withdrawal in 1989 a peace settlement with exiled factions was followed in 1993 by the adoption of a democratic monarchist constitution restoring Prince Sihanouk to the throne. The country contains the central plains of the Mekong River and the Cardamom Mountains in the SW. Official language: Khmer; French is also widely spoken. Currency: riel. Capital: Phnom Penh. Pop: 15 205 539 (2013 est). Area: 181 000 sq km (69 895 sq miles)

Cambodia

1. Nation in Southeast Asia; bordered by Laos to the north, Vietnam to the east, the Gulf of Siam to the south, and Thailand to the west and north. Phnom Penh is its capital and largest city.

The Japanese occupied Cambodia during World War II.

In 1979, Vietnam invaded Cambodia and installed a puppet government. In 1989, Vietnamese troops withdrew from Cambodia.

Part of French-ruled Indochina until 1946, it then became self-governing. It was granted full independence in 1953.

It was a major battleground of the Vietnam War.

In 1975, Cambodian communists, called the Khmer Rouge, occupied Phnom Penh and then forcibly expelled most of its population to work in the countryside. More than one million Cambodians died at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, either by outright execution or because of forced labor and deprivation.

Other Word Forms

• anti-Cambodia adjective
• pro-Cambodia adjective

Example Sentences

Katharine continued to work with the UN children's charity Unicef, and to help victims of landmines in Cambodia - but she drifted further and further away from the Royal Family.

From BBC

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who belongs to Thailand's most powerful political dynasty, was removed by the constitutional court last week for ethical violations over her handling of the border dispute with Cambodia.

From BBC

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told BBC News: "We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Cambodia and are in contact with the local authorities."

From BBC

The court said that Paetongtarn possessed a "personal relationship" that "appeared to align with Cambodia" and dismissed her claims that the call was a "personal negotiation to... bring back peace without using violence".

From BBC

Bangkok failed to get across its argument that Cambodia, whose rockets marked the first use of artillery and had killed several Thai civilians, was responsible for the escalation.

From BBC