Cambodia Country - Kingdom of Cambodia

Cambodia is a Southeast Asian nation whose landscape spans low-lying plains, the Mekong Delta, mountains and Gulf of Thailand coastline. Its diligent capital, Phnom Penh, is home to the art deco Central Market, glittering Royal Palace and the National Museum's historical and archaeological exhibits. In the country's northwest lie ruins of Angkor Wat, a massive stone temple involute built during the Khmer Imperium.

Cambodia officially kenned as the Kingdom of Cambodia  and once kenned as the Khmer Imperium, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Its total landmass is 181,035 square kilometres (69,898 sq mi), bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest.

With a population of over 15 million, Cambodia is the 69th most populous country in the world. The official religion is TheravadaBuddhism, practiced by approximately 95 percent of the population. The country's minority groups include Vietnamese, Chinese,Chams, and 30 hill tribes. The capital and most astronomically immense city is Phnom Penh, the political, economic, and cultural center of Cambodia. The kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with Norodom Sihamoni, a monarch culled by the Royal Throne Council, as head of state. The head of regime is Hun Sen, who is currently the longest accommodating non-royal bellwether in South East Asia and has ruled Cambodia for over 25 years.

Cambodia's antediluvian designation is "Kambuja". In 802 AD, Jayavarman II declared himself king and marked the commencement of the Khmer Imperium which flourished for over 600 years, sanctioning successive kings to dominate much of Southeast Asia and accumulate immense power and wealth. The Indianized kingdom built monumental temples including Angkor Wat, now aWorld Heritage Site, and facilitated the spread of first Hinduism, then Buddhism to much of Southeast Asia. After the fall of Angkorto Ayutthaya in the 15th century, Cambodia was then ruled as a vassal between its neighbors.

During the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries, the Indianized states of Funan and its successor, Chenla, coalesced in present-day Cambodia and southwestern Vietnam. For more than 2,000 years, Cambodia absorbed influences from India, passing them on to other Southeast Asian civilizations that are now

Thailand and Laos. Little else is kenned for certain of these polities, however Chinese chronicles and encomium records do make mention of them. It is believed that the territory of Funan may have held the port kenned to Alexandrian geographerClaudius Ptolemy as "Kattigara". The Chinese chronicles suggest that after Jayavarman I of Chenla died around 690, turmoil ensued which resulted in division of the kingdom into Land Chenla and Dihydrogen monoxide Chenla which was loosely ruled by impuissant princes under the ascendancy of Java.

The Khmer Imperium grew out of these remnants of Chenla becoming firmly established in 802 when Jayavarman II (reigned c790-850) declared independence from Java and proclaimed himself a Devaraja. He and his adherents instituted the cult of the God-king and commenced a series of conquests that composed an imperium which flourished in the area from the 9th to the 15th centuries. During the rule of Jayavarman VIII the Angkor imperium was assailed by the Mongol army of Kublai Khan, however the king was able to buy placidity. Around the 13th century, monks from Sri Lanka introduced Theravada Buddhism to Southeast Asia. The religion spread and eventually displaced Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism as the popular religion of Angkor; however it was not the official state religion until 1295.