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.

Notes

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 Words From

• an·ti-Cam·bo·di·a adjective
• pro-Cam·bo·di·a adjective

Example Sentences

Compared with neighbors Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos, Cambodia appears to have a blossoming civil society.

From The Daily Beast

Strangio is at his best when exposing what appears to be a flourishing civil society in Cambodia.

From The Daily Beast

Cambodia, with its seemingly free press, is also a haven for foreign journalists.

From The Daily Beast

Now Jennifer Adams and Fraser Mackay face a challenge: a two-week holiday in Cambodia and Vietnam.

From The Daily Beast

The brutal Khmer Rouge regime has left physical and mental scars across Cambodia.

From The Daily Beast

Pnom-Penh, the capital of Cambodia, stands on the west bank of the mighty Mekong, one hundred and seventy miles from the sea.

From Project Gutenberg

Meanwhile, in 1863, the “protection” of France was extended over the neighboring state of Cambodia.

From Project Gutenberg

In 1896 a treaty was made between these two powers, which fixed the Mekong or Cambodia River as their dividing line.

From Project Gutenberg

With him begins our real knowledge of the interior of Siam, and its partly dependent neighbors Laos and Cambodia.

From Project Gutenberg

The painter gets his gamboge, as its name implies, from Cambodia, which is tributary to their majesties of Bangkok.

From Project Gutenberg