Cambodia

American  

[kam-boh-dee-uh] / kæmˈboʊ di ə /

noun

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

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Cambodia British  

/ 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)

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Cambodia Cultural  

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.

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Discover More

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

Asiana Airlines, the country’s second-largest carrier, temporarily halted more than a dozen round-trip flights to China and Cambodia through May.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Ly Yong Phat, Try Pheap and Kok An are all wealthy and powerful figures who have been sanctioned overseas, yet continue to live comfortably in Cambodia.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

The Thai military brought us there because they said they wanted the world to see just how big the scam industry had become in Cambodia.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

Its passage aimed to "send a message to cyber scammers that Cambodia is not a place to do scams".

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

The men say that the Youns have liberated Cambodia and saved us all from the murderous Pol Pot.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung