ns consider themselves to be Khmers, descendants of the
Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached
its zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. Attacks by the Thai
and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire, ushering in
a long period of decline. The king placed the country under French
protection in 1863 and it became part of French Indochina in 1887.
Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia gained full
independence from France in 1953. In April 1975, after a five-year
struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh and
evacuated all cities and towns. At least 1.5 million Cambodians died
from execution, forced hardships, or starvation during the Khmer
Rouge regime under POL POT. A December 1978 Vietnamese invasion
drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year
Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war.
The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a
ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge.
UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of
normalcy under a coalition government. Factional fighting in 1997
ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national
elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition
government and renewed political stability. The remaining elements
of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the remaining
Khmer Rouge leaders are awaiting trial by a UN-sponsored tribunal
for crimes against humanity. Elections in July 2003 were relatively
peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending
political parties before a coalition government was formed. In
October 2004, King SIHANOUK abdicated the throne due to illness and
his son, Prince Norodom SIHAMONI, was selected to succeed him. Local
elections were held in Cambodia in April 2007, and there was little
in the way of pre-election violence that preceded prior elections.
National elections are scheduled for July 2008.

Geography
Cambodia

Location:

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand,
Vietnam, and Laos

Geographic coordinates:

13 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 181,040 sq km
land: 176,520 sq km
water: 4,520 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Oklahoma

Land boundaries:

total: 2,572 km
border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km,