Khmer civilization

Geography : Cambodia covers an area of some 181, 035 square km, which is bordered by Thailand to the West, by Vietnam to the East, by Laos to the North and by Gulf of Siam to the South. The country’s terrain mostly consists of low and flat plains which is mainly fertile by the Mekong and Tonle Sap river, whereas highland and mountains surrounded by evergreen forests lie at the North and South. Mekong river (Northeast and Southeast) and Tonle Sap (Great Lake, Central Part of Cambodia) which feed most of Cambodian population in terms of fish, crops and plant cultivation, meet the Mekong River at Phnom Penh, forming a lovely unique site for celebrating cultural and social activities every year and so for various industrialization sites. The Dangreks (Northern area), the Cardamons (Northern and Eastern) and the Elephant Mountains (Southern) provide the Kingdom with a great deal of benefits such as obscure wild monsoon which carries storms and cyclone, wildlife and various high class species of tropical trees, streams and waterfalls, and also hideouts for rebels throughout the history and other mysterious things which is worthy of taking adventure into. It is the vast celebration in the capital over three days. Water Festival also known Boat Race Festival draw in thousands of people from all walks of life to the banks of Tonle Sap and the Mekong rivers. The activity during the day is boat races said to date back to ancient time marking the victory of the Khmer powerful marine forces during the Khmer empire— and said as thanksgiving made to the spirit of Mekong river for providing the country with fertile land and a great deal of fish and so for its reverse flow. At the whole nights, people gather in the streets along the river and at the national parks to enjoy various music and dances performances and along the riverbanks to enjoy the view of the night display, the decorated lights on boats depicting the nation’s various identities and achievements. Every home at night is also seen a shrine in which pounded rice and local cake with coconut fruit are placed to please the spirit of the moon as in the name of Buddhism said to be home of the Buddha (according to Cambodian tale). Giant fireworks also display. It is a mass annual gathering bylocals and foreigners.

Religion : Thearavada Buddhism is the official religion in Cambodia which is practiced by 95 percent of the population– just like that of Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka. However, Christianity and Cham Muslim are being active and popular among a large number of population as well in the capital and provinces, showing a sign of growth. Daoism and Confuism are also commonly practiced among the Chinese people.

People : The population consists of ethnic Khmer at the largest, followed by ethnic Vietnamese, ethnic Chinese, Cham, Muslim and Hilltribes residing at far remote northeast. Most Khmers accounted for 80 percent are farmers growing rice. Vietnamese provide the country with skilled workers, while Chinese dominate most of business ownership. The hill tribes live at rural area in the northeast practicing slash and burn agriculture

Language : The Cambodian language is Khmer, which is inherited itself – and advanced in education with application of Indic languages Pali and Sangkrit from India. Also, the Khmer language is influenced by spoken and written Thai. Some technical languages are borrowed from French. However, English is commonly communicated in hotels and business compounds at present days. Climate & Seasons : Situated in the tropical zone, Cambodia is bathed in sun almost all year around. There are two main seasons: the rainy season and dry. Each season brings about a refreshing change. The humid, rainy season lasts from April to October. Temperatures range from 27-35 degrees Celsius. The hottest month is April when the temperature can reach 41 degree C these days. The cool, dry season lasts from November to March, with temperatures ranging from 17-27 degrees C. December to January is the coolest period at about 27 degrees C.

Arts : The Khmer (Cambodian) art is inherited itself together with influence by the ideas of Indians long before the existence of Khmer Empire in the 3rd century AD., Javaneses ( Indonesian) in 802 and French (1863). To deeply understand the Khmer arts, it is necessary to look at complex temples, particularly Angkor Wat, buildings, classical dances and textile (cotton and silk) industry, the products and display of which are widely available in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Apart from Angkor Wat which features uniquely arts of Cambodia, we recommend our tourists as follows while in Phnom Penh:- Cambodia Fine Art School inside the capital near the old Olympic Stadium and the Royal Palace and in adjunct to the National Museum is of a great resource for the teaching of various Khmer arts, thus a tour inside the schools would be useful for tourists to truly understand the teaching process of Khmer arts, particularly Khmer classical dances and architecture. Weaving Village located along the Mekong river— about 10 minutes away from the Mekong Island by boat, is seen impressive settings of the hand-made Khmer textile production which share the largest supplies of finest silk, cotton products in the Kingdom markets. The production is mostly done by women with patience and the weaving devices and process and the incredible role of women producing finest fabric products would greatly impress tourists.