Kampuchea
Old name, Cambodia
Kampuchea is the native Khmer name for Cambodia.
In English, it primarily refers to the country during the period of the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–1979), officially called Democratic Kampuchea, when the brutal government caused the deaths of nearly two million people through execution, forced labor, and famine.
The name persisted under the Vietnamese-backed People's Republic of Kampuchea until 1989, when the country reverted to Cambodia in English usage.
Massive Khmer temple complex
- templeSacred worship structure
- bas-reliefSculpture projecting slightly
- apsaraDivine dancer of heaven
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
towers · moat · carvings · stone · archaeology · Jayavarman VII · Vishnu · UNESCO
- genocideSystematic annihilation of a people
- killing fieldsSites of mass execution
- cadreCore of trained personnel
- evacuationRemoval from danger
agrarian · purge · famine · mass graves · tribunal · reparations · survivors
Cambodia's seat of government
- MekongMajor Southeast Asian river
- rice paddyFlooded grain cultivation area
- monsoonSeasonal tropical wind pattern
- floodplainFlood-prone riverside lowland
Cambodia's dominant ethnic group
- TheravadaBuddhism of the elders
- BuddhismEnlightenment-seeking Eastern religion
- shadow puppetryPerformance using backlit figures
- pagodaTiered Asian temple tower
monks · offerings · palm sugar · fish paste
Clothing manufacturing sector
- reconstructionRebuilding after destruction
- NGOIndependent charitable organization
- povertySevere lack of resources
- developmentProgress toward maturity
tourism · tuk-tuk · corruption · opposition · microfinance · rubber plantation
Angkor Wat
Massive Khmer temple complex
- templeSacred worship structure
- bas-reliefSculpture projecting slightly
- apsaraDivine dancer of heaven
sanctuary · towers · moat · carvings · stone · archaeology · Jayavarman VII · Vishnu · UNESCO · restoration
Pol Pot
- genocideSystematic annihilation of a people
- killing fieldsSites of mass execution
- cadreCore of trained personnel
evacuation · agrarian · purge · famine · mass graves · tribunal · reparations · survivors
Phnom Penh
Cambodia's seat of government
- MekongMajor Southeast Asian river
- rice paddyFlooded grain cultivation area
- monsoonSeasonal tropical wind pattern
floodplain · tropical · Indochina · lowland · mangrove
Khmer
Cambodia's dominant ethnic group
- TheravadaBuddhism of the elders
- BuddhismEnlightenment-seeking Eastern religion
- shadow puppetryPerformance using backlit figures
pagoda · monks · offerings · palm sugar · fish paste
garment industry
Clothing manufacturing sector
- reconstructionRebuilding after destruction
- NGOIndependent charitable organization
- povertySevere lack of resources
development · tourism · tuk-tuk · corruption · opposition · microfinance · rubber plantation
- CambodiaPhnom Penh, Angkor Wat, Angkor, Khmer Rouge, Mekong River
- EndonymsDeutschland, Espana, Italia, Nippon, Eire
- Historical PlacesUSSR, Persia, Prussia, Siam, Burma
- Cambodia HistoryKhmer Rouge, Pol Pot, Phnom Penh, killing fields, year zero
Kampuchealiberal democracy
Rights-based elected governance
Switzerland · free society · open society · Sweden · Singapore