Cambodia is a small country in South East Asia. Nowadays, it is a poor country wih a government of questionable signature, huge level of corruption, struggling population and endangered environment. However, its economical growth-rate is high, infrastructure improves yearly, the country is fairly safe, and, guarded by its religion, the population is progressively positive. It is amazing to see how mucht progress the country has made during the last two decades. Its biggest challenges are curtailing corruption, installing independent judges and mproving education and health care. Internationally, Cambodia is now a quiet backwater, but it used to be different. From the important and technically highly civilized Khmer empire leaving us the famous Khmer temples, to a country that has been pinched between its mighty neighbours Thailand and Vietnam. From then on, it became a French protectorate and got sucked into the Vietnam war leading to civil war, ending into year zero: the Khmer Rouge. These horrible years were followed by occupation by the Vietnamese, their withdrawal, new civil war, United Nations largest aid campaign with its own side-effect, until a fragile peace in 1997. From 2002 onwards, travellers came in ever larger numbers, spending much-wanted dollars and thereby creating the necessity for the government to increase stability and safety. From this, the country and its population has benefited largely. For ordinary people, standard of living and safety is now perhaps better than ever before. Yet, very much improvement has to be made...
Important places in Cambodia are Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Angkor and beyond, Battambang, Sihanoukville