Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Background

People In Cambodia

Most of the people who live in Cambodia are ethnic Cambodian, averaging between 90-95% of the total population making Cambodia the most homogenous country in South-East Asia.

Vietnamese make up the largest minority group with about five percent of the population and Chinese make up another one percent. With one of the highest population growth rates in Asia (2.5% per year), Cambodia had a population of a little over 11million in 1998.
Due to the Khmer Rouge rule during which residents were forced to move out of the cities, most of the population lives in rural areas, with only about a tenth living in urban areas.


The Demographics Of Cambodia

Cambodia is ethnically homogeneous(all people of different ethnic are quite similar to each other). More than 90% of its population is of Khmer origin and speaks the Khmer language, the country's official language. The remainder include Chinese, Vietnamese, Cham, Khmer Loeu, and Indians. Cambodian French, a remnant of the country's colonial past, is a dialect found in Cambodia and is frequently used in government.

The dominant religion Theravada Buddhism was suppressed by the Khmer Rouge but has since experienced a revival. Islam (5%) and Christianity (2%) are also practiced.

Civil war and its aftermath have had a marked effect on the Cambodian population. In the Cambodian population over 65, the female to male ratio is 1.6:1.UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.) has designated Cambodia the third most mined country in the world, attributing over 60,000 civilian deaths and thousands more maimed or injured since 1970 to the unexploded landmines left behind in rural areas. The majority of the victims are children herding animals or playing in the fields. Adults that survive landmines often require amputation of one or more limbs and have to resort to begging for survival. In 2006, the number of landmines casualties in Cambodia took a sharp decrease of more than 50% compared to 2005, with the number of landmines victims down from 800 in 2005 to less than 400 in 2006.

*Demographics- the statistical data of a population, esp. those showing average age, income, education, etc.

Map Of Cambodia.





Crickets are their snacks!



Dead Bodies All Scattered

Monument in reminder of the civil war for the dead at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park