Cambodia is one of the ten nations of Southeast Asia and part of mainland Southeast Asia. It is bordered on the north by Laos and Thailand, on the west by Thailand, and on the east by Vietnam. Its geographic area is 181,040 square kilometers and it has a coastline on the Gulf of Thailand of 443 kilometers. The Mekong River flows directly through the country from north to south, eventually flowing into the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Cambodia's largest city and capital, Phnom Penh, is on the Mekong River. The other major cities in Cambodia are Battambang, Siem Reap (the gateway to Angkor Wat), and Kampong Som (Sihanoukville), Cambodia's major port.

Cambodia's population was 14.8 million in 2006. The current population growth rate is a relatively high 2.25 percent. If this population rate were to continue, the country's population would double to approximately 25 million by the year 2033. The average Cambodian woman has 4.74 children.

With such a high fertility rate and the loss of much of the adult population through the prolonged civil war, the Cambodian population is extremely young. Around 41.25 percent of the population is less than 15 years of age, and only 3.47 percent of the population is over 65. Unlike many other Southeast Asian countries such as Laos, Burma, Indonesia, and the Philippines, the Cambodian population is relatively homogenous. Approximately 90 percent of the population is Khmer, with 5 percent Vietnamese, 1 percent Chinese, and 4 percent other (Cham, Lao, Tai, and various hill peoples in northeastern areas such as Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri). Khmer is also the official language.

Type: Multi-party democracy under a constitutional monarchy.

Independence: November 9, 1953.

Constitution: September 24, 1993; amended March 6, 1999.

Branches: Executive--King Sihamoni (head of state since October 29, 2004), appointed prime minister (Hun Sen since January 14, 1985), six deputy prime ministers, 14 senior ministers, 28 ministers, 135 secretaries of state, and 146 undersecretaries of state. Legislative--National Assembly, consisting of 123 elected members; Senate, consisting of 61 members. Judicial--Supreme Court and lower courts.

Administrative subdivisions: 20 provinces and 4 municipalities.

Political parties: Ruling party--The Cambodian People's Party (CPP).

Opposition parties--The Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) and several minor parties.