Cambodia 🇰🇭
Cambodia is a country in Asia with a population of 16,767,842. Its capital is Phnom Penh. The official currency is KHR, and the main languages are Khmer.
Quick facts
- Capital: Phnom Penh
- Continent: Asia
- Population: 16,767,842
- Area: 181,035 km²
- Density: 92.6 people per km²
- Currency: KHR
- Languages: Khmer
- ISO code: KH
Where Cambodia sits
Cambodia 🇰🇭 is one of 48 countries in Asia, with its capital at Phnom Penh. It covers 181,035 square kilometres — 88th in the world — and is home to about 16,767,842 people, 73rd globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Cambodia compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Cambodia sits closest to Zimbabwe and Senegal. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Syria and Uruguay.
At 92.6 people per square kilometre it is somewhat above the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.
Khmer is listed as official in Cambodia alone. The KHR is used by Cambodia and no one else.
To see Cambodia next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Cambodia
Phnom Penh stands where the Tonlé Sap river meets the Mekong, and its old name Krong Chaktomuk means 'city of Brahma's faces'. After independence it earned the nickname 'Pearl of Asia'. For the flag, a white temple, Angkor Wat, on a red band.
The flag of Cambodia: blue, red and white
🇰🇭 The flag is three horizontal stripes of blue, red (twice as wide) and blue, with a white three-towered temple in the centre. The temple is Angkor Wat. Red and blue are traditional Cambodian colours.
Region and neighbours
Cambodia is a country in mainland Southeast Asia, on the Gulf of Thailand, with a low plain around the Mekong river and the Tonlé Sap lake. It shares land borders with 3 countries: Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.
- Thailand 🇹🇭 — capital Bangkok
- Laos 🇱🇦 — capital Vientiane
- Vietnam 🇻🇳 — capital Hanoi
Three facts about Cambodia
- Angkor Wat is the most famous of the vast building projects of the Khmer Empire, which was centred on Cambodia for about 600 years.
- Tonlé Sap is Southeast Asia's largest lake.
- Khmer is the official language and script of Cambodia.
Sources: Wikipedia: Cambodia, Wikipedia: Flag of Cambodia, Wikipedia: Phnom Penh, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Cambodia
- Asian capitals quiz — match Cambodia to Phnom Penh
- Asian flags quiz — spot the Cambodia flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include Cambodia
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Cambodia those are:
- Asia map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Asia flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Asia capitals quiz — match it to Phnom Penh
- Cambodia capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Cambodia
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Cambodia
- Capital of Cambodia: Phnom Penh — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 48 countries of Asia
Nearby countries
- Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
- Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
- Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
- Bahrain 🇧🇭 — capital Manama
- Bangladesh 🇧🇩 — capital Dhaka
- Bhutan 🇧🇹 — capital Thimphu
- Brunei 🇧🇳 — capital Bandar Seri Begawan
- China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
- Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
- India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
- Indonesia 🇮🇩 — capital Jakarta
- Iran 🇮🇷 — capital Tehran
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Cambodia flag?
The flag of Cambodia is three horizontal stripes of blue, red (twice as wide) and blue, with a white three-towered temple in the centre. The temple is Angkor Wat. Red and blue are traditional Cambodian colours.
Which countries border Cambodia?
Cambodia shares land borders with Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.
How can I remember the capital of Cambodia?
Phnom Penh stands where the Tonlé Sap river meets the Mekong, and its old name Krong Chaktomuk means 'city of Brahma's faces'. After independence it earned the nickname 'Pearl of Asia'. For the flag, a white temple, Angkor Wat, on a red band.