 The
most recent census, conducted by 70,000 Cambodian
officials in March 2008, is expected to indicate a
population of over 14.5 million people. The most
populated locale is Kampong Cham province, followed
by Phnom Penh city and Kandal province,
respectively.
This is the third census in 50 years. In 1962,
during the era of Prince Norodom Sihanouk’s Sangkum
Reastr Niyum, there were 11.4 million people in the
Kingdom. In 1998, after many years of civil war and
Khmer Rouge genocide, a census indicated that the
country was inhabited by 13.4 million people.
The official statistics from the census will be
released in September 2008, and the final results
will be published in late 2009.
90 percent of the Cambodian population is ethnic
Khmer and Khmer is the official language. Remnants
of the country’s colonial past can be heard in the
use of Cambodian French in some government
gatherings. Most Cambodians who are not farmers,
particularly of rice, or fishermen work in the
garment, tourist, or construction industries.
50 percent of the population is under the age of 25
and there is less than one male per female, mainly
due to the effect of civil war in recent decades.
The favorite sport of Cambodians is football
(soccer) and the country has a national team. The
people also enjoy a traditional form of wrestling,
martial arts (Bokator), and kick-boxing (Pradal
Serey).
 Cambodia
is the successor state to the Hindu and Buddhist
Khmer Empire. Today’s Cambodians are mainly
Theravada Buddhists and celebrate the religious
holidays and rituals for birth, death, and marriage.
Because of their Buddhist faith, relics play an
important role in Cambodian culture.
Khmer culture is hierarchical; the older a person is
the more revered they are. The family elders are
celebrated and taken care of when their children are
called upon to do so. It is typical to see large
extended families living together in rural Cambodia.
Cambodians also pay homage to their ancestors at
monasteries and shrines.
Khmer architecture once influenced nearby Laos and
Thailand, which is seen particularly in the temples.
Examples of this are Bayon and Angkor Wat. Elements
of Cambodian culture have also been absorbed by the
Chinese and Javanese cultures. The krama is the
traditional clothing of Cambodia. It is a checkered
scarf that distinguishes the Khmer from their
neighbors. This scarf serves many purposes and it is
used or worn in many ways.
One thing to remember if visiting Cambodia, is that
it is considered taboo to point the feet at the head
and disrespectful to sleep with your feet pointing
towards a person’s head. In Khmer culture it is
believed that the head is home to the soul. As the
lowest part of the body, the feet are considered
impure. |
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