fbpx

KidsKonnect

Cambodia Facts & Worksheets

Cambodia is a country in Southeast Asia spanning from the Mekong Delta to the Gulf of Thailand coastline.

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /Social Studies /Geography /Countries /Cambodia Facts & Worksheets
Premium
Cambodia Worksheets
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

Cambodia is a country in Southeast Asia spanning from the Mekong Delta to the Gulf of Thailand coastline. Its capital and largest city, Phnom Penh, is the political, cultural, and center of Cambodia.

See the fact file below for more information on the Cambodia or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Cambodia worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ETYMOLOGY

  • The word Cambodia comes from the French word “Cambodge,” and “Kampuchea” as its direct translation.
  • The Khmer Kampuchea comes from the ancient Khmer kingdom of Kambuja, also referred to as Kambuja Desa.

GEOGRAPHY

  • Cambodia’s geographical characteristics are the low lying Central Plain that is encircled by land and low mountains including the Tonlé Sap basin (Great Lake), the lower Mekong River floodplains and the Bassac River plain.
  • The river plain is surrounded by mountain ranges to the north, east, southwest, and south.
  • The central lowlands reach Vietnam to the southeast.

HISTORY

  • Cambodia has its roots in the 1st to the 6th Centuries.
  • Funan is the oldest Indianised state in Southeast Asia.
  • Funan yielded to the Angkor Empire with the rise to power of King Jayavarman II in 802 AD.
  • In the next 600 years, Khmer kings ruled much of Southeast Asia, from Myanmar to Laos.
  • From 900 to 1400 AD, the Khmer Kingdom ruled the area and was Southeast Asia’s largest empire for part of its history.
  • Their capital city was Angkor, where over 1 million people lived at the height of its regime.
  • It was during this period that the Khmer kings built the most extensive religious temples in the world, including the famous Angkor Wat temple complex.
  • This complex was 400 square kilometers, in the province of Siem Reap.
  • There were 100 temples and over 1,080 temples across the country.
  • In the 15th century, the Khmer Kingdom collapsed and never regained its glory.
  • The Japanese expelled the French in the year 1945.
  • King Sihanouk campaigned and succeeded in winning independence for Cambodia in 1953, ending 90 years of the nation under the French regime.
  • King Sihanouk became head of state.
  • The country gained full independence on November 9, 1953.
  • When Cambodia engaged in the Vietnam War, things took a turn for the worst.
  • A group called the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot gained control.
  • They forced people into horrible work conditions.
  • Around 12% of the total population was killed in the early 1970s.

CULTURE

  • Throughout nearly two thousand years, Cambodians embodied a unique Khmer belief from indigenous doctrine, that all natural objects and the universe itself, have souls.
  • They also developed the beliefs of the Indian religions, including Buddhism and Hinduism.
  • Indian culture and civilization became prominent throughout the country, including the language and arts.
  • The culture reached mainland Southeast Asia around the 1st century AD.

CLIMATE

  • Like most Southeast Asian countries, Cambodia is in the tropical zone north of the equator.
  • Cambodia has a tropical climate with warm temperatures throughout the year since it is dominated by the annual monsoon that alternates dry and wet seasons.
  • The northeast monsoon season runs from December through April, bringing the dry and hot weather in January and February.

RELIGION

  • Religion is an essential part of the everyday life of the Cambodians and can be seen by the country’s large number of temples.
  • Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religion in Cambodia, which is practiced by 95 percent of the population, just like the neighboring countries Burma, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.
  • Christians in Cambodia compose 2 percent of the population.

ECONOMY

  • As of 2017, there are 16 million people in Cambodia.
  • Cambodia is ranked one of the poorest countries in the world.
  • The per-capita income in Cambodia is low compared to other neighboring countries.
  • Cambodia’s two largest industries are tourism and textiles, while agriculture is the primary source of income for many Cambodians living in rural regions.

MORE FACTS

  • There has never been a McDonalds in Cambodia.
  • However, they do have a Burger King, KFC, and their own McDonalds equivalent called the “Lucky Burger.”
  • Birthdays are not traditionally celebrated in Cambodia, particularly in the rural regions.
  • Some older people may not even know their exact birth date but only their birthday season.
  • The Cambodian flag is the only flag in the world that has a building.
  • The building in the flag is the country’s famous Angkor Wat.
  • According to a Cambodian belief, counting a gecko’s chirp will tell you if you’ll be lucky to marry.
  • It is considered good luck if a tokay gecko lets out seven or more calls in the same room as you.
  • Cambodians are known for cooking and eating creepy crawlies such as crickets, ants, and even tarantulas.

Cambodia Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Cambodia across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Cambodia worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Cambodia which is a country in Southeast Asia spanning from the Mekong Delta to the Gulf of Thailand coastline. Its capital and largest city, Phnom Penh, is the political, cultural, and center of Cambodia.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Cambodia Facts
  • Colorful Cambodia
  • Qualities of Cambodians
  • Chronological Order
  • True or False
  • Southeast Similarities
  • Angkorian Architecture
  • Largest Cities
  • Once Upon A Time
  • Angkor Empire Comics
  • Come To Cambodia

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Cambodia Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, August 12, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources