About Khmer People
Khmer People is about 14.86 million (2012) which about 90-95 percent of all populations. They speak Khmer Languages which known as is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia.
The majority of the Khmer are followers of the Khmer style of Buddhism, a highly syncretic version which blends elements of Theravada Buddhism, Hinduism, animism and ancestor-spirit worship.
Khmer People is about 14.86 million (2012) which about 90-95 percent of all populations. They speak Khmer Languages which known as is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia.
The majority of the Khmer are followers of the Khmer style of Buddhism, a highly syncretic version which blends elements of Theravada Buddhism, Hinduism, animism and ancestor-spirit worship. Significant populations of Khmers reside in adjacent areas of Thailand (Khmer Leu) and the Mekong Delta region of neighboring Vietnam (Khmer Krom).
About 10 percent of the population lives in Phnom Penh, the capital, making Cambodia largely a country of rural dwellers, farmers and artisans. The majority of the Cambodian are living permanently along the bodies of water in the Tonle Sap Basin-Mekong and Tonlesap Lake region. The Khmer Loeu live in widely scattered villages that are abandoned when the cultivated land in the vicinity is exhausted. The permanently settled Khmer and Cham villages usually located on or near the banks of a river or other bodies of water. Cham villages usually are made up almost entirely of Cham, but Khmer villages, especially in central and in southeastern of Cambodia.
From the History:
Khmers (Cambodia Today); begin its history by founders of the kingdom of Kambuja, the Brahman
Sage_Kambu_Swayambhuva and the naga princess Mera’s names, is said to have given rise to the name Khmer.
Migrations into the mainland regions of Southeast Asia from the north continued well into historic times. Most scholars believe Khmers came at least 3,000 years ago, much earlier than Tai people who now inhabit many parts of what was originally Austroasiatic territory. The reason they migrated into Southeast Asia is generally debated, but scholars believe that Mon–Khmer were pushed down by invading Sino-Tibetans from the north as evident by Austroasiatic vocabulary in Chinese or because of agricultural purposes as evident by their migration routes along major rivers. The Khmer are relatives to the Mon who settled further to the west.
After establishment in Southeast Asia, the history of the Khmers began the history of Cambodia. Like the other early peoples of Southeast Asia such as the Pyu, Mon, Cham, Malay and Javanese, the Khmer were influenced by Indian and Sri Lankan traders and scholars, adopting their religions, sciences, and customs and borrowing from their languages.
The Khmer also acquired the concept of the Shaivite Deva Raja (God-King) and the great temple as a symbolic holy mountain. Although Cambodian kingdoms waxed and waned and were eventually eclipsed, the Cambodian penchant for building temples of stone throughout their kingdoms left monuments still extant today.
Geography of Cambodia
The kingdom of Cambodia is located in the south of Indochina peninsula and in the heart of Southeast Asia, making it a natural gateway to Laos, Thailand, Indochina, Myanmar and Vietnam. Its shape and geography divide into four natural regions : the mountains and forests in the North; the vast rice fields of the Central Plains; the semi-arid farm lands of the Northeast plateau; and the tropical islands and long coastline of the peninsula South.
The kingdom of Cambodia is located in the south of Indochina peninsula and in the heart of Southeast Asia, making it a natural gateway to Laos, Thailand, Indochina, Myanmar and Vietnam. Its shape and geography divide into four natural regions : the mountains and forests in the North; the vast rice fields of the Central Plains; the semi-arid farm lands of the Northeast plateau; and the tropical islands and long coastline of the peninsula South.
Cambodia’s two dominant topographical features are the Mekong River system is almost 5km wide in places, and the Tonlé Sap lake. The Mekong River, which rises in Tibet, flows about 486km through Cambodia before continuing, via southern Vietnam, to the South China Sea. At Phnom Penh, it splits into the Upper River (Tonle Mekong Leu) and the Lower River (The Bassac River or Tonle Mekong Krom). Tonlé Sap Lake is linked to the Mekong at Phnom Penh by a 100km-long channel knon as the Tonlé Sap river. From mi-May to early October (the Rainy Season) the level of the Mekong rised, backing up the Tonlé Sap river and causing it to flow north-west into the Tonlé Sap lake. During the dry season, the Tonlé Sap river reversed its flow, draining the waters of the lake back into the Mekong. This extraordinary process makes the Tonlé Sap lake one of the world’s richest sources of freshwater fish. It is estimated that the lake provides alivelihood for about 40% of the Cambodian population and its fish provide almost 60% of the country try’s fish protein intake.
The country consists of 24 provinces that are further divided into districts, sub districts and villages. Phnom Penh is the capital city and centre of political, commercial, industrial and cultural activities. It is also the seat of Cambodia’s revered Royal Family, with His Majesty the King recognized as Head of State, Upholder of the Buddhist religion and Upholder of all religions.
Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy with His Majesty the King recognised as Head of State, Upholder of the Buddhist religion and Upholder of all religions. Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy with His Majesty King Norodom Shihanouk, the ninth king of the Chakri Dynasty, the present king. The King has reigned for more than half a century, making him the longest reigning khmer monarch. Cambodia clinch a rich diversity of cultures and traditions. With its proud history, tropical climate and renowned hospitality, the Kingdom is a never-ending source of fascination and pleasure for international visitors.