ABSTRACT
Cambodia is situated in the central-south of the Indochina peninsula adjoining Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. It is 181,000 square kilometres in size and has a population of around 14.8 million who mostly adhere to Theravada Buddhism. Formerly a great Hindu empire, its culture still plays an important role in the country. The ethnic breakdown of the population shows an overwhelming majority of Khmers, with a minority yet sizeable representation of Vietnamese and Chinese ethnic groups. Due to its geographical location, Cambodia has historically been periodically drawn into conflicts involving warring polities of Vietnam and Thailand. This lasted until 1863, when King Norodom sought protection from France, and Cambodia became a French protectorate.
