CLIMATE

The hottest months in Cambodia are April and May, when the temperature is generally around 36 degrees C (98 degrees F). The coolest months are January and December, when the temperature is rarely more than 20 degrees C (68 degrees F). Southwest monsoons that blow between May and October bring the rainy season. Even during this wet season it rarely rains in the morning; most precipitation comes in the afternoon, and even then only sporadically. The driest months are November through February.

HISTORY

Cambodia gained independence from France on November 9, 1953. It became a constitutional monarchy under King Norodom Sihanouk. He was ousted in 1970 by a military coup led by Prime Minister General Lon Nol and Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak, while on a trip abroad. From Beijing, Sihanouk realigned himself with the communist Khmer Rouge rebels who had slowly been gaining territory in the remote mountain regions and urged his followers to help in overthrowing the pro-United States government of Lon Nol. The Khmer Rouge reached Phnom Penh and took power in 1975, changing the official name of the country to Democratic Kampuchea, led by Pol Pot. They immediately evacuated the cities and sent the entire population on forced marches to rural work projects. Approximately two million people were killed by the Khmer Rouge regime. This era has given rise to the term Killing Fields and the prison Tuol Sleng became as notorious as Auschwitz in the history of mass killing. Hundreds of thousands more fled across the border into neighboring Thailand.

In November 1978, Vietnam invaded Cambodia to stop Khmer Rouge incursions across the border and the genocide in Cambodia. Violent occupation and warfare between the Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge holdouts continued throughout the 1980s. Peace efforts began in Paris in 1989, culminating two years later in October 1991 in a comprehensive peace settlement. The United Nations was given a mandate to enforce a ceasefire, and deal with refugees and disarmament. The brutality of the 1970s and the 1980s included the destruction of the cultural, economic, social, and political life of Cambodia.

In 1997, Prince Ranarith came to power in an election. However, Hun Sen, and his army, removed Prince Ranarith and he made himself Prime Minister. Hun Sen was re-elected in July 2008 following a turbulent political campaign. Many Cambodians credit Hun Sen with guiding their country to become one of Asia's newest investment hot spots as he opened Cambodia's doors to foreign investors. While there have been notable improvments in living standards and economic growth, there is concern that political instability and corruption will interfere with continued growth.

 TEMPLES OF ANGKOR

The temples of Angkor rate among the foremost architectural wonders of the world. The 100 or so monuments were built between the 9th and 14th centuries when Khmer civilization was at the height of its creativity. Between the 12th and 13th centuries, Angkor (near modern day Siem Reap) held more than 500,000 people in an area of 400 square miles. (The largest European cities at the time had populations in the tens of thousands.) Most of Angkor was suburban neighborhoods that supported homes, rice fields, and small temples. A system of canals and resevoirs made this spread possible. With the exception of Angkor Wat, which was restored for use as a Buddhist shrine in the 16th century by the Khmer royalty, the monuments of Angkor were left to the jungle for many centuries. The first major restoration job was carried out in 1930 with Angkor Wat's restoration occuring in the 1960s. Angkor has been under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) since 1992 as a World Heritage Site. Millions of tourists are now flocking to see this ancient wonder and archeological treasure.