Vegetation of Southeast Asia Studies of Forest Types 1963-1965

CAMBODIA
Cambodia is em ancient country named after Kambu, the mythical
founder of the Khmer race who inhabit it. The country has suffered
many vicissitues in its long history, and has seen the'rice and fail
of diverse civilizations. It cane under French domination in the
19th century when it was incorporated as a part of the French Union
of Indochina. Only since World War II has it emerged as a newly independent
kingdom, following the breakup of the Union.
Bordered on the north b> Laos, on the west by Thailand, and on
the east and southeast by South Vietnam, it has an area of about
66,800 square miles, roughly the size of the State of • V.'rxshin^lon or
South Dakota. It is a relatively compact country, extending about
350 miles (560 kms.) from east"bo west, and in Its north-south axis
it varies from 150 miles (250 kms.) in the east to 280 miler, (460 kms.)
in the west. The central plain, an alluvial plateau bordering on the
Mekong river and Tonic* Sap (Great Lake), covers about three-fourths
of the country. To the south and west there is- a hi^h plateau,
flanked by the E3.epha.nt Mountain Chain extending to the Gulf of Thailand.
In the west and north the.Cardomora and Dan.^rek Mountain
ranges extend along the border of Thailand. Tlie Moi plateau, to the
east, is inhabited by more than 50,COC primitive hill people.
The Mekong river enters Cambodia from southern lads and traverses
the country in a southerly direction before it enters Couth Vietnam.
Tonl^ Gap, or Great Lake, is an important geographical feature. Once
an arm of the sea, this lar.3e like is now linked with tne Mekong
river by a channel at Phno:. Penh. During the rainy season, the waters
of the Mekong flow into .this lake and increase its area to about 770
square miles. In the cury season, however, the current i^ reversed
and the lake is reduced to approximately 100 squre miles. This is
surrounded, by wet, fertile .lanu adniraoly auited for rice cultivation.
The lake teems with fish, so that ar. extensive fishing industry uat;
developed in the area.
Population; The population of Cambodia is estimated to be about
5 mULlicns and is said to be increasing at the rate of 2.2 percent
per annum. The population density, of about 75 inhabitants per 'square
mile, is low for this part of the world, and the country is considered
to be underpopulated. More than cO percent of the inhabitants arc
of Cambodian or Khmer stock{ 6 percent, Vietnamese; 5 percent,
Chinese; and an unknown number of Chamo (Cambodian Moslems) and hill
tribe people. Europeans, mostly French, formerly numbered about "Ive
thousand. The heaviest concentration of population is in the river
areas. The Provinces of Kandal, which includes the capital Phnom
Penh, Kompong Cham, and Prey Venn have the densest population.
Although they still represent only a small percentage of the population,
the Vietnamese have been immigrating into Cambodia since the
b2