Western Sahara (2008) | Cambodia (2003) | |
Administrative divisions | none (under de facto control of Morocco) | 20 provinces (khett, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities* (krong, singular and plural); Banteay Mean Cheay, Batdambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Spoe, Kampong Thum, Kampot, Kandal, Kaoh Kong, Keb*, Kracheh, Mondol Kiri, Otdar Mean Cheay, Pailin*, Phnum Penh*, Pouthisat, Preah Seihanu*, Preah Vihear, Prey Veng, Rotanah Kiri, Siem Reab, Stoeng Treng, Svay Rieng, Takev |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)
15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years: 39.3% (male 2,606,568; female 2,557,736)
15-64 years: 57.6% (male 3,599,216; female 3,962,520) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 148,287; female 250,437) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish | rice, rubber, corn, vegetables |
Airports | 9 (2007) | 21 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007) |
total: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
total: 16
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 181,040 sq km
land: 176,520 sq km water: 4,520 sq km |
Area - comparative | about the size of Colorado | slightly smaller than Oklahoma |
Background | Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since August 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met three times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, with a fourth round of negotiations planned for March 2008. | Following a five-year struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh in 1975 and ordered the evacuation of all cities and towns; over 1 million displaced people died from execution or enforced hardships. A 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside and touched off almost 20 years of fighting. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy as did the rapid diminishment of the Khmer Rouge in the mid-1990s. A coalition government, formed after national elections in 1998, brought renewed political stability and the surrender of remaining Khmer Rouge forces in 1998. |
Birth rate | NA 39.95 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 27.28 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
revenues: $396 million
expenditures: $607 million, including capital expenditures of $254 million (2001 est.) |
Capital | none
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Phnom Penh |
Climate | hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew | tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 1,110 km | 443 km |
Constitution | - | promulgated 21 September 1993 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Cambodia
conventional short form: Cambodia local long form: Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea local short form: Kampuchea former: Khmer Republic, Kampuchea Republic |
Currency | - | riel (KHR) |
Death rate | NA | 9.26 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $829 million (1999 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none | chief of mission: Ambassador Charles Aaron RAY
embassy: 27 EO Street 240, Phnom Penh mailing address: Box P, APO AP 96546 telephone: [855] (23) 216-436/438 FAX: [855] (23) 216-437/811 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none | chief of mission: Ambassador ROLAND ENG
chancery: 4530 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-7742 FAX: [1] (202) 726-8381 |
Disputes - international | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria | completed boundary demarcation with Thailand; accuses Vietnam of moving and destroying boundary markers and encroachments, initiating border incidents; accuses Thailand of preventing access to Preah Vihear temple ruins awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962; maritime boundary with Vietnam hampered by dispute over offshore islands |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $548 million pledged in grants and concessional loans for 2001 by international donors |
Economy - overview | Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara. | Cambodia's economy slowed dramatically in 1997-1998 due to the regional economic crisis, civil violence, and political infighting. Foreign investment and tourism fell off. In 1999, the first full year of peace in 30 years, progress was made on economic reforms and growth resumed at 5.0%. Despite severe flooding, GDP grew at 5.0% in 2000, 6.3% in 2001, and 5.2% in 2002. Tourism was Cambodia's fastest growing industry, with arrivals up 34% in 2000 and up another 40% in 2001 before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US. Even given these stout growth estimates, the long-term development of the economy after decades of war remains a daunting challenge. The population lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic infrastructure. Fear of renewed political instability and corruption within the government discourage foreign investment and delay foreign aid. The government is addressing these issues with assistance from bilateral and multilateral donors. |
Electricity - consumption | 79.05 million kWh (2005) | 110.6 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 85 million kWh (2005) | 119 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 65%
hydro: 35% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m
highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m |
Environment - current issues | sparse water and lack of arable land | illegal logging activities throughout the country and strip mining for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand have resulted in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in particular, destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural fisheries); soil erosion; in rural areas, a majority of the population does not have access to potable water; toxic waste delivery from Taiwan sparked unrest in Kampong Saom (Sihanoukville) in December 1998 |
Environment - international agreements | party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping |
Ethnic groups | Arab, Berber | Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4% |
Exchange rates | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.2827 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003) | riels per US dollar - 3,912.08 (2002), 3,916.33 (2001), 3,840.75 (2000), 3,807.83 (1999), 3,744.42 (1998) |
Executive branch | none | chief of state: King Norodom SIHANOUK (reinstated 24 September 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister HUN SEN (since 30 November 1998) and Deputy Prime Ministers SAR KHENG (since 1993) and TOL LAH (since 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is chosen by a Royal Throne Council; following legislative elections, a member of the majority party or majority coalition is named prime minister by the Chairman of the National Assembly and appointed by the king |
Exports | 0 bbl/day (2004) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | phosphates 62% | timber, garments, rubber, rice, fish |
Exports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) | US 60.2%, Germany 9.1%, UK 7.1%, Singapore 4.4% (2002) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | - | three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (double width), and blue with a white three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat outlined in black in the center of the red band |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $20.42 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: 40% |
agriculture: 40%
industry: 20% services: 40% (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $1,600 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 4.5% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 24 30 N, 13 00 W | 13 00 N, 105 00 E |
Geography - note | the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas | a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap |
Heliports | - | 2 (2002) |
Highways | - | total: 12,323 km
paved: 1,996 km unpaved: 10,327 km (2000 est) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 33.8% (1997) |
Illicit drugs | - | narcotics-related corruption reportedly involving some in the government, military, and police; possible small-scale opium, heroin, and amphetamine production; large producer of cannabis for the international market; vulnerable to money laundering due to its cash-based economy and porous borders |
Imports | 1,698 bbl/day (2004) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs | petroleum products, cigarettes, gold, construction materials, machinery, motor vehicles |
Imports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) | Thailand 24.8%, Singapore 16.9%, China 12.1%, Hong Kong 10.9%, South Korea 5.5%, Vietnam 5.2% (2002) |
Independence | - | 9 November 1953 (from France) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 16% (2001 est.) |
Industries | phosphate mining, handicrafts | tourism, garments, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total: 75.94 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 84.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 66.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | 3.3% (2002 est.) |
International organization participation | none | ACCT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 2 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | 2,700 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | - | Supreme Council of the Magistracy (provided for in the constitution and formed in December 1997); Supreme Court (and lower courts) exercises judicial authority |
Labor force | 12,000 | 6 million (1998 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 50%
industry and services: 50% |
agriculture 80% (2001 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km |
total: 2,572 km
border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km |
Land use | arable land: 0.02%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005) |
arable land: 20.96%
permanent crops: 0.61% other: 78.43% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic | Khmer (official) 95%, French, English |
Legal system | - | primarily a civil law mixture of French-influenced codes from the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) period, royal decrees, and acts of the legislature, with influences of customary law and remnants of communist legal theory; increasing influence of common law in recent years |
Legislative branch | - | bicameral consists of the National Assembly (122 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Senate (61 seats; two members appointed by the monarch, two elected by the National Assembly, and 57 elected by "functional constituencies"; members serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly - last held 27 July 2003 (next to be held in July 2007); Senate - last held 2 March 1999 (next to be held in 2004) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CPP 47%, SRP 22%, FUNCINPEC 21%, other 10%; seats by party - CPP 73, FUNCINPEC 26, SRP 24; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CPP 31, FUNCINPEC 21, SRP 7, other 2 (2003) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population: 57.92 years
male: 55.49 years female: 60.47 years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | NA | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 69.9% male: 80.5% female: 60.3% (2003 est.) |
Location | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco | Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos |
Map references | Africa | Southeast Asia |
Maritime claims | contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue | contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | total: 527 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,328,371 GRT/3,294,028 DWT
ships by type: bulk 49, cargo 412, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 4, container 17, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 2, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 11, roll on/roll off 7, short-sea passenger 2 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Aruba 1, Belize 11, Bulgaria 3, Cambodia 194, Canada 4, China 25, Cyprus 14, Egypt 10, Estonia 2, France 1, Georgia 1, Germany 1, Gibraltar 1, Greece 13, Honduras 8, Hong Kong 12, Iceland 1, Indonesia 2, Iran 1, Ireland 1, Italy 2, Japan 2, Jordan 1, North Korea, 1, South Korea, 25, Latvia 3, Lebanon 6, Liberia 7, Malaysia 1, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 4, Netherlands 1, Norway 1, Panama 10, Romania 2, Russia 75, Saint Kitts and Nevis 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Singapore 17, Syria 20, Turkey 18, Ukraine 16, United Arab Emirates 3, United Kingdom 1, United States 5, Vietnam 3 (2002 est.) |
Military branches | - | Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF): Army, Navy, Air Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $112 million (FY01 est.) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 3% (FY01 est.) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 3,275,533 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 1,829,535 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 165,395 (2003 est.) |
National holiday | - | Independence Day, 9 November (1953) |
Nationality | noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
noun: Cambodian(s)
adjective: Cambodian |
Natural hazards | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility | monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts |
Natural resources | phosphates, iron ore | timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential |
Net migration rate | - | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | - | Buddhist Liberal Party or BLP [IENG MOULY]; Cambodian Pracheachon Party or Cambodian People's Party or CPP [CHEA SIM]; Khmer Citizen Party or KCP [NGUON SOEUR]; National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia or FUNCINPEC [Prince NORODOM RANARIDDH]; Sam Rangsi Party or SRP (formerly Khmer Nation Party or KNP) [SAM RANGSI] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 382,617
note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.) |
13,124,764
note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 36% (1997 est.) |
Population growth rate | NA | 1.8% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Kampong Saom (Sihanoukville), Kampot, Krong Kaoh Kong, Phnom Penh |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 7, FM 3, shortwave 3 (1999) |
Railways | - | total: 602 km
narrow gauge: 602 km 1.000-m gauge (2002) |
Religions | Muslim | Theravada Buddhist 95%, other 5% |
Sex ratio | NA | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
general assessment: adequate landline and/or cellular service in Phnom Penh and other provincial cities; rural areas have little telephone service
domestic: NA international: adequate but expensive landline and cellular service available to all countries from Phnom Penh and major provincial cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) |
Telephones - main lines in use | about 2,000 (1999 est.) | 21,800 (mid-1998) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (1999) | 80,000 (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | 6 (2003) |
Terrain | mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast | mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north |
Total fertility rate | NA | 3.58 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 2.8% (1999 est.) |
Waterways | - | 3,700 km
note: navigable all year to craft drawing 0.6 m or less; 282 km navigable to craft drawing as much as 1.8 m |