Few nations have experienced the heights and depths of human endeavour as has
Cambodia. In two millennia, it has risen to create one of the world's
most brilliant cultures and fallen to the abyss of the Killing Fields genocide
of the Khmer Rouge.
For the visitor, it is a fascinating land of contrasts, inhabited by a gentle
people, who are a study in survival and whose art is an inspiration.
Half the size of neighbouring Vietnam, Cambodia is a fertile plain of rice
and rubber bound by two mountain ranges and dominated by the mighty Mekong River
and the enormous Tonle Sap Lake that feeds its predominantly fishing and farming
population.
The capital, Phnom Penh, lies in the central region along the Tonle Sap
River, but the heart of Khmer civilization is at Angkor. There, ancient kings
created a stone city dedicated to the gods, a brilliant display of architecture
and carving that ranks among the world's great cultural wonders.