Cambodia is the Southeast Asian country with a total area of 181,035 square kilometers and capital Phnom Penh.
Cambodia occupies the heart of mainland Southeast Asia, bordered by Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, with a coastline on the Gulf of Thailand. Much of the country is a low central plain shaped by the Mekong River and Tonlé Sap, the region’s largest lake. Seasonal water flows help make the surrounding plains especially important for rice cultivation.
Phnom Penh became the permanent capital in the nineteenth century and stands at the meeting point of the Mekong, Tonlé Sap, and Bassac rivers. The city is Cambodia’s political and economic center. The country’s earlier royal capitals, including Angkor and Oudong, explain why quizzes sometimes associate Cambodia with a different city. Angkor, near Siem Reap, was the core of the Khmer Empire, but it is not the modern capital.
Cambodia’s area is often presented as approximately 181,035 square kilometers. The total includes land and inland water, so figures can differ slightly when a source uses land area alone.