Cambodia is bordered
by Vietnam on the east and south, Thailand on
the north and west, and Laos to the north. Rich,
fertile plains touch the humid jungle, and great
rivers such as the Mekong — one of the world's
most important waterways — cross the covered
hills. An interchange of ideas flowed between
Cambodia and other cultures of the Southeast
Asian mainland, but India contributed a strong,
unifying influence through language, literature,
religion, and politics.Cambodian culture was at its height from the
seventh through the
mid-fifteenth centuries under the Khmer rulers.
Among them was King Jayavarman II (reigned
802-850), who established the Khmer ruler as a
"god-king" or devaraja, the deity who
protected the kingdom. King Suryavarman II
(reigned 1113-ca. 1150) extended the Khmer
empire through military conquests and built
numerous temples, including the monumental Hindu
temple complex Angkor Wat.
From the mid-fifteenth century onward,
neighboring countries continually attacked and
invaded Cambodia. In 1845 it was subjected to
joint Vietnamese and Thai protection, while
French colonial interests in the region began in
the 1860s. Cambodia gained independence in 1953,
which was followed by years of civil war,
communist rule, and invasion by the Vietnamese.
National elections in 1998 established political
stability.
|
