CAPITAL PHNOM PENH - POPULATION 13.9 MILLION - AREA 176,520 SQ KM - OFFICIAL LANGUAGE KHMER
Emerging from a history of Khmer Rouge tyranny, Cambodia is one of Southeast Asia's more popular destinations. The obvious highlight is Angkor Wat, the ancient citadel of temples that has created a tourist bubble around Siem Reap and which has direct flights from Thailand and Singapore. But these flights miss the postcolonial grandeur of Phnom Penh and the beaches of Sihanoukville that some backpackers have dubbed the 'new Thailand'. Sadly the legacy of war remains, with unexploded landmines and ingrained government corruption that could swipe the nation's oil profits rather than invest in continued growth.
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