Interesting Facts About Cambodia – Webtekno

Cambodia, which we know as one of the countries that live on their own in Southeast Asia, has actually been involved in many political turmoil for many years and even experienced a civil war. The country that emerged from all this chaos with success, Today, it has become a place that hosts millions of visitors every year. Cambodia offers countless historical and geographical beauties to its visitors.

Of course, when you go to Cambodia, you don’t just look around, you also have a unique experience. Because The country dates back hundreds of years and it has an extremely interesting culture that has developed over time. When all these come together, the interesting information about Cambodia becomes even more astonishing.

Interesting facts about Cambodia, some of which you will hear for the first time:

• The founding of Cambodia dates back over a thousand years.
• It has one of the largest religious centers in the world.
• The Cambodian flag is one of the rare flags in the world.
• It is home to one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world.
• There is not a single McDonald’s restaurant in Cambodia.
• Cambodia begins the new year in April.
• If you don’t have a strong stomach, Cambodian food can be a bit unpleasant.
• Tuk tuk? Who’s that? Cambodian roads…

The founding of Cambodia dates back over a thousand years:

II. In 802, Jayavarman united the principalities in the region and founded a kingdom, which went down in history as the Khmer Empire. This state survived for 600 years. The empire collapsed as a result of the rebellions that started in the 15th century, and eventually it became a French colony in 1863.

As a result of years of struggle, Cambodia became independent in 1953, but A bloody civil war began in 1967. For decades, there were conflicts involving other states, and the country turned into a bloodbath. The country, which gained some stability in the late 1990s, is like a bomb ready to explode even today.

It has one of the largest religious centers in the world:

Although the official religion of Cambodia is Theravada Buddhism, there are structures of many different beliefs in the country, especially Hinduism. The most important among these is Angkor Wat is one of the largest religious centers in the world. Angkor Wat is not a building, but a huge religious center.

Angkot Vat center covers an area of ​​approximately 2 million square meters on an area of ​​400 acres. In the 12th century, King II. It is estimated that it was built by Suryavarman. Even though it was built with the belief that it was the place where Hindu gods lived, it was later converted into a Buddhist temple. In this huge area, there are undiscovered temples as well as discovered ones.

The Cambodian flag is one of the rare flags in the world:

The official flag representing Cambodia’s independence was first designed in 1948 and has been modified with recent changes. It took its current form in 1993. The flag, consisting of blue and red colors, reminds me a little of the French flag. What makes it unique is the Angkot Vat symbol on it. The flag bearing the Angkot Wat building, one of the most important symbols of Cambodia, is also one of the few flags in the world with a building symbol on it.

It is home to one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world:

If you are going to take a trip to Cambodia, one of the first stops on your route will definitely be Tonlé Sap Lake. Because this lake, located in the northwest of the country and connected to the Mekong River, It is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. Tonlé Sap Lake, with a surface area of ​​2700 square kilometers, has such high biodiversity that it was designated a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1997. Unfortunately, global climate change also threatens Tonlé Sap Lake.

There is not a single McDonald’s restaurant in Cambodia:

Even though McDonald’s, one of the world’s largest fast food restaurant chains, is opening a branch almost everywhere in the world. has yet to open a single restaurant in several countries; one of them is Cambodia. Since Cambodia was ruled by communism for many years, such capitalist brands did not enter the country’s market. After this situation changed, fast food chains such as KFC, Burger King and Pizza Hut opened in the country, but there is still no McDonald’s. McDonald’s has been saying for years that it will open a branch in Cambodia, but there has been no attempt. It is said that the reason for this situation is that the public is now accustomed to avoiding competing with other companies. Of course, there is no official statement.

Cambodia enters the new year in April:

In Khmer, the official language of Cambodia, Choul Chnam Thmey means entering the new year. It’s actually New Year’s Eve as we know it, but it’s a little different because Cambodians start the new year in April. This is because they are actually celebrating the harvest season.
New Year celebrations in the country last three days and everyone has a holiday. Weddings in Cambodia also last three days and there are non-stop parties. New Year’s Eve entertainment consists mostly of religious ceremonies, but it is still fun. Birthdays are not celebrated much in the country.

Cambodian food can be a bit unpleasant if you don’t have a strong stomach:

Actually, this is not very interesting information, after all, Cambodia is located in Southeast Asia and we can more or less guess its food. Crickets, ants and tarantulas have a special place in the local menu of Cambodians. Of course, they mostly eat dishes made of fish, vegetables and rice, but you can see skewers with fried insects like pomegranates on street stalls. If you don’t have a strong stomach, we advise you not to get involved.

Tuk tuk? Who’s that? Cambodian roads…

The fastest vehicle you can use to go from one place to another in Cambodia is motorcycles called tuk tuks. As in many Asian countries, roads in Cambodia are inadequate and traffic rules are not taken seriously. For this reason, tuk tuk vehicles are preferred instead of vehicles such as cars or buses. If you want to drive it yourself, it is possible to rent it, but instead you can use tuk tuk taxis, one of which you can see at every street corner.

After years of civil war, today We talked about interesting information, some of which you may have heard for the first time, about Cambodia, which hosts millions of tourists every year. Unless we count the bug-eating incident, it seems like it wouldn’t be bad to go and celebrate the New Year in April.