COUNTRY PROFILE

Cambodia Flag, Capital and Country Facts

Cambodia is located in the southern mainland of Southeast Asia. Mekong and Tonle Sap shape its water landscapes, while Angkor is reminiscent of the power of former Khmer empires. The current capital Phnom Penh is further south. On the flag, Angkor Wat appears a concrete building that directly connects state signs and historical heritage.

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Cambodia Flag: Meaning & Country Facts · supplied learning collection

Cambodia at a glance

Capital: Phnom Penh
Quiz continent: Asia
Languages in reference record: Khmer
Currency: Cambodian Riel (CHR)
Population: 17,847,982 (2025, World Bank)
Area: 181,035 km²
Coastal setting: Not landlocked
ISO codes: KH / KHM
Internet country suffix: .kh

Highest mountain: Phnom Aoral, 1,810 m
Large river: Mekong
Important lake: Tonle sap
Temple area at: Siem Reap
Independence: 9 November 1953
Sea access: Gulf of Thailand

Cambodia Flag: Design, Meaning and History

The flag has a blue stripe at the top and bottom and a red stripe twice as high in the middle. In the red field stands a stylized white temple facade with three striking towers. She represents Angkor Wat. The building is thus not only a decorative coat of arms, but a recognizable historical monument.

Blue and red are traditional Cambodian colors. The temple motif connects the current national flag with the older Khmer Empire, without simply continuing its political situation. Cambodia used several very different flags in the 20th century. For the quiz, the blue-red-blue form shown here with the white Angkor-Wat motif is decisive.

Capital: Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is located at a significant confluence of the Mekong and Tonle-Sap River, near the beginning of the Bassac. The city is the political and economic center of the country. Their location makes it clear why river shipping, seasonal water levels and flood plains are so important to Cambodia’s geography.

Phnom Penh is not the city of Angkor temples: these are located near Siem Reap in the northwest. The distinction helps in learning because the most famous monument of a country does not automatically stand in its capital. Angkor represents former centers of the Khmer empire, Phnom Penh the political capital of today's state.

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Cambodia: Geography, History and Culture

Large parts of the country consist of low plains around Mekong and Tonle Sap. Edge mountains, including the Cardamom Mountains in the southwest, form a clear contrast. According to the Factbook archive, the Phnom Aoral reaches 1,810 meters. The coast opens to the Gulf of Thailand and connects the otherwise strongly inland land with the sea.

The Tonle Sap is part of an exceptional seasonal water system. In the case of high Mekong water, the direction of flow of its connecting flow can be reversed; the sea area then increases significantly. Fishing, agriculture and settlements are associated with this rhythm. The lake can therefore not be meaningfully described as water bodies with a year-round unchangeable size.

Khmer is the official language and is written in its own writing. The monuments of Angkor document Hindu and Buddhist traditions as well as extensive hydraulic engineering facilities. In the 20th century, the country experienced colonial rule, war and the violence of the Khmer Rouge. This history requires a concrete temporal arrangement; it should not be obscured by the image of an exclusively ancient temple culture.

Angkor as a Cultural Landscape

UNESCO has been protecting Angkor since 1992. The area includes many monuments and settlement remains and extends far beyond the individual temple of Angkor Wat.

Water with changing direction

The Tonle-Sap River connects Lake and Mekong. Its seasonal change of direction explains the large-scale flooding and wealth of fish habitats.

Temple on the Flag

Angkor Wat is both a cultural site and a national motif. The three-door representation is easier to see for the flag quiz than the details of the real building.