1. Introduction to Cambodia World Studies

2. About Cambodia  Small country located in Southeast Asia.  Capital city is Phnom Penh  Population is approx. 15 million  Major religion is Buddhism  Major language is Khmer

3. Phnom Penh

4. Life in Cambodia  Cambodia is a less developed country, with the average person living on less than $10/day.  Farming is the largest sector of the economy.  Overall, conditions are improving for people living in Cambodia

5. Angkor Wat  Angkor Wat is the most popular tourist attraction in Cambodia.  Originally a Hindu temple, then became a Buddhist temple.  Largest religious monument in the world.

6. A Bloody History  In 1975, the Cambodian government was overthrown by a rebel group called the Khmer Rouge.  Led by Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge wanted to create a society that was untouched by the influences and evils of outside countries (U.S., Europe, Vietnam)  Sent urban dwellers to the countryside to work on farms.  “Year Zero”  The idea behind Year Zero is that all culture and traditions within a society would be completely destroyed and a new revolutionary culture would replace it, starting from scratch.  The Khmer Rouge also committed genocide against the people of Cambodia.

7. What is genocide?  The deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group.  The Cambodian genocide of 1975-1979, in which approximately 1.7 million people lost their lives (21% of the country's population), was one of the worst human tragedies of the last century.  Forced labor, poor medicine, execution.

8. Who was targeted?  Intellectuals (educated people)  People who spoke foreign languages  Anyone suspected to be connected to foreign governments  Former government officials  Ethnic Vietnamese, ethnic Thai, ethnic Chinese (except for those already prominent among the Khmer Rouge themselves), ethnic Chams (Muslim Cambodians), Cambodian Christians (most of whom were Roman Catholic, along with its Priesthood) and Buddhist Monks were the demographic targets of persecution

9. Pol Pot

10. The Victims