Key Takeaways
A country shaped by water and memory
Cambodia (Asia) sits between the Mekong River system and the Gulf of Thailand (Asia), with people and farms clustered around waterways that flood, feed, and sometimes threaten.
A cultural giant in a compact map
Angkor, the heartland of the Khmer Empire, remains one of the world’s most important archaeological landscapes, and it still anchors how Cambodia (Asia) is seen abroad.
Why the fighting jumped upward
In December 2025, the Cambodia (Asia)–Thailand (Asia) border conflict surged because old border lines were never fully agreed on, temple sites carry political heat, and a fragile ceasefire collapsed under fresh accusations, military pressure, and fear.
Story & Details
Where Cambodia is, in plain sight
Cambodia (Asia) lies in mainland Southeast Asia, bordered by Thailand (Asia), Laos (Asia), and Vietnam (Asia), with a coastline on the Gulf of Thailand (Asia). It covers about 181,035 square kilometres and has an estimated population of about 16.9 million. Phnom Penh is the capital, and much of the country is low and flat, with higher ground in the southwest and north.
The water that makes the map feel alive
To understand Cambodia (Asia), it helps to start with the rivers. Near Phnom Penh, the Mekong meets the Tonle Sap system, and the Tonle Sap River can reverse its flow in the rainy season. That reversal helps expand the great lake and spread nutrients across floodplains, shaping fisheries, farming, and settlement patterns. In good years, this seasonal pulse is a kind of natural engine. In hard years, the same monsoon rhythm can bring floods, displacement, and stress.
Angkor, still doing quiet work
A few hours’ drive from the capital, Angkor spreads across a wide archaeological park of temples, reservoirs, and roads—remains of Khmer capitals from roughly the ninth to the fifteenth centuries. Angkor Wat is the headline name, but it is only one part of a larger landscape that mixes stone craft, water engineering, and living communities. For many visitors, Angkor is “Cambodia (Asia)” in one word. For many Cambodians, it is also continuity: proof that the country’s identity did not begin yesterday.
Money in daily life
Cambodia (Asia) uses the riel as its official currency, while the United States dollar (North America) is widely used and accepted in everyday transactions. On December 18, 2025, the National Bank of Cambodia posted an official exchange rate of 4010 riel per United States dollar.
The border that never fully cooled
Along the long land border with Thailand (Asia), the most sensitive points are not random. They are often places where old survey lines, steep ridges, and historic temples meet. One temple, Preah Vihear, has been a symbol and a spark for decades. Competing historic maps and treaty readings have fed rival claims, and the question is not only about land—it is also about national pride, tourism routes, and political legitimacy.
A key piece of the long story is that early twentieth-century border-making under French colonial rule in Cambodia (Asia) produced maps that later became central evidence in disputes. One historic map placed Preah Vihear on the Cambodian side, while Thailand (Asia) has argued for a watershed-based reading of earlier treaty language. The result is an argument that can sound technical on paper and feel explosive on the ground.
What changed in December 2025
By December 2025, the conflict had already been smouldering through the year, with deadly incidents, troop movements, and a ceasefire that did not settle the underlying dispute. On December 8, 2025, Thailand (Asia) said it launched air strikes against Cambodian military targets, while Cambodia (Asia) described the strikes as aggression and said it did not retaliate. Reports described heavy weapons, evacuations, and deaths that included civilians. A separate report later described hospitalised Cambodian soldiers alleging exposure to “toxic gas,” while emphasising that the claim could not be independently verified and that Thailand (Asia) denied using chemical weapons.
The pattern is familiar, even when the weapons change: a disputed line, a local clash, fast-moving accusations, and then escalation that is hard to stop because both sides fear looking weak at home.
A short Dutch mini-lesson, for real-life usefulness
Two phrases heard when people try to stay calm
Blijf rustig.
Simple use: said to someone to ask for calm, often in tense moments.
Word-by-word: blijf = stay; rustig = calm.
We moeten praten.
Simple use: said when someone wants a serious talk and a clearer plan.
Word-by-word: we = we; moeten = must; praten = talk.
Conclusions
Cambodia, beyond headlines
Cambodia (Asia) is more than a flashpoint. It is a river country with a powerful seasonal rhythm, a deep cultural inheritance, and a modern economy that mixes local currency with a widely used global one.
Why the armed escalation happened
The December 2025 surge grew out of long-running border ambiguity, temple-linked nationalism, and a ceasefire that paused violence without resolving the central dispute. Once serious incidents returned—air strikes, artillery, mass evacuation, and contested claims—momentum took over, and the border became the story again.
Selected References
[1] https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2023/countries/cambodia/
[2] https://www.unesco.org/en/mab/tonle-sap
[3] https://www.mrcmekong.org/geography/
[4] https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/668/
[5] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-cambodia
[6] https://www.nbc.gov.kh/english/economic_research/exchange_rate.php
[7] https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thai-army-says-air-strikes-launched-along-disputed-border-area-with-cambodia-2025-12-08/
[8] https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hospital-beds-cambodian-soldiers-describe-toxic-gas-2025-12-17/
[9] https://apnews.com/article/64b20ab85a40fd80f98e6b9c3811bb43
[10] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/17/a-visual-guide-to-the-historical-maps-and-temples-at-the-heart-of-the-thailand-cambodia-conflict
[11] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw7qrhWvOhg
Appendix
Angkor: A vast archaeological park in Cambodia (Asia) that holds temple cities, waterworks, and other remains of Khmer imperial capitals from roughly the ninth to the fifteenth centuries.
Ceasefire: An agreement to stop fighting, often temporary, that can break down if trust is low or if core disputes remain unresolved.
Dollarisation: A situation where a foreign currency, often the United States dollar (North America), is widely used in everyday payments alongside a national currency.
Khmer: The largest ethnic group in Cambodia (Asia) and also the name of the country’s official language.
Mekong: A major river system in mainland Southeast Asia that shapes ecology and livelihoods across several countries, including Cambodia (Asia).
Preah Vihear: A historic temple site near the Cambodia (Asia)–Thailand (Asia) border that has long been linked to sovereignty disputes and nationalist politics.
Riel: The official currency of Cambodia (Asia), issued and managed by the National Bank of Cambodia.
Tonle Sap: A great lake system in Cambodia (Asia) whose seasonal flood cycle and flow reversal support fisheries, farming, and biodiversity.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 