🇰🇭 Cambodia

Cambodia is a Southeast Asian nation of 17 million with a GDP around $30 billion that's been growing at 7% annually for two decades — one of the fastest sustained growth rates in the world. The garment industry and construction have driven the boom, along with a massive influx of Chinese investment. Angkor Wat is the world's largest religious monument and draws over 2 million visitors per year. The country's dark history under the Khmer Rouge (1975-79), when an estimated 1.7-2.5 million people died, still shapes its politics and society. Hun Sen ruled for 38 years before handing power to his son in 2023.

Garments and footwear account for about 70% of exports, worth roughly $12 billion annually. Tourism contributes about 18% of GDP. Chinese investment has poured into real estate, casinos, and special economic zones — Sihanoukville has been transformed into a Chinese-dominated casino town. Rice is the main agricultural export. Cambodia uses the US dollar alongside the riel for most transactions, an unusual dual-currency system.

Cambodia's Tonle Sap lake reverses its flow direction twice a year — during monsoon season, the Mekong River pushes water backward into the lake, expanding it from 2,500 to 16,000 square kilometers. The country has the world's largest hand-woven silk cloth, measuring 1,149 meters. Landmines from decades of conflict still kill or injure hundreds annually.

Cambodia's growth numbers are impressive but the model — cheap labor, Chinese capital, authoritarian stability — has limits. Moving up the value chain while maintaining social stability is the challenge ahead.