Overview
Cambodia covers an area of 181,035 sq km (69,898 sq mi). Most of the country consists of a low-lying alluvial plain that occupies the central part of the country. To the southeast of the plain lies the delta of the Mekong River. To the east of the plain, ranges of undulating hills separate Cambodia from Vietnam. To the southwest a mountain range, the Chuor Phnum Krâvanh, fringes the plain and forms a physical barrier along the country's coast. Cambodia's highest peak, Phnom Aural (1,813 m/5,948 ft) rises in the eastern part of this range. To the north, the Chuor Phnum Dangrek mountains separate Cambodia from Thailand.

Climate
Cambodia has a tropical monsoon climate. December and January are the coolest months, while March and April are the hottest. The country's rainy season extends from May to October. Average annual rainfall is about 1,400 mm (about 55 in) on the central plain and increases to as much as 3,800 mm (150 in) in the mountains and along the coast. The average annual temperature is about 27°C (about 80°F).

Plant and Animal
Forests cover 53 percent of Cambodia's land. The densest forests thrive in the mountains and along the southwestern coast. Higher plains and plateaus contain savannas covered with high, sharp grass. Plants growing in Cambodia include rubber, kapok (a tree with seeds that yield a cotton-like fiber), palm, coconut, and banana, all of which are exploited commercially. Wildlife in Cambodia includes elephants, deer, wild ox, panthers, bears, and tigers. Cormorants, cranes, parrots, pheasants, and wild ducks are also found, and poisonous snakes are numerous. Logging and mining activities, along with unregulated hunting, have diminished the country's wildlife rapidly.

Natural Resource
Of Cambodia's total land area, only 21 percent is cultivated. Areas surrounding the Mekong and the Tônlé Sap are the most fertile regions. The country's once-ample timber resources have been poorly managed and are being rapidly depleted by local and foreign entrepreneurs. Although Cambodia is not rich in mineral resources, Batdâmbâng province in northwestern Cambodia contains limited quantities of zircons, sapphires, and rubies. The central part of the country contains commercial deposits of salt, manganese, and phosphate. The Gulf of Thailand is thought to contain petroleum deposits, but the extent and accessibility of the reserves have yet to be determined.

River and Lake
Cambodia 's most important river is the Mekong, the longest river in Southeast Asia and the tenth largest in the world. The Mekong flows from north to south through Cambodia and is navigable for much of its course. Other rivers in the country include the Tonle Srepok and the Tonle Sab. Cambodia 's principal lake, the Tonle Sap ( Great Lake), is the largest in Southeast Asia. From the northwest, the Tonle Sap drains into the Mekong via the Tonle Sab River, entering the Mekong at Phnom Penh. Each year during the monsoon season (approximately May to October), the waters of the Mekong increase and reverse the flow of the Tonle Sab, which begins to drain into the lake. The lake then expands dramatically, flooding the provinces along its banks. When dry weather returns, the river reverses its course again and flows back into the Mekong, draining the northwestern provinces. At the height of the flooding, the Tonle Sap reaches more than 10,000 sq km (4,000 sq mi), or about four times its size in the dry season. The lake is one of the richest sources of freshwater fish in the world.

Environment Issues
Deforestation is the most serious threat to Cambodia's environment. In the 1960s and 1970s Cambodian forests and wetlands were harmed by bombings and defoliants used in the Vietnam War. In the 1970s and 1980s the damage continued with the disastrous agricultural policies of the Khmer Rouge regime and civil war. In the relatively peaceful 1990s, timber became an important export for Cambodia. More than 800,000 hectares (2 million acres) of Cambodian forest were cut down from 1990 to 1995. In 1995 the government responded by banning log exports, but illegal timber exporting has led to continued deforestation. Many of the mangrove swamps crucial to the country's fisheries and wildlife have been destroyed. The loss of wildlife habitat and the negative environmental effects of logging and mining industries have caused a decline in biodiversity. In addition to banning the export of lumber, the Cambodian government has declared a large portion- 16.2 percent (1997)-of the country's total land area protected. The government has also ratified international environmental agreements pertaining to climate change, desertification, endangered species, marine life conservation, ship pollution, and tropical timber.

Angkor
The first half of 12thcentury: King Suryavarman II. The largest of the Angkor group and one of the most intact, is an architectural masterpiece. Its perfection in composition, balance, proportions, relief’s and sculpture make it one of the finest monuments in the world.

Banteay Kdey
Middle 12th AD: Jayavarman VII "The citadel of the cells". The temple was built as Buddhist monastic temple by Jayavarman VII and was undoubtedly an important temple. It is unknown to whom was this temple was dedicated as the inscription stone has never been found.

Banteay Srey
The enchanting temple of Banteay Srey is nearly everyone favorite site. The special charm of this temple lies in its remarkable state of preservation, small size and excellence of decoration; It was build by a Brahmin of royal descent who was a spiritual teacher to Jayavarman V. A special feature of the exquisite decoration was the use of hard pink sandstone.

Baphuon
End of 12th century: Jayavarman VII. "Thee Entwined Nag". Build as an island, 350meter square, at the center of the baray of Preah Khan, at the center which a large basin has its center a circular basin at each side are connected by gargoyles which disgorge into small sanctuaries in a form which replicates the sacred lake of Anavatapta in Himalaya, venerated for his power of healing.

Bayon
Late 12th century: Jayavarman VII. The Bayon vie with Angkor Wat as his favorite monument among visitors. The temple was build nearly 100 year after Angkor Wat. While its basic structure and earliest part of the temple are unknown, it is clear that the Bayon was built on top of an earlier monument, that the temple was not built at one time, and that it underwent a series of changes. The Bayon of today with his huge central tower dates to the 13th century and belongs toe the third phase of the art style.

East Mebon
King Rajendravarman II, The East Mebon and its neighbor Pre Rup were building by the same king, just mine years apart and are similar in plan, construction and decoration. A major deference , however, is that the East Mebon once stood on a small island in the middle of the Eastern Baray, which was a large body of water(2 by 7Kms) fed by the Siem Reap river. The only access was by boat to one of the four landing platforms, situated at the mid-points on each of four sides of the temple. Today, The Baray, once a resource of water irrigation, is left to imagine the original majesty of this temple in the middle of a large lake.

Neak Pean
Built by Jayavarman VII in memory of his father. It is a royal city forming a rectangle of 700 by 800 meters surrounded by a moat and similar to Ta Prohm,but with only four enclosures. Opening to the east to a baray (at the center of which is Neak Pean) via terrace originally used as a boat landing. The large stele, discovered in 1939, tells us that the temple was dedicated to king's father. It also refers to the small stone building within the fourth enclosure to the east as “a house of fire”? Perhaps for visiting pilgrims. The many holes in the central tower could perhaps havebeen used to fix a bronze paneling.

Koulen Mountain
Koulen Mountain locates at Districts of Svay Len and Va Rin in 48-kilometer distance from the provincial town of Siem Reap by Short-cut or in 50-kilometer distance from the provincial town of Siem Reap via Charles De Gaulle Road, small circle, big circle, Preah Dak, Road A66, then turning to the Malaysian Developed Road.

Phimeanakas
Early 11th century: Rajendravarman II. The temple, located inside the Royal Palace compound, was the temple where the king worshipped. It must originally have been crowned with a golden pinnacle, as the Chinese travelers, Zhou Daguan, described it as the "Tower of Gold". This temple is associated with a legend that tells of a gold tower inside the Royal Palace of Angkor the Great, where a serpent-spirit with nine heads lived. The spirit appeared to the king disguised as a woman and the king had to sleep with her every night in the tower before he joined his wives and concubines in another part of the palace.

Prasat Kravan
Temple of the Koh Ker time, 921-944. Although this temple looks small and somewhat undistinguished from the outside, It contains some remarkable brick sculptures on its interior walls which stand alone as unique examples in Khmer art. The interiors of two of the five towers have sculptures depicting Lakshmi, The scene in the central tower is the most impressive one.but both are exceptional in stature and quality of workmanship.

Prerup
King Rajendravarman II Pre Rup Rup was called the "City of the East" by Philippe Stern, the Assistant Curator of the Musee Guimet in Paris. The boldness of the architectural design is superb and gives the temple fine balance, scale and proportion. The temple is close in style to the East Mebon,...

Southern Gate of Angkor Thom
Jayavarman VII. The stone causeway across the board moat surrounding the city of Angkor Thom with their unique gopuras, are one of the great sights at Angkor. The Southern Gate is flanked by a row of 54 stone figures on each side, Gods to the left and demons to the right, to make a total of 108...

Ta Phrom
Early 13th century: Jayavarman VII.This temple was left untouched by archaeologists,except for the clearing of a path for visitors. Because of its natural state, it is possible to experience some of the wonder of the early explorers, when they came upon this monument in the middle of the 19th...

Takeo
Beginning of 11th century: Takeo is one of the great temple-mountains at Angkor. It was never completed and the reason is unknown, although the death of the king may well have had something to do with it . One theory also suggests that work was halted because the temple was struck by lightning . Had...