Cambodia is a country ruled by a king. It is next to Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos.

A long time ago, people started living in Cambodia. They made things out of gold, bronze, and iron. The first kingdom in Cambodia was called Funan. Funan traded with China and India and learned about Hinduism from India.

Then, there was a powerful king named Jayavarman II. He made the Angkor Empire by uniting two smaller territories. The empire controlled parts of Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. Jayavarman II built the famous Angkor Wat temple.

After Jayavarman II, the empire had some problems. Other countries wanted to control it. Eventually, the capital city was captured by the Thai kingdom. The empire moved its capital, but still had troubles with other countries.

Later, Cambodia became a colony of France, then ruled by Japan, and then by France again. It gained independence in 1953. King Sihanouk, who was related to the Angkor Empire, became the king.

But Cambodia had conflicts and fighting from the 1970s to the 1990s. Finally, they signed a peace agreement in 1991. Now Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy with a king.