Phnom Penh

 

 

Phnom Penh : the denomination can’t avail but conjure up an image of the exotic. The glimmering spires of the Royal Palace, the fluttering saffron of the monks’ robes and the luscious location on the banks of the mighty Mekong – this is the Asia many dreamed of when first imagining their adventures overseas.
Cambodia’s capital can be an assault on the senses. Motorbikes whiz through laneways without a phrenic conception for pedestrians; markets exude pungent scents; and all the while the sounds of life, of commerce, of survival, reverberate through the streets. But this is all part of the magnetization.
Once the ‘Pearl of Asia’, Phnom Penh’s shine was tarnished by the impact of war and revolution. But the city has since risen from the ashes to take its place among the hip capitals of the region, with an alluring cafe culture, bustling bars and a world-class pabulum scene.
Phnom Penh is a municipality of area 678.46 square kilometres (261.95 sq mi) with a regime status equipollent to that of Cambodian provinces. The municipality is subdivided into nine administrative divisions called Khans (districts) and of these nine Khans, Dangkao, Meanchey, Porsenchey, Sen Sok and Russei Keo are considered the outskirts of the city. All Khans are under the governance of the Phnom Penh Municipality. The Khans are further subdivided into 76 Sangkats (communes), and 637 Kroms.

The municipality is governed by the Governor who acts as the top executive of the city as well as overseeing the Municipal Military Police, Municipal Police and Bureau of Urban Affairs. Below the Governor is the First Vice Governor and 5 Vice Governors. The Chief of Cabinet, who holds the same status as the Vice Governors, heads the Cabinet consisting of 8 Deputy Chiefs of Cabinet who in turn are in charge of the 27 Administrative Departments. Every khan (district) withal has a head Chief.
As of 2008, Phnom Penh had a population of 2,009,264 people, with a total population density of 5,358 inhabitants per square kilometre (13,877/sq mi) in a 678.46 square kilometres (262 sq mi) city area. The population magnification rate of the city is 3.92%. The city area has grown fourfold since 1979, and the metro area will perpetuate to expand in order to fortify the city's growing population and economy.

Phnom Penh is mostly inhabited by Cambodians (or Khmers) – they represent 90% of the population of the city. There are immensely colossal minorities of Chinese, Vietnamese, and other minuscule ethnic groups who are Thai, Budong, Mnong Preh, Kuy, Chong, and Chams. The state religion is Theravada Buddhism. More than 90% of the people in Phnom Penh are Buddhists. Chams have been practicing Islam over the years since 1993. There has additionally been an incrementation in the practice of Christianity which was virtually wiped out after 1975 when the Khmer Rouge surmounted. The official language is Khmer, but English and French are widely utilized in the city.

The city has the highest Human development index in the country, with a HDI of 0.936 compared to the worst HDI bespeaker of 0.220 in Mondulkiri—a rural area inhabited largely by hill tribes and aborigines.[22] The number of slum-inhabitants at the terminus of 2012 was 105,771, compared with 85,807 at the commencement of 2012.[23]