Cambodia's Angkor, the archetype of lost cities, "calls you silently, irresistibly, day and night," Crosbie Garstin wrote. The country's little-combed beaches, its eye-poppingly green jungles, and its gentle people add to Cambodia's allure.

• TOTAL AREA: 181,040 sq km

• LAND AREA: 176,520 sq km

• WATER AREA: 4,520 sq km

• POPULATION: 13,881,427

• RELIGIONS: Theravada Buddhist 95%, other 5%

• LANGUAGES: Khmer (official) 95%, French, English

• GOVERNMENT TYPE: Multi-party Democracy under a constitutional monarchy established in September 1993

• CAPITAL CITY: Phnom Penh

• OFFICIAL CURRENCY: riel (KHR)

• TIME ZONE: GMT/UTC +7