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In
1997, only 8% of the roads in Cambodia were paved out of
35,769 km of roadway. In Phnom Penh, a modern
highway links it to Kampong Saom (a deepwater port).
Other
improvements in roadways are made possible with donations
from other countries, namely Japan. In spite of
this, most roadways in Cambodia are not passable for
passenger cars.
Transportation
by bus around Cambodia has been forbidden, but travel is
possible by other methods, such as air travel and by
train. There are still many un-detonated mines and
other military paraphernalia, so straying from "the
beaten path" is not recommended, even in popular
areas.
The civil war and neglect severely
damaged Cambodia's transport system, but with assistance
and equipment from other countries Cambodia has been
upgrading the main highways to international standards and
most are vastly improved from 2006. Most main roads are
now paved.
Cambodia has two rail lines,
totalling about 612 kilometers (380 mi) of single,
one meter gauge track. The lines run from the
capital to Sihanoukville on the southern coast, and from
Phnom Penh to Sisophon (although trains often run only as
far as Battambang). Currently only one passenger train per
week operates, between Phnom Penh and Battambang.
Besides the main interprovincial
traffic artery connecting the capital Phnom Penh with
Sihanoukville, resurfacing a former dirt road with
concrete / asphalt and implementation of 5 major river
crossings by means of bridges have now permanently
connected Phnom Penh with Koh Kong and hence there is now
uninterrupted road access to neighboring Thailand and
their vast road system.
The nation's extensive inland
waterways were important historically in international
trade. The Mekong and the Tonle Sap River, their numerous
tributaries, and the Tonle Sap provided avenues of
considerable length, including 3,700 kilometers (2,300 mi)
navigable all year by craft drawing 0.6 meters (2 ft)
and another 282 kilometers (175 mi) navigable to
craft drawing 1.8 meters (6 ft).
Cambodia has two major ports, Phnom
Penh and Sihanoukville, and five minor ones. Phnom Penh,
located at the junction of the Bassac, the Mekong, and the
Tonle Sap rivers, is the only river port capable of
receiving 8,000-ton ships during the wet season and
5,000-ton ships during the dry season. With increasing
economic activity has come an increase in automobile and
motorcycle use, though bicycles still predominate. Cycle
rickshaws are an additional option often used by visitors.
The country has four commercial
airports. Phnom Penh International Airport (Pochentong) in
Phnom Penh is the second largest in Cambodia. Siem
Reap-Angkor International Airport is the largest and
serves the most international flights in and out of
Cambodia. The other airports are in Sihanoukville and
Battambang.
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Airports:
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17 (2009)
country
comparison to the world: 140 |
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Airports - with
paved runways:
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total: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
(2009)
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Airports - with
unpaved runways:
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total: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 1
(2009)
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Heliports:
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1 (2009)
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Railways:
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total: 602
km
country
comparison to the world: 110
narrow gauge: 602
km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
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Roadways:
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total: 38,093
km
country
comparison to the world: 91
paved: 2,977
km
unpaved: 35,116
km (2007)
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Waterways:
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2,400 km (mainly on Mekong
River) (2008)
country
comparison to the world: 37 |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 626
country
comparison to the world: 17
by type: bulk
carrier 41, cargo 530, carrier 3, chemical tanker
10, container 8, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum
tanker 11, refrigerated cargo 15, roll on/roll off
1, vehicle carrier 1
foreign-owned: 467
(Canada 2, China 193, Cyprus 7, Egypt 13, Gabon 1,
Greece 3, Hong Kong 8, Indonesia 2, Japan 1, South
Korea 22, Latvia 1, Lebanon 8, Netherlands 1,
Romania 1, Russia 83, Singapore 4, Syria 48,
Taiwan 1, Turkey 26, Ukraine 34, UAE 2, US 6)
(2008)
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Ports and
terminals:
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Phnom Penh, Kampong Saom
(Sihanoukville)
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