Water Wars: Ethiopia and Kenya
Notable Entry, Interactive Narratives. 2008 Knight-Batten Awards for Innovations in Journalism.
Pulitzer Gateway: Water Wars
Visit the interactive Water Wars Web Portal, sponsored by the Pulitzer Center On Crisis Reporting.
Kibera: Not a Drop to Drink
The long rainy season in Kenya has begun and sudden storms regularly burst over Nairobi. Many welcome the downpours, which signal the end of another dry summer and wash the steamy crowded capital clean each morning.
As featured in Women's eNews, 1h2o.org, and Living on Earth. Produced in association with the Pulitzer Center On Crisis Reporting.
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Country Fact Sheets from the CLP
Because we believe that good journalism must be contextualized, we've decided to share with our readers some of the more interesting and lesser known facts about the countries we've reported on. While these are in no way comprehensive descriptions of these complex places, this is the information that we've found most helpful in placing these countries in a global framework and underscoring the broader implications of the issues we've covered. In developing these Fact Sheets, we've worked to incorporate both the official facts and statistics reported by government sources as well as our own observations through reporting in each country. If you have any suggestions or requests for information you'd like to see included, write to us at info@clpmag.org
Cambodia
One of the world's poorest countries, plagued by civil war from the 1970s until the late 90s, Cambodia is a scarred country in recovery. With an entire generation lost to violence, a lack of infrastructure and industry, and a corrupt government, Cambodia faces many challenges. But its fertile land, attractive tourist sites, emphasis on reconciliation since the war, and resourceful population are causes for hope.
Size:Slightly smaller than Oklahoma.
Population:About 14 million, projected to grow to 20 million within 2 decades.
Languages Spoken:Khmer is the official language, with some French and English spoken.
Type of Government:Officially a constitutional monarchy, King Sihanouk holds little actual power in comparison with Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge soldier who overthrew his partners in an elected power sharing government and took over full control in 1997. The country's corruption levels rank among the highest in the world, coming in at 130 of 158 on the Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, along with Burundi, Republic of Congo, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Papua New Guinea and Venezuela.
Religion:While 95% of Cambodians identify as Buddhist, institutional religion seems to play a relatively minor role in people's lives; animistic practices such as the belief in spirits are still a large part of Cambodian culture.
Gender and Health Issues:While the overall literacy rate is 74%, it is 20% higher among men than women. Cambodia has fully legalized abortion, but only 18.5% of women of childbearing age use a modern method of contraception. Sex tourism and unsafe sex practices are widespread in Cambodia; 2.6% of the adult population suffers from HIV or AIDS - four times the rate for the United States. Infant mortality, at 74 deaths for every 1,000 live births, is one of the highest in the region. Life expectancy is only 59 years.
Environment and Resources:Anarchic resource extraction during Cambodia's civil war stripped many of its environmental resources such as timber and wildlife. The war's legacy has also left the country riddled with landmines, an issue being addressed by international and domestic NGOs. Deforestation is possibly the greatest current environmental threat with illegal logging destroying even protected forests at an alarming rate. Another emerging problem is diminishing farmable land in a country where 75% of the population supports itself through agriculture.
GDP:$30.65 billion
International Aid Received:$504 million
Receives US Counterterrorism Assistance: Yes
Death Penalty: Abolished in 1989
Top Five Industries: Tourism, garments, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products
Poverty Rate: 40% of the population lives below the official poverty line, defined at about 45 cents per person, per day.
McDonald's Restaurants: None
Currency: The US Dollar is the dominant currency; Cambodian Riel are used for amounts under one dollar.
Media:Cambodia ranks 90th out of 167 on the Reporters without Borders Press Freedom Index. It shares its ranking with Burundi, Qatar, Venezuela and Zambia. 0.3% of the population are internet users.
Posted: 2006
Country Fact Sheet Sources
- General Statistics - CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
- Abortion Legal Status, Maternal Mortality, Infant Mortality, Contraception: http://www.medicationabortion.com
- Abortion Legal Status: http://www.crlp.org/pub_fac_abortion_laws.htm
- Contraceptive Use: http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/contraceptive2005/WCU2005.htm
- Maternal Mortality: http://www.childinfo.org/areas/maternalmortality/countrydata.php
- McDonald’s Country List: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_McDonald%27s_franchises
- Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=19388
- The Economist Intelligence Unit Quality of Life Index: http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.pdf
- Human Development Index: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index
- 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index: www.yale.edu/esi/
- General Statistics - World Atlas: http://www.geographyiq.com
- Counterterrorism Funding Information - State Dept. Country Reports: http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt
- Death Penalty Status: http://web.amnesty.org/pages/deathpenalty-countries-eng
- Human Trafficking information: http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2006/
- BBC Country Profiles: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles/default.stm
- Department For International Development: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/countries/allcountries.asp?view=region
- United Nations Development Programme: http://www.undp.org/
- The World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org/
Note: Population growth projections are often controversial. To calculate them for these fact sheets, we simply used the current population and population growth rate provided by the CIA World Factbook.