They set up a new government and
changed the name of the country to
Kampuchea. Khmer Rouge rebels continued
to fight the government.
Vietnam pulled out of the country (once
again known as Cambodia) in 1989. In
1993 a new Cambodian government
banned the Khmer Rouge. However, the
rebels did not stop fighting until Pol Pot
died in 1998. Although the civil war was
over, political quarrels and violence continued.
..More to explore
AngkorWat • Mekong River • Phnom
Penh • VietnamWar
A woman in Cambodia works in a rice
paddy. A paddy is a type of wet farmland.
Facts About
CAMBODIA
Population
(2008 estimate)
14,242,000
Area
69,898 sq mi
(181,035 sq km)
Capital
Phnom Penh
Form of
government
Constitutional
monarchy
Major urban
areas
Phnom Penh, Bat
Dambang, Sisophon,
Siem Reab,
Preah Sihanouk
18 Cambodia BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Camel
Camels are large mammals that live and
work in several of the world’s deserts.
They are known for their humps. The
Arabian camel, or dromedary, has one
hump on its back. The Bactrian, or
Asian, camel has two humps. Camels
belong to the same family as the llama
and the alpaca.
Where Camels Live
The Bactrian camel lives in the highlands
of central Asia. Most Bactrian
camels are domesticated, or tamed to
help humans. Small herds of wild Bactrians
live in Mongolia and northwestern
China.
The Arabian camel lives mainly in
North Africa, the Middle East, and
India. There are no wild Arabian camels
left in these places. However, herds of
wild Arabian camels now live in Australia.
They are the descendants of tame
camels that people brought to Australia
in the 1800s.
Physical Features
Camels weigh up to about 1,400 pounds
(650 kilograms). They are about 7 feet
(2 meters) tall at the hump. The hump
is made of fat and muscle. Camels have
a long neck, a small head, and a split
upper lip. Long eyelashes protect the
eyes from sandstorms and glaring sun.
The nostrils can close to keep out blowing
sand. Camels stand on four long
legs. Each foot has two hoofed toes. A
scruffy, sand-colored coat of hair covers
the body.
Behavior
Camels are well adapted to living in
deserts. They feed on thorny plants,
shrubs, and dried grasses. They can go
for days or even months without water.
If a camel goes without food and water,
the fat in its hump can nourish it for
several days. The hump then becomes
limp and leans to one side or disappears
altogether.
The Bactrian camel is also called the Asian
camel. It has two humps.
The Arabian camel is also known as a
dromedary. It has only one hump.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Camel 19
Digital Cameras
A digital camera works in a similar way
as a traditional camera. However, it captures
the image on an electronic chip
rather than on film. The chip is a light
sensor that turns the image into electric
signals. Most digital cameras have a
small screen that displays the image
right away. The camera can also store
the image on a memory card. Photographers
can transfer the stored image to a
computer. This allows them to view,
e-mail, or print out the image.
Movie and Video Cameras
Movie cameras are like traditional cameras,
but they record moving images.
They do this by taking many still pictures
in a row—usually 24 or 30 each
second. They record images on a reel of
film. When a movie projector shows the
pictures on the film one after the other,
the images appear to be moving. Video
cameras, or camcorders, record moving
images on magnetic tape. Digital camcorders
store moving images as electric
signals.
History
In ancient times people used a camera
obscura to view eclipses of the sun. They
stood in a small, dark room that had
only a tiny hole to let in light. An
upside-down image of the scene outside
appeared on the wall across from the
hole. Later, people made portable boxes
that worked like the ancient camera
obscura. A mirror reflected the image
outside the box and onto a screen.
In 1837 a Frenchman, Louis Daguerre,
found a way to record the images made
by a camera obscura on metal plates.
These pictures were called daguerreotypes.
Around the same time an Englishman
named William Henry Fox Talbot
used a similar box to record images on
paper. These men had created the first
modern cameras.
In the late 1800s the U.S. inventor
George Eastman made a camera that
brought photography to the general
public. Before this time cameras were
heavy, complicated, and expensive. Eastman’s
camera was small and easy to use.
People simply pushed a button to take
pictures and then sent the film to Eastman’s
factory to be printed.
The U.S. inventor Thomas Edison and
the French Lumiere brothers developed
movie cameras in the late 1800s.
Digital cameras did not appear until the
1990s.
#More to explore
Edison, Thomas • Lens • Light • Movie
• Photography
Digital cameras are easy to use and film
free. They are especially handy for taking
snapshots.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Camera 21
Cameroon
The West African country of Cameroon
takes its name from the Rio dos Camaroes
(River of Shrimps), the name the
Portuguese gave to the Wouri River. The
capital is Yaounde.
Cameroon is bordered by Nigeria,
Chad, the Central African Republic,
