Khmer

The largest ethnic group in Cambodia, numbering about 7 million. Khmer minorities also live in eastern Thailand and South Vietnam. The Khmer language belongs to the Mon-Khmer family of Austro-Asiatic languages.

The Khmers live mainly in agricultural and fishing villages under a chief. They practise Theravāda Buddhism and trace descent through both male and female lines. Traditionally, Khmer society was divided into six groups: the royal family, the Brahmans (who officiated at royal festivals), Buddhist monks, officials, commoners, and slaves. The Khmer empire, an early Southeast Asian civilization, was founded AD 616 and came under Indian cultural influence as part of the Southeast Asian kingdom of Funan. The earliest inscriptions in the Khmer language date from the 7th century AD. The Khmer empire reached its zenith in the 9th-13th centuries, with the building of the capital city and temple complex at Angkor. The Khmers were eventually pushed back by the Thais into the territory they occupy today. The anti-French nationalists of Cambodia adopted the name Khmer Republic 1971-75, and the name continues in use by the communist movement called the Khmer Rouge.