Democratic Kampuchea

former totalitarian state in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge

Key facts

1976: Khieu Samphan (acting)
Capital and largest city: Phnom Penh , 11°34′10″N 104°55′16″E / 11.56944°N 104.92111°E / 11.56944; 104.92111
Official languages: Khmer
Official script: Khmer
Religion: State atheism
Demonym: Khmer
Government: Totalitarian unitary communist state
1975 1979: Pol Pot
1975 1976: Norodom Sihanouk
1976 1979: Khieu Samphan
Legislature: People's Representative Assembly
Historical era: Cold War

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Today part ofCambodia

Democratic Kampuchea was the official name of the Cambodian state from 1975 to 1979, under the general secretaryship of Pol Pot and the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), commonly known as the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge's capture of the capital Phnom Penh in 1975 effectively ended the United States-backed Khmer Republic under Prime Minister and later President Lon Nol.