The environment in which the Khmer empire developed are crucial for understanding the empire’s rise and fall. At its peak, the empire controlled one-third of mainland southeast Asia. The empire is located in a hot tropical environment in which temperature are almost constantly above seventy degrees Fahrenheit. The capital Angkor which is located at the basin of lower Mekong River in Cambodia, has a monsoon climate in which most rain comes in the summer months from June to November. The winter months, from December to May are somewhat dry which limits the growing seasons for crops. The rainfall varies predictably between seasons and unpredictably from year to year. Also each year, during the rains, the Tonle Dap reverses its flow and increases the capacity of the Tonle Dap lake, flooding the forest and bringing plenty of fish. Thousands of citizen travelled to the lake shores to harvest one the world’s richest concentration of freshwater fish.
To the south of Angkor are low mountains rising from the coast of the Gulf of Thailand as a result, the Khmer …show more content…
The main crop was rice animals such as water buffalo and humpback cattle were used to pull plows and carts, Horses were ridden and pulled chariots. Elephants were also widely used to haul loads and to carry royalty into battle and in parades(bion, 2002). The economy was based on the control of water, hug water reservoirs were built to be used during the dry season. Fish was also abundant was staple in Khmer diet with the surplus fish was used in trade with neighbouring empires such as china in exchange Khmer received gold, silver, paper and celadon ware. The focus of the Khmer economy shifted from its original inland agricultural emphasis to an increasing involvement in the maritime trade along the the coast between China, India, and the Islamic empires, but the expansion of the vietnamese expansion later made the trade