People's Republic of Kampuchea

Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Council Government (1979) រដ្ឋាភិបាលនៃក្រុមប្រឹក្សាប្រជាជនបដិវត្តន៍កម្ពុជា People's Republic of Kampuchea (1979–1989) សាធារណរដ្ឋប្រជាមានិតកម្ពុជា State of Cambodia (1989–1992) រដ្ឋកម្ពុជា
1979–1992
Top: Flag 1979–1989 Bottom: Flag 1989–1992 Top: Emblem (1979–1981) Middle: Emblem (1981–1989) Bottom: Emblem (1989–1992)
Motto: ឯករាជ្យ សន្តិភាព សេរីភាព សុភមង្គល Êkâréachy, Sântĕphéap, Sériphéap, Sŏphômôngkôl "Independence, Peace, Liberty, Happiness"
Anthem: បទចម្រៀងនៃសាធារណរដ្ឋប្រជាមានិតកម្ពុជា Bât Châmriĕng ney Sathéarânârôdth Brâchéaméanĭt Kâmpŭchéa "Anthem of the People's Republic of Kampuchea"
Location of the People's Republic of Kampuchea
Situation of the People's Republic of Kampuchea in September 1981 (blue)
Status	Partially recognised state occupied by the People's Army of Vietnam (1979–1989 or 1991)
Capital and largest city	Phnom Penh 11°34′10″N 104°55′16″E
Official languages	Khmer
Official script	Khmer
Other languages	Vietnamese
Religion	State secularism Buddhism
Demonyms	Kampuchean, Cambodian, Khmer
Government	Communist state (until 1991) Parliamentary republic (from 1991)
De facto leader
• 1979–1981	Heng Samrin and Pen Sovann
• 1981–1985	Heng Samrin and Say Phouthang
• 1985–1990	Hun Sen
• 1990–1992	Chea Sim
Chairman of the People's Revolutionary Council / President of the State Council
• 1979–1992	Heng Samrin
Prime Minister
• 1979–1981	Vacant
• 1981	Pen Sovan
• 1982–1984	Chan Sy
• 1984–1993	Hun Sen
Legislature	National Assembly
Historical era	Cold War
• Capture of Phnom Penh	7 January 1979
• Established as Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Council Government	8 January 1979
• Renaming into People's Republic of Kampuchea	10 or 19 January 1979
• Constitution	25 June 1981
• Removal of Pen Sovann	2 December 1981
• Renaming into State of Cambodia	30 April 1989
• End of communist rule	18 October 1991
• 1991 Paris Peace Agreements	23 October 1991
• UNTAC established	28 February 1992
• UNTAC becomes operational	15 March 1992
Area
1980	181.035 km2 (69.898 sq mi)
Population
• 1980	6,600,000
Currency	Kampuchean riel (from 1980) Vietnamese đồng (until 1980) No currency (1979)
Time zone	UTC+07:00 (ICT)
Calling code	+855
Preceded by Succeeded by Democratic Kampuchea Liberated Area of Cambodia UNTAC
Today part of	Cambodia

The People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) was a partially recognised state in Southeast Asia which existed from 1979 to 1992. It was a satellite state of Vietnam, founded in Cambodia by the Vietnamese-backed Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation, a group of Cambodian communists who were dissatisfied with the Khmer Rouge due to its oppressive rule and defected from it after the overthrow of Democratic Kampuchea, Pol Pot's government. Brought about by an invasion from Vietnam, which routed the Khmer Rouge armies, it had Vietnam and the Soviet Union as its main allies.

The PRK failed to secure United Nations endorsement due to the diplomatic intervention of China, the United Kingdom, the United States and the ASEAN countries. The Cambodian seat at the United Nations was held by the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea, which was the Khmer Rouge in coalition with two non-communist guerrilla factions. However, the PRK was considered the de facto government of Cambodia between 1979 and 1992, albeit with limited international recognition outside of the Soviet Bloc.

Beginning in May 1989, the PRK restored the name "Cambodia" by renaming the country State of Cambodia (SOC) during the last four years of its existence in an attempt to attract international sympathy. However, it retained most of its leadership and one-party structure while undergoing a transition and eventually giving way to the restoration of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The PRK/SOC existed as a communist state from 1979 until 1991, the year in which the ruling single party abandoned its Marxist–Leninist ideology.

Under Vietnamese control, the PRK was established in the wake of the total destruction of the country's institutions, infrastructure and intelligentsia wreaked by Khmer Rouge rule.