Kampong Cham province facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kampong Cham កំពង់ចាម
Province
Kampong Cham Province ខេត្តកំពង់ចាម
From top: Wat Nokor, Wat Dey Doh, Bos Knoar Hill, Phnom Srei
Seal
Map of Cambodia highlighting Kampong Cham
Country	Cambodia
Provincial status	1 January 1885
Division	31 December 2013
Capital	Kampong Cham
Subdivisions	1 municipality; 9 districts
Area
• Total	4,549 km2 (1,756 sq mi)
Area rank	18th
Population  (2019)
• Total	899,791
• Rank	7th
• Density	198/km2 (510/sq mi)
• Density rank	5th
Time zone	UTC+07:00 (ICT)
Dialing code	+855
ISO 3166 code	KH-3

Kampong Cham (Khmer: កំពង់ចាម, UNGEGN: Kâmpóng Cham [kɑmpɔŋ caːm]; lit. Cham Port) is a province of Cambodia located on the central lowlands of the Mekong River. It borders the provinces of Kampong Chhnang to the west, Kampong Thom and Kratié to the north, Tboung Khmum to the east, and Prey Veng and Kandal to the south. Kampong Cham was officially divided into two provinces on 31 December 2013 in what was seen by many as a political move by the ruling party. All land west of the Mekong remained Kampong Cham while land east of the river became Tbong Khmum province. Prior to this division, Kampong Cham extended eastward to the international border with Vietnam, was the eleventh largest province in Cambodia, and with a population of 1,680,694, was the most populous province in Cambodia. Its capital and largest city is Kampong Cham.

Etymology

Kampong Cham means "Port of the Chams" in Khmer. Kampong means port or harbor. Cham refers to the ethnic Cham people living in the province. The word kampong in Cham is shared in other Austronesian languages, but in Malay and Indonesian it means village and is generally spelled kampung. A symbol the province is known for is two snakes wrapped around each other, which is located at the capital city bridge, Kampong Cham.

Geography

Houses on the border of the Mekong river.

Kampong Cham is primarily lowlands. The main river is the Mekong River, which forms the eastern border of the province, separating it from Tbong Khmum province.

Religion

Religion in Kampong Cham province (2019 census)      Buddhism (97.6%)     Islam (2.3%)     Christianity (0.1%)     Animism and Other religions (0.0%)

The state religion is Theravada Buddhism. More than 97.6% of the people in Kampong Cham province are Buddhists. About 2.3% population of Kampong Cham province follow Islam followed by Chams. Christianity is followed by 0.1% in the province.

Administration

Kampong Cham is subdivided into 9 districts and 1 municipality which in turn are subdivided into communes (khum) which are further divided into villages (phum). The province formerly consisted of 16 districts, however a request by Hun Sen's government to split the province in two was made after his ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) lost the province to the opposition in the July 2013 elections. The CPP won only eight of the available 18 National Assembly seats in Hun Sen's home province. The request, which was ostensibly made in order to improve administrative efficiency in the large province, was approved by King Sihamoni on 31 December 2013. The 10 districts that remain in Kampong Cham province overwhelmingly voted for the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, led by Sam Rainsy, while five of the six districts cut out from Kampong Cham to form Tboung Khmum province were won solidly by the CPP.

2 districts in south Mekong river are Koh Sotin and Steung Trang

Politics

Kampong Cham is allocated 10 seats in the National Assembly, down from 18. It had been the largest constituency until 2018.

Notable people

• Bun Rany, President of Cambodian Red Cross
• Hang Thun Hak, former Prime Minister
• Hem Heng, diplomat
• Heng Samrin, Speaker of the National Assembly
• Hun Manet, son of Hun Sen
• Hun Neang, father of Hun Sen
• Hun Sen, Prime Minister
• In Tam, former Prime Minister
• Keng Vannsak, author
• Kong Korm, Senator
• Say Chhum, President of the Senate
• Sim Var, former Prime Minister

See also

In Spanish: Provincia de Kompung Cham para niños

• Wat Moha Leap
• Khmer people
• Cham people
• Champa
• Kampong Cham (city), the capital city of Kampong Cham province.