Kampong Thom province facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kampong Thom កំពង់ធំ
Province
Kampong Thom Province ខេត្តកំពង់ធំ
Sambor Prei Kuk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the symbol of the province
Seal
Map of Cambodia highlighting Kampong Thom
Country	Cambodia
Provincial status	1907
Capital	Kampong Thom
Subdivisions	1 municipality; 8 districts
Area
• Total	13,814 km2 (5,334 sq mi)
Area rank	2nd
Population  (2019)
• Total	681,549
• Rank	11th
• Density	49/km2 (130/sq mi)
• Density rank	17th
Time zone	UTC+07:00 (ICT)
Dialing code	+855
ISO 3166 code	KH-6

Kampong Thom (Khmer: កំពង់ធំ, UNGEGN: Kâmpóng Thum [kɑmpɔŋ tʰom]; lit. 'Great Port') is a province (khaet) of Cambodia. It borders the provinces of Siem Reap to the northwest, Preah Vihear to the north, Stung Treng to the northeast, Kratie to the east, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang to the south, and the Tonle Sap to the west.

The provincial capital is Stung Saen, a town of approximately 30,000 people on the banks of the Stung Sen River.

Kampong Thom is Cambodia's second largest province by area. There are a number of significant Angkorian sites in the area, including Prasat Sambor Prei Kuk and Prasat Andet temples. As one of the nine provinces bordering Tonle Sap Lake, Kampong Thom is part of the Tonlé Sap Biosphere Reserve.

Etymology

Kampong Thom in Khmer means 'great port' or 'great harbor'. Kampong in Khmer translates as 'port' or 'harbor'. The word Kampong is shared in other Asian languages, the Malay and Indonesian, both meaning 'village'. Thom in the Khmer language means 'big', 'grand', or 'large'.

Administration

The province is divided into eight districts and one municipality, further divided into 81 communes.

History

The previous name of the province was Kampong Pous Thom ('Port', 'City of the Great Snakes'). According to local legend, at a lakeside dock near the Sen River, a pair of large snakes inhabited a nearby cave. On every Buddhist holiday, the snakes would make appearances to the people nearby who then began to refer to the area as Kampong Pous Thom. Eventually the snakes disappeared and the name was shortened to Kampong Thom. During the Colonial Cambodia period, the French divided Cambodian territory into provinces and named most of them according to the local popular names for the respective areas.

Kampong Thom was a powerful capital in Southeast Asia during the Funan period. Prasat Sambor Prei Kuk, dating from the Chenla era, is in Kampong Thom province.

The ancient temple complex of Sambor Prei Kuk in northern Kampong Thom.

Geography

Two of the three core areas in Tonlé Sap Biosphere Reserve lie in Kampong Thom.

• Boeng Chhmar (14,560 hectares), and
• Stung Saen (6,355 hectares).

Prey Pras, Kampong Thom

Economy

Much of Kampong Thom is on the floodplain of the Tonlé Sap lake. In 2003–2004, it was a significant producer of wild fish (18,800 tons) and the fourth largest producer of fish through aquaculture in Cambodia (1,800 tons). Most of the fish-raising is done by home production, with a growing segment devoted to rice field aquaculture.

Kampong Thom is also one of the largest producers of cashew nuts in Cambodia, with 6,371 hectares under production in 2003–2004.

The province is one of the largest producer of cashews in the country.

Rice paddies in Baray District.

Irrigation canals and farmlands

Notable people

• Eng Chhai Eang, politician
• Kang Kek Iew, former Khmer Rouge personnel
• Ke Pauk, former Khmer Rouge personnel
• Kouch Sokumpheak, footballer
• Nguon Nhel, politician
• Pol Pot, former Khmer Rouge dictator and Prime Minister

Attraction

• 

  Tonle Sap See

• 

  Sambor Prei Kuk

• 

  Phnom Santuk

• 

  Prey Pras

See also

In Spanish: Provincia de Kompung Thom para niños