Provinces of Cambodia explained

Cambodia is divided into 25 provinces (km|ខេត្ត, in Central Khmer pronounced as /kʰaet/). The capital Phnom Penh is not a province but an "autonomous municipality" (km|រាជធានី|link=no, in Central Khmer pronounced as /riəceaʔtʰiəniː/; lit. 'capital'), equivalent to a province governmentally and administered at the same level as the other 24 provinces.

Phnom Penh has both the highest population and the highest population density of all provinces, but is the second smallest in land area. The largest province by area is Mondulkiri and the smallest is Kep which is also the least populated province. Mondulkiri has the lowest population density.

Each province is administered by a governor, who is nominated by the Ministry of Interior, subject to approval by the Prime Minister.

Provinces are divided into districts (Central Khmer: ស្រុក, srŏk). The districts in Phnom Penh are called khan (Central Khmer: ខណ្ឌ) normally written as for addresses in English followed by the districts' names (Ex: Khan Chamkar Mon; lit. 'Chamkar Mon District'). The number of districts in each province varies, from two in the smallest provinces to 14 in Battambang, Prey Veng, and Siem Reap. Further subdivision levels are communes (Central Khmer: ឃុំ khum), and further subdivided into villages (Central Khmer: ភូមិ, phum). In Phnom Penh, sangkat (Central Khmer: សង្កាត់) is used in the place of khum and, similar to khan, normally preferred for writing addresses in English (Ex: Sangkat Mittapheap; lit. 'Mittapheap Commune').

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List of provinces

Name	Khmer	UNGEGN	Capital (seat)	Population (2019)[1]	Area (km2)	Density	ISO
Banteay Meanchey	Central Khmer: បន្ទាយមានជ័យ		Serei Saophoan Municipality	861,883	6,679	129	KH-1
Battambang	Central Khmer: បាត់ដំបង		Battambang Municipality	997,169	11,702	84	KH-2
Kampong Cham	Central Khmer: កំពង់ចាម		Kampong Cham Municipality	899,791	4,549	197	KH-3
Kampong Chhnang	Central Khmer: កំពង់ឆ្នាំង		Kampong Chhnang Municipality	527,027	5,521	95	KH-4
Kampong Speu	Central Khmer: កំពង់ស្ពឺ		Chbar Mon Municipality	877,523	7,017	124	KH-5
Kampong Thom	Central Khmer: កំពង់ធំ		Steung Saen Municipality	681,549	13,814	49	KH-6
Kampot	Central Khmer: កំពត		Kampot Municipality	593,829	4,873	122	KH-7
Kandal	Central Khmer: កណ្តាល		Ta Khmau Municipality	1,201,581	3,179	376	KH-8
Kep	Central Khmer: កែប		Kep Municipality	42,665	336	124	KH-23
Koh Kong	Central Khmer: កោះកុង		Khemarak Phoumin Municipality	125,902	10,090	12	KH-9
Kratié	Central Khmer: ក្រចេះ		Kratié Municipality	374,755	11,094	34	KH-10
Mondulkiri	Central Khmer: មណ្ឌលគិរី		Senmonorom Municipality	92,213	14,288	6	KH-11
Oddar Meanchey	Central Khmer: ឧត្តរមានជ័យ		Samraong Municipality	276,038	6,158	42	KH-22
Pailin	Central Khmer: ប៉ៃលិន		Pailin Municipality	75,112	803	89	KH-24
Phnom Penh	Central Khmer: ភ្នំពេញ		Doun Penh Section	2,281,951	679	3,136	KH-12
Preah Sihanouk	Central Khmer: ព្រះសីហនុ		Sihanoukville Municipality	310,072	1,938	156	KH-18
Preah Vihear	Central Khmer: ព្រះវិហារ		Tbaeng Meanchey Municipality	254,827	13,788	18	KH-13
Prey Veng	Central Khmer: ព្រៃវែង		Prey Veng Municipality	1,057,720	4,883	217	KH-14
Pursat	Central Khmer: ពោធិ៍សាត់		Pursat Municipality	419,752	12,692	32	KH-15
Ratanakiri	Central Khmer: រតនគិរី		Banlung Municipality	217,453	10,782	19	KH-16
Siem Reap	Central Khmer: សៀមរាប		Siem Reap Municipality	1,014,234	10,299	98	KH-17
Stung Treng	Central Khmer: ស្ទឹងត្រែង		Stung Treng Municipality	165,713	11,092	14	KH-19
Svay Rieng	Central Khmer: ស្វាយរៀង		Svay Rieng Municipality	525,497	2,966	177	KH-20
Takéo	Central Khmer: តាកែវ		Doun Kaev Municipality	900,914	3,563	252	KH-21
Tboung Khmum	Central Khmer: ត្បូងឃ្មុំ		Suong Municipality	776,841	5,250	148	KH-25

History

• 1974: The Khmer Rouge government did away with the former Cambodian traditional administrative divisions. Instead of provinces, Democratic Kampuchea was divided into seven geographic zones (km|តំបន់,): the Northwest, the North, the Northeast, the East, the Southwest, the West, and the Centre. These zones were derived from divisions established by the Khmer Rouge when they fought against the Khmer Republic during the Cambodian Civil War.^[2]
• 2008: On 22 December 2008, King Norodom Sihamoni signed a decree that changed the municipalities of Kep, Pailin and Sihanoukville into provincial municipalities, as well as adjusting several provincial borders.^[3]
• 2013: On 31 December 2013, King Norodom Sihamoni signed a decree that split Kampong Cham into two provinces: Kampong Cham (west of the Mekong River) and Tboung Khmum (east of the Mekong River).^[4]
• 2018: In September 2018, Interior Minister Sar Kheng proposed establishing two more provinces, with areas taken from Kandal, Mondulkiri, and Ratanakiri.^[5] Prime Minister Hun Sen rejected the plan.

See also

• List of Cambodian provinces by Human Development Index
• Administrative divisions of Cambodia
• List of districts, municipalities and sections in Cambodia
• List of communes in Cambodia

External links

• Statoid site

Notes and References

1. Web site: General Population Census of the Kingdom of Cambodia 2019 – Final Results. Ministry of Planning. National Institute of Statistics. 26 January 2021. 9 February 2021.
2. Book: Tyner . James A . The Killing of Cambodia: Geography, Genocide and the Unmaking of Space . 2008 . Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. . 978-0-7546-7096-4 . 5 July 2019.
3. News: Decree creates three new provinces . Vong . Sokheng . 31 December 2008 . Phnom Penh Post . en .
4. News: Kampong Cham's great divide . Mom . Kunthear . Ponniah . Kevin . 10 January 2014 . Phnom Penh Post . en .
5. News: Vicheika. Kann. Cambodia to Create Two New Provinces in Bid for 'Efficiency' . . 31 August 2018 . 5 July 2019.