| Khammouane Province | |
|---|---|
| Location of Khammouane Province in Laos | |
| Country | Laos |
| Established | |
| Capital | Thakhek |
| Area | |
| • Total | 16,315 km2 (6,299.3 sq mi) |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 358,800 |
| • Density | 22/km2 (57/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+07 |
| ISO 3166 code | LA-KH |
Khammouane or Khammouan (Lao: ຄໍາມ່ວນ) is a province of Laos, located in the center of the country. To the north it is bounded by Bolikhamxai; to the south, by Savannakhet. To the west is the Mekong and Nakhon Phanom Province, Thailand; to the east, the Annamite Mountain Range separates Khammouan from Vietnam.
The vast forests of the Nakai-Nam Theun Biodiversity Conservation Area are an important watershed that feed many Mekong tributaries as well as form the catchment area for Nam Theun 2, the largest hydropower project in Laos. The Xebangfay, Hinboun and Nam Theun are the main rivers of the province.
Plans to build a bridge over the Mekong, connecting Thakhek to Nakhon Phanom, are progressing. Construction is set to begin in 2008 and will take three years to complete.
Part of the aborted Thakhek - Tan Ap railway would have crossed the province to connect with the North-South Railway at Tan Ap Railway Station, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam through the Mu Gia Pass.
The province is made up of the following districts:
In 1996 western scientists collected an undescribed rodent representing a mammal family that had been previously known only from fossils. The Laotian Rock Rat was formally described as a new species in 2005.
| Bolikhamxai Province | Ha Tinh province, Vietnam | |||
| Nakhon Phanom Province, Thailand | Quang Binh province, Vietnam | |||
| Khammouane Province | ||||
| Savannakhet Province |
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