| Mondulkiri មណ្ឌលគីរី |
|
|---|---|
| — Province — | |
| Tourists at Bou Sra Waterfall. | |
| Map of Cambodia highlighting Mondulkiri | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Cambodia |
| Capital | Sen Monorom |
| Area | |
| • Total | 14,288 km2 (5,516.6 sq mi) |
| Population (2008)[1] | |
| • Total | 60,811 |
| • Density | 4.3/km2 (11/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+07 |
| Dialing code | +855 |
| ISO 3166 code | KH-11 |
| Districts | 5 |
| Communes | 21 |
| Villages | 98 |
Mondulkiri (Khmer: មណ្ឌលគីរី, literally: "Mountain of the Mandala.") is an eastern province of Cambodia. It is the most sparsely populated province in the country despite being the largest in land area. The capital is the town of Senmonorom.
Contents |
Mondulkiri is known for its forested hills and powerful waterfalls. Some waterfalls include:
Mondulkiri faces a significant threat from illegal loggers attempting to exploit the area's virgin forests.[2]
The province is subdivided into 5 districts, which are further subdivided into 21 communes and 98 villages.
Eighty percent of Mondulkiri's population is made up of ten tribal minorities, with the majority of them being Pnong. The remaining 20 percent are Khmer, Chinese, and Muslims Cham.
The population lives off the land, planting rice, fruit trees, and a variety of vegetables. Others grow strawberries, coffee, rubber, and cashew nuts.
Road development continues to impact seriously on indigenous communities like the Pnong ethnic group. According to a United Nations paper, the construction of a road from Mondulkiri to Ratanakiri has resulted in massive land grabbing.[3]
Although more and more houses are built in 'Khmer style', traditional Phnong houses can still be found. Pnong houses contain large jars (which are said to be more than a thousand years old) and traditional gongs. There are various gongs used at different occasions. Jars and gongs are among the most valuable possessions of indigenous communities both in traditional and spiritual as well as material terms. During the times of Pol Pot those objects were buried in hidden places in the jungle and in many cases they still wait in the ground.
| Stung Treng Province | Ratanakiri Province | |||
| Kratie Province | Dak Lak province, Vietnam | |||
| Mondulkiri Province | ||||
| Kratie Province | Binh Phuoc province, Vietnam | Dak Nong province, Vietnam |
|
|||||||||||||
|
||||||||||