An Giang Province

An Giang Province
Tỉnh An Giang
Province

Harvest in Tinh Bien, An Giang

Location of An Giang within Vietnam
Coordinates: 10°30′N 105°10′E / 10.500°N 105.167°E / 10.500; 105.167Coordinates: 10°30′N 105°10′E / 10.500°N 105.167°E / 10.500; 105.167
Country  Vietnam
Region Mekong Delta
Capital Long Xuyên
Government
 • People's Council Chair Võ Thanh Khiết
 • People's Committee Chair Nguyễn Hoàng Việt
Area
 • Total 3,406.2 km2 (1,315.1 sq mi)
Population (2004)
 • Total 2,170,100
 • Density 640/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Demographics
 • Ethnicities Vietnamese, others
Time zone ICT (UTC+7)
Area codes 296
ISO 3166 code VN-44
Website www.angiang.gov.vn

An Giang (Vietnamese: [ʔaːŋ jaːŋ]) is a province of Vietnam. It is located in the Mekong Delta, in the southwestern part of the country, sharing a border with Cambodia to the northwest. It has been increasingly recognized as Vietnam's Mecca, for large Muslim population in here.

Geography

An Giang occupies a position in the upper reaches of the Mekong Delta. The Hậu Giang and Tiền Giang branches of the Mekong River are the dominant geographical features of the province. With the exception of the west, most of An Giang is fairly flat, and is criss-crossed by many canals and small rivers. This terrain has led to An Giang being a significant agricultural center, producing significant quantities of rice. The Cam Mountains, also known as the Thất Sơn range or the "Seven Mountains", are located in the western Tịnh Biên District. Followers of the Bửu Sơn Kỳ Hương tradition, founded in An Giang in 1849, refer to these mountains as Bửu Sơn, "Precious Mountains".

Administrative divisions

An Giang is subdivided into 11 district-level sub-divisions:

They are further subdivided into 16 commune-level towns (or townlets), 119 communes, and 21 wards (156 in total).

The cities of Long Xuyên (the provincial capital) and Châu Đốc, both of which are located on the Hậu Giang branch of the Mekong, exist as independent municipalities.

Vehicle registration plate

Demographics

Cam Mountains

An Giang first became a province in 1832, having been settled by ethnically Vietnamese migrants moving southwards in search of new land. It is believed that An Giang was once an important center of the vanished Óc Eo culture, presumably owing to its position on the river. Traditionally, An Giang has been known for its silk industry.

An Giang is home to a sizable number of people from Vietnam's ethnic minorities. Due to the province's proximity to Cambodia, the Khmer Krom are the largest non-Vietnamese group. Other groups, such as the Chams and ethnic Chinese (Hoa), are also found in An Giang.

Etymology

The province's name is derived from the Sino-Vietnamese word: 安江, meaning "peaceful river".[1]

Notable people from An Giang

Politics

Literature and arts

Education

Religions

Military

Other

See also

References

  1. ↑ Đại Nam Nhất Thống Chí - Lục Tỉnh Nam Kỳ (Unification Records of Dai Nam - Six Provinces of Cochinchina). Hạ. Nha Văn hóa (Bureau of Culture of South Vietnam). 1959. p. 37.
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Adjacent places of An Giang Province
 Takéo Province,  Cambodia Kandal Province,  Cambodia
Đồng Tháp Province
   An Giang province  
Kiên Giang Province Cần Thơ and Kiên Giang Province Cần Thơ
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