Kampong Chhnang province facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kampong Chhnang កំពង់ឆ្នាំង
Province
Kampong Chhnang Province ខេត្តកំពង់ឆ្នាំង
From top, clockwise: Kangrei Mountain, rural countryside, Wat Kampong Tralach Leu, paddy field
Seal
Country	Cambodia
Provincial status	1907
Capital	Kampong Chhnang
Area
• Total	5,521 km2 (2,132 sq mi)
Area rank	14th
Population
• Total	527,027
• Rank	13th
• Density	95/km2 (250/sq mi)
• Density rank	14th
Time zone	UTC+7 (ICT)
ISO 3166 code	KH-4

Kampong Chhnang (Khmer: ខេត្តកំពង់ឆ្នាំង) is one of the central provinces in Cambodia. Think of it like a state in the middle of the country.

Its neighboring provinces are Kampong Thom, Kampong Cham, Kandal, Kampong Speu, and Pursat. The main city, and capital, is also called Kampong Chhnang.

What's in a Name?

The name Kampong Chhnang comes from two Khmer words.

• Kampong (កំពង់) means "port" or "harbor".
• Chhnang (ឆ្នាំង) means "pottery".

So, when you put them together, the name means "Port of Pottery" or "Pottery Harbor".

Where is Kampong Chhnang?

Group of palm trees in Kampong Chhnang province

Kampong Chhnang is a small province located about 91 kilometers (56 miles) away from Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

It sits in a flat area called an alluvial plain. This means the land is very fertile because it's made of rich soil brought by rivers. The Tonle Sap river, which is a branch of the mighty Mekong river, flows through the province.

What Do People Believe?

The main religion in Kampong Chhnang province is Theravada Buddhism. Over 93% of the people there are Buddhists.

About 5.8% of the people follow Islam, especially the Cham community. A small number of people, about 0.3%, are Christians. The rest follow animism or other beliefs.

A Look Back in Time

The name "Port of Pottery" tells us a lot about the province's past. Long, long ago, Kampong Chhnang was a busy coastal city. It was an important stop for ships traveling between China and India.

Over many centuries, the Mekong river brought a lot of sand and mud, which built up and pushed the coastline much farther out to sea. Because of this, and when the Tonle Sap river changed its path, the city lost its main water source. People moved away to a new city called Kampong Tralach.

But over time, a new city grew around the old site, bringing life back to Kampong Chhnang. Today, you can visit a museum there to see ancient pottery and other items that tell the story of the city's long history.

Provincial Symbols

Every province has its own special symbols!

• The official tree of Kampong Chhnang is the Diospyros decandra.
• The provincial slogan is "sweet pomelos, delicious rice, beautiful young ladies".

How the Province is Divided

Kampong Chhnang province is divided into 7 main areas called districts, plus 1 municipality (which is like a big city area).

These districts are then split into smaller parts called communes (khum). There are 65 communes in total. Even smaller than communes are villages (phum), and Kampong Chhnang has 478 of them!

There is one main city and 14 smaller towns.

See also

In Spanish: Provincia de Kompung Chinang para niños