Pursat Province
| Pursat ខេត្តពោធិ៏សាត់ |
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Pursat countryside
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| Map of Cambodia highlighting Pursat Map of Cambodia highlighting Pursat |
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| Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | |
| Country |  Cambodia |
| Capital | Pursat |
| Area | |
| • Total | 12,692 km2 (4,900 sq mi) |
| Population (2008)[1] | |
| • Total | 397,107 |
| • Density | 31/km2 (81/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+07 |
| Dialing code | +855 |
| ISO 3166 code | KH-15 |
| Districts | 6 |
Pursat (Khmer: ខេត្តពោធិ៍សាត់, IPA: [poː sat]; "Drifting Bodhi") is a province (khaet) of Cambodia. It is located in the western part of the country and borders clockwise from the north with Battambang Province, the Tonlé Sap, Kampong Chhnang Province, Kampong Speu Province, Koh Kong Province, and Thailand. It is located between the Tonle Sap and the northern end of the Cardamom Mountains. The Pursat River bisects the province, running from the Cardamoms in the west to the Tonle Sap in the east.
The fourth largest province of Cambodia in area, Pursat ranks only 14th in population. The region is accessible by National Highway 5, by boat, rail and by numerous smaller roads. The capital, Pursat town, lies 174 kilometres north west of Phnom Penh by road and 106 kilometres south east of Battambang.[2]
Pursat is home to Wat Bakan, considered to be among the oldest active pagodas in Cambodia and revered as one of the most holy sites of Cambodian Buddhism.[3] The province also hosts the annual River Run Race, an event that includes 5 km and 10 km races that generally follow the path of the Pursat River for men and women, including those requiring wheelchairs. Since its inaugural race in 2007, the event has grown to the second largest of its kind in Cambodia[4]
Geography
The physical geography of Pursat encompasses many bioregions ranging from densely forested mountains to fertile plains to the Tonle Sap basin. Forests cover approximately 58% of the Pursat.[5] The mountains of the Cardamom range rise high in the west and southwest of the province along the border with Thailand and the coast. The land slopes toward the northeast, opening up into the fertile plains that continue into Battambang and from which much of Cambodia's rice crop is harvested. The Pursat River follows this orientation and drains into the Tonle Sap which forms Pursat's eastern boundary. Pursat is one of the nine provinces that are part of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve.[6]
Administrative divisions
The province is subdivided into six districts.
- 1501 Bakan - បាកាន
- 1502 Kandieng - កណ្ដៀង
- 1503 Krakor - ក្រគរ
- 1504 Phnum Kravanh - ភ្នំក្រវាញ is a rural mountainous district
- 1505 Pursat - ពោធិ៍សាត់ is a small but very densely populated urban area
- 1506 Veal Veaeng - វាលវែង is a remote and sparsely populated district, one of the last strongholds of the Khmer Rouge until the late 1990s
See also
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Total Road Atlas of Cambodia, Third Edition, Phnom Penh, 2006
- ↑ History of Bakan Pagoda, Kambuja Soriya Magazine, Volume 2, 2003, Buddhist Institute, Phnom Penh
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ O Kunka. 2005. Participation in natural forest resource management in Pursat province, Cambodia
- ↑ Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve Environmental Information Database
External links
- United Nations World Food Programme's Food Security Web Atlas of Cambodia - Provincial Food Security Profile of Pursat
- Cambodia National and Provincial Resources Data Bank - Pursat Provincial Resources
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Battambang Province | Siem Reap Province | Kampong Thom Province | |
Trat Province,  Thailand |
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Kampong Chhnang Province | ||
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| Koh Kong Province | Kampong Speu Province |
 Pursat Province |
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Capital: Pursat
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