Bokeo province

Bokeo province ແຂວງ ບໍ່ແກ້ວ
Province
Map of Bokeo province
Location of Bokeo province in Laos
Coordinates: 20°18′00″N 100°25′01″E / 20.3°N 100.417°E / 20.3; 100.417
Country	Laos
Capital	Ban Houayxay
Area
• Total	6,196 km2 (2,392 sq mi)
Population  (2020 census)
• Total	203,468
• Density	33/km2 (85/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+7 (ICT)
ISO 3166 code	LA-BK
HDI (2017)	0.557[1] medium · 13th

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Bokeo (Lao: ບໍ່ແກ້ວ, pronounced [bɔ̄ː kɛ̂ːw]; literally 'gem mine'; previously, Hua Khong, meaning 'head of the Mekong')^[2] is a northern province of Laos. It is the smallest and second least populous province in the country.^[3] Bokeo province covers an area of 6,196 square kilometres (2,392 sq mi). Bokeo province borders Luang Namtha province to the northeast, Oudomxai province to the east, Xaignabouli province to the south, and Thailand to the southwest and Burma to the west and northwest. The province has five districts: (Houay Xay, Tonpheung, Meung, Phaodom, and Paktha) and the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Ton Pheung district. It is rich in deposits of precious and semiprecious stones.^{[citation needed]} Bokeo's provincial capital is Houayxay on the Mekong River. The province is in the Golden Triangle, at the border of Myanmar and Thailand.^[4] There are 34 ethnic groups in the province. Houay Xay is a border town with Thailand and regional economic centre.^{[citation needed]}