Savannakhet province

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Savannakhet province ແຂວງ ສະຫວັນນະເຂດ
Province
A restaurant on the Mekong
Map of Savannakhet province
Location of Savannakhet province in Laos
Coordinates: 16°32′N 105°47′E / 16.54°N 105.78°E / 16.54; 105.78
Country	Laos
Capital	Savannakhet
Area
• Total	21,774 km2 (8,407 sq mi)
Population  (2020 census)
• Total	1,037,553
• Density	48/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+7 (ICT)
ISO 3166 code	LA-SV
HDI (2017)	0.533[1] low · 14th

Savannakhet (Lao: ສະຫວັນນະເຂດ, pronounced [sā.wǎn nā(ʔ).kʰȅːt]) is a province of Laos. The name derives from Savanh Nakhone ('heavenly district' or 'land of fertility suitable for agriculture') the province's original name. It bears the same meaning as Nakhon Sawan, a city in Thailand.

The province is in the southern part of the country and is the largest province in Laos. It borders Khammouane province to the north, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên–Huế provinces of Vietnam to the east, Salavan province to the south, and Nakhon Phanom and Mukdahan provinces of Thailand to the west. The Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge over the Mekong River connects Mukdahan province in Thailand with Savannakhet in Laos. Its capital, Savannakhet, also known as Kaysone Phomvihane or Muang Khanthabouly is Laos' second largest city after Vientiane.^{[citation needed]} It forms an important trading post between Thailand and Vietnam.

Along with Bolikhamsai and Khammouane provinces, Savannakhet is one of the main tobacco producing areas of Laos. It has numerous natural resources. Xépôn is the site of the largest mine in Laos, with reserves of copper and gold. During the Iron Age, copper smelting and copper mining was held at the archaeological site Vilabouly Complex.