Tboung Khmum province

Tboung Khmum
ត្បូងឃ្មុំ
Province
Tboung Khmum Province
ខេត្តត្បូងឃ្មុំ
Entering Tboung Khmum from Kampong Cham via the bridge over the Mekong
Entering Tboung Khmum from Kampong Cham via the bridge over the Mekong
Official seal of Tboung Khmum
Seal
Map of Cambodia highlighting Tboung Khmum
Map of Cambodia highlighting Tboung Khmum
Coordinates: 11°59′N 105°27′E / 11.983°N 105.450°E / 11.983; 105.450
Country Cambodia
Founded1897[1]
Provincial status31 December 2013
CapitalSuong
Government
 • GovernorCheam Chan Sophorn (CPP)
 • National Assembly
8 / 125
Area
 • Total
5,250 km2 (2,030 sq mi)
 • Rank15th
Population
 (2019)[2]
 • Total
Increase 853,727
 • Rank10th
 • Density148/km2 (380/sq mi)
  • Rank8th
Time zoneUTC+7 (ICT)
Dialing code+855
ISO 3166 codeKH-3
Websitetboungkhmum.gov.kh

Tboung Khmum[3] (Khmer: ត្បូងឃ្មុំ [tɓoːŋ kʰmum], lit. 'The Gem Pearl of Bee'), also spelled as Tbong Khmum, is a province of Cambodia located on the central lowlands of the Mekong River. It borders the provinces of Kampong Cham to the west, Kratié to the north, Prey Veng to the south and shares an international border with Vietnam to the east. Its capital and largest city is Suong. The province's name consists of two words in Khmer, tboung (gem, precious jewel) and khmum (bee), which together mean "amber or gem".

Tboung Khmum Province was formed when Kampong Cham Province was split in two by a royal decree signed on 31 December 2013 by King Norodom Sihamoni on the recommendation of Prime Minister Hun Sen. The request by Hun Sen's government to split the province, which was ostensibly for the purpose of improving administrative efficiency in the large province, was made after his ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) lost the province to the opposition in the July 2013 elections.[4] The CPP won only eight of the available 18 National Assembly seats in Hun Sen's home province. The 10 districts that remain in Kampong Cham overwhelmingly voted for the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, led by Sam Rainsy, while five of the six districts cut out from Kampong Cham to form the Tboung Khmum Province were won solidly by the CPP.[5] The province has the highest percentage of Muslims in the country, at 11.8%.[2]

  1. ^ "History of Tboung Khmum". Tboung Khmum Provincial Administration. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b "General Population Census of the Kingdom of Cambodia 2019 – Final Results" (PDF). National Institute of Statistics. Ministry of Planning. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Tbong Khmum province". Tourism Cambodia. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  4. ^ Phorn, Bopha; Alex Willemyns (10 January 2014). "Government Creates New CPP-Majority Province". The Cambodia Daily. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  5. ^ Mom, Kunthear; Kevin Ponniah (10 January 2014). "Kampong Cham's great divide". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 29 January 2014.