Kratié Province
Encyclopedia
Kratié or Kracheh is a province in northeastern Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

. It borders Stung Treng
Stung Treng Province
Stung Treng is a northern province of Cambodia.-Description:The Cambodia/Lao border is located in the north of Stung Treng Province. The Mekong river crosses the province roughly in its midst.-History of stung treng:...

 to the north, Mondulkiri to the east, Kampong Thom to the west, Kampong Cham and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

 to the south.

The capital of the province is The Town of Kratié located in the Kratié District
Kratié District
Kracheh is a district located in Kratié Province, in Cambodia. Villages in Thma Krae commune have become famous for making the best kralan in Cambodia.- References :...

.

History

The former Royal Capital Sampheak Borak during the Chenla
Chenla
Chenla is the Chinese designation for Cambodia after the fall of Funan. That name was still used in the 13th century by the Chinese envoy Zhou Daguan, author of the Manners and Customs of Cambodia...

 Era is located in Sambo. In addition, Kratie has Vihear Sarsar Mouy Rouy Pagoda built in the 16th century. This pagoda is related to a Khmer legend Krapeur Nen Thun (Venerable Monk Thun, the Crocodile). Kratie has several temples built in the 8th century such as Khvas Pi, Pram, and Koh Kring that has perfect deities, ancient halls, Khmer ancient houses, and French-style buildings. The area near Kratié along the Mekong River was one of the most densely populated regions of the pre-Angkorian
Angkor
Angkor is a region of Cambodia that served as the seat of the Khmer Empire, which flourished from approximately the 9th to 15th centuries. The word Angkor is derived from the Sanskrit nagara , meaning "city"...

 era of Cambodia.

Lon Nol
Lon Nol
Lon Nol was a Cambodian politician and general who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia twice, as well as serving repeatedly as Defense Minister...

 was the province's governor in 1945. During foreign incursions and the civil wars into Cambodia, Kratié especially saw heavy fighting. During Operation Menu
Operation Menu
Operation Menu was the codename of a covert United States Strategic Air Command bombing campaign conducted in eastern Cambodia and Laos from 18 March 1969 until 26 May 1970, during the Vietnam War...

, Kratié was heavily bombed by the United States. Recovering unexploded ordnance
Unexploded ordnance
Unexploded ordnance are explosive weapons that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, potentially many decades after they were used or discarded.While "UXO" is widely and informally used, munitions and explosives of...

 and de-mining has been a major recent initiative.

On December 30, 1978, Vietnamese forces captured Kratié.

Geography

The Mekong River flows from the north to the south of the province; approximately 140 km of the river is located in Kratié. The river is home to Irrawaddy dolphins, fish, and birds. The flow of the Mekong River at Kratié town varies greatly. There are hundreds of seasonally flooded islands in the river. As of 2007, the Cambodian government planned to build a dam on the Mekong River near Kratié town. The province also contains many forests, the Phnom Pram Poan mountain range, Phnom Prech, and rubber plantations. Eastern Kratié is an important bird area.

The province is mostly covered in dense forest. Craters from Operation Menu
Operation Menu
Operation Menu was the codename of a covert United States Strategic Air Command bombing campaign conducted in eastern Cambodia and Laos from 18 March 1969 until 26 May 1970, during the Vietnam War...

 bombings during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

, some of which are filled with water, are still visible in the countryside. Some land in Kratié is used for agriculture, though a smaller percentage than elsewhere in Cambodia.

The province has a monsoonal climate, with a cool season from November to March, a hot season from March to May, and a rainy season from May to October. Flooding is frequent in Kratié; the Mekong may overflow by as much as 4 m during the rainy season.

Kratié is known for its attractive riverside scenery and its green villages and paddies.

Kratié's fisheries are part of the Upper Mekong River Zone, which is important support for migratory species and subsistence fishing but does not play a major role in commercial fishing.

Forests in Kratié tend to be open and less dense than elsewhere in Cambodia; they are generally made up of deciduous trees that lose their leaves during the dry season.

Government

Kham Phoeun is the governor of Kratié Province and Venn Sokhoy is the deputy governor. In the 2007 commune council elections, the vast majority of seats went to members of the Cambodian People's Party
Cambodian People's Party
The Cambodian People's Party is the current ruling party of Cambodia.This party was formerly known as Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party...

. Women make up 17.4% of commune council members. In 2005, Kratié received 1.69 billion riel from the commune/sangkat fund, of which development funds were 1.20 billion riel and funds for administration were 0.49 billion riel.

Economy and transportation

Most Kratié residents are subsistence farmers or fishers. 78% of residents are employed in agriculture. Thirty percent of Kratié households live on less than US$1 per day; the province's poverty rate of 32% is somewhat lower than the national average of 39%. Some gold mining occurs in Kratié. Most soil in Kratié is poor; the province primarily grows perennial industrial crops like rubber. Illegal logging supervised by provincial officials is a problem. Kratié has the potential to be an ecotourism destination. Kratié's road system is poorly developed. As of 1998, the average household possessed 0.48 hectares of agricultural land, and 37% were landless.

Social issues

Land concessions often cover land customarily owned or used by people in Kratié Province. In 2004, community land organizers were threatened by the military after they confiscated chainsaws used for illegal logging. An indigenous people's organization is active in Kratié Province.

Health, education, and development

Schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by several species of trematodes , a parasitic worm of the genus Schistosoma. Snails often act as an intermediary agent for the infectious diseases until a new human host is found...

 is a problem in Kratié province. The incidence of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...

 and dengue fever
Dengue fever
Dengue fever , also known as breakbone fever, is an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles...

 rose sharply in the mid-2000s; this increase has been attributed to changes in climate.

Malaria is hyperendemic in Kratié's forests. The provincial infant mortality rate of 97/1,000 and child mortality rate of 80/1,000 are significantly higher than the national average (68/1,000 and 53/1,000, respectively).

Demography

There is a substantial Vietnamese minority in Kratié Province. Kratié is home to seven indigenous groups: Phnorng, Kouy, Mil, Khonh, Kraol, Steang, and Thamoun. Approximately 70% of the province's residents live along the Mekong River; the area beyond the river is sparsely populated. Approximately 8% of Kratié's population is indigenous; it is one of four provinces with a substantial indigenous population. 70% of the population is rural.

Districts

It is subdivided into 1 krong and 5 districts.
ISO Code District Romanization
1001 ស្រុកឆ្លូង Chhloung
1002 ក្រុងក្រចេះ Kracheh
1003 ស្រុកព្រែកប្រសព្វ Preaek Prasab
1004 ស្រុកសំបូរ Sambour
Sambour District
Sambour is a district located in Kratié Province, in Cambodia....

1005 ស្រុកស្នួល Snuol

| 1006
| ស្រុកចិត្របូរី
| Chetr Borei
|}

External links

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