Banlung
13°44′48″N 107°00′16″E / 13.746804°N 107.004519°E
Banlung
បានលុង | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 13°44′48″N 107°0′16″E / 13.74667°N 107.00444°E | |
Country | Cambodia |
Province | Ratanakiri Province |
District | Banlung District |
Population (2006) | |
• Total | 17,000 |
Time zone | UTC+7 (Cambodia) |
Template:Contains Khmer text Banlung (Template:Lang-km) is the capital of Ratanakiri Province in northeastern Cambodia. Banlung is 636 km from the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. Ratanakiri province borders Vietnam and Laos.[1] Banlung is also the capital of the Banlung District. The city has a population of around 17,000 and the surrounding district has a population of 23,888.
The town became the capital of Ratanakiri province in 1979, following the fall of the Khmer Rouge. The capital was moved from Voen Sai to Banlung in order to facilitate trade with Vietnam (previous to Voen Sai the capital was Lumphat).[2] Prior to 1979 the town was known as Labansiek.[1]
It is a relatively lively commercial center; ethnic minorities from surrounding villages often come to the city market to sell their goods.[1]
Banlung district contains 16 villages located in three communes.
Communes
Commune (khum) | Villages (phum)[3][4] | Population (1998)[3] |
---|---|---|
Kachanh | Phum Muoy, Phum Pir, Phum Bei, Phum Buon | 3,888 |
Labansiek | Phum Muoy, Phum Pir, Phum Bei, Phum Buon, Phum Pram, Phum Prammuoy, Phum Prampir (Village 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) | 11,256 |
Yeak Laom | Lon, Phnum, Sil, La Pou, Chri | 1,855 |
Infrastructure
Electricity in Banlung is produced by the nearby O Chum 2 Hydropower Dam, in the wider region only around 13% of homes have access to electricity.
Gallery
References
- ^ a b c Ray, Nick. Cambodia. Lonely Planet (2002), p315. ISBN 1-74059-111-9.
- ^ The Rough Guide to Cambodia, by Beverley Palmer, p. 238
- ^ a b "Final Population Totals, Rotanak Kiri Province, 1998" Archived October 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Cambodia National Institute of Statistics. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ "Ratanak Kiri Province" Archived June 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Cambodia National Institute of Statistics. Accessed June 6, 2008.
External links
- Big Stories, Small Towns, an online documentary about the town of Banlung