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MondulKiri - General Information
Area: 14,288sq km
Population: 42,148
Density: 2
Districts: 5
Commune: 21
Village: 98
Mondul Kiri is an eastern province of Cambodia, which is the most sparsely
populated province in the whole country although being the largest province in
Cambodia. The province is chock full of natural beauty, with thickly forested
mountains, powerful waterfalls and the lush green rolling hills of the western
side. Despite the growing deforestation, especially due to the valuable minerals
remaining in the deep red, fertile ground, Mondul Kiri has still one of the
biggest succession woodlands of Cambodia. Except being in Sen Monorom, you’ll
find deep pure jungle, with a huge variety of flora and fauna. You may also find
gigantic and beautiful waterfalls, where you can take an empowering shower, such
as the impressive Bou Sraa.
Sen Monorom is the provincial capital and doesn’t show up as a typical Cambodian
town, while it is the only town the province has to speak of. With approx. 7500
inhabitants, 20 guesthouses, 12 restaurants, 3 bars and no post office it is
often compared to American Wild West frontier towns. Concerning the quietness
and beauty of Sen Monorom people from other parts of the country move here and
therefore the land price doubled from 2006 to 2007.
The town of Sen Monorom is the best base camp for travelers who want to explore
the surrounding areas. A quiet but beautiful town nestled into the hills; it has
a lot of potential to develop into a centre for non-intrusive eco-tourism. At
present, it’s very undeveloped, which gives you a feeling of going somewhere off
the beaten tourist trail. Add to that the communities of hill tribe people, who
are not affected by mass-tourism, as they are in neighboring Thailand, and you
have an area that is very attractive to the adventure traveler.
Also interesting is the variety of languages being used: Khmer, hill tribe
languages, Vietnamese and Lao. 80 percent of the population in Mondul Kiri is
made up of ten tribal minorities, with the majority of them being the Chunchiet
from the tribe of the Phnong. The remaining 20 percent are Khmer, Chinese and
Muslim Cham. Most of the population lives off the land, planting rice, fruit
trees and a variety of vegetables. Others grow, coffee, strawberries, rubber and
cashew nuts. More and more houses are built in the typical Khmer style. Visiting
the hill tribes you still can find the traditional Phnong houses. In the houses
you can find traditional gongs and big jars, whereby the last ones are said to
be more than a thousand years old. There are various sorts of gongs used for
different occasions. Jars and gongs are among the most valuable possessions in
an indigenous community, whether in traditional, spiritual or material terms.
During the Khmer Rouge Regime those objects were buried in hidden places in the
jungle and in many cases they still wait in the ground.
Source: Ministry of Tourism of the Kingdom of Cambodia |
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Visited: 1967