Oddar Meanchey (Udon Meechai) ឧត្ដរមានជ័យ | |
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| Oddar Meanchey Province ខេត្តឧត្ដរមានជ័យ | |
 Seal | |
 Map of Cambodia highlighting Oddar Meanchey | |
| Coordinates:14°10′N103°30′E / 14.167°N 103.500°E /14.167; 103.500 | |
| Country |  Cambodia |
| Provincial status | 12 July 1964 |
| Re-established | 27 January 1995 |
| Capital | Samraong |
| Subdivisions | 1 municipality; 4 districts |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Pen Kosal (CPP) |
| • National Assembly | 1 / 125 |
| Area | |
• Total | 6,158 km2 (2,378 sq mi) |
| • Rank | Ranked 13th |
| Population (2024)[1] | |
• Total |  267,203 |
| • Rank | 17th |
| • Density | 45/km2 (120/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 18th |
| Time zone | UTC+07:00 (ICT) |
| Dialing code | +855 |
| ISO 3166 code | KH-22 |
Oddar Meanchey (Khmer:ឧត្តរមានជ័យ,UNGEGN:Ŏttâr Méanchoăy,ALA-LC:Uttar Mānjăy[ʔoɗɑːmiəncɨj];lit. 'Victorious North') is aprovince ofCambodia in the remote northwest. It borders the provinces ofBanteay Meanchey to the west,Siem Reap to the south andPreah Vihear to the east. Its long northern boundary demarcates part of Cambodia'sinternational border withThailand. The capital isSamraong. The final stronghold ofAnlong Veng became the jungle headquarters ofPol Pot (Saloth Sâr) and theKhmer Rouge ofDemocratic Kampuchea once they rebuild their former bases in the jungle on 18 February 1994.
The province was created on 27 April 1999, after being carved from the northern half of Siem Reap province and part of Banteay Meanchey. It existed as a province already from 1962 to 1970 underNorodom Sihanouk'sSangkum regime, but later became an administrative no-man's-land, with its status alternating between a province and a district under successive regimes.[2]
Oddar Meanchey means 'victorious North' and the name represents to victory over siam when the province was returned to Cambodia in 1907 .[citation needed] The province's name is ofSanskrit origin throughPali and is derived from the wordsuttarā (उत्तर), meaning 'north', andjaya (जय) which means 'victory'.[citation needed] KhmerMean (មាន) means 'to have'.
The province is subdivided into 1municipality (krong) and 4districts (srok), and further subdivided into 19communes (khum) and 5quarters (sangkat).
| ISO code | Name | Khmer | Subdivisions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| —Municipality — | |||||
| 22-04 | Samraong | សំរោង | 5sangkat | ||
| —District — | |||||
| 22-01 | Anlong Veng | អន្លង់វែង | 5khum | ||
| 22-02 | Banteay Ampil | បន្ទាយអំពិល | 4khum | ||
| 22-03 | Chong Kal | ចុងកាល | 4khum | ||
| 22-05 | Trapeang Prasat | ត្រពាំងប្រាសាទ | 6khum | ||
This province is in theDângrêk Mountains. There is a serious problem ofdeforestation in the area.[3] However, the first community-based mosaicREDD+ project in Asia was awarded Verified Carbon Standard and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard validation for its forest conservation work in the province.[4]
Forest fires are common in the dry forest and there is muchillegal logging as a result of economic land concessions and migrant forest encroachment.[5]
The mountainous and forested area that now makes up Oddar Meanchey province was part of Siamese province of Monthon Isan from 1795 to 1907 under the supervision of Sangkha. After the neighboring Thai province ofInner Cambodia and Oddar Meanchey were returned to Cambodia in 1907, King Sisowath split the province into Battambang and Siem Reap (Oddar Meanchey was included with Siem Reap). Following theFranco-Thai War from 1941 to 1946 the province was under Siamese administration asPhibunsongkhram province.[6] The province was returned to Cambodian rule in 1946 following French diplomatic efforts at the end ofWorld War II. The province was officially organized in 1966.[citation needed] During theCambodian Civil War, the remote area was used as a base by the Khmer Rouge when they fought against theKhmer Republic led by generalLon Nol.[citation needed]
TheKhmer Rouge ofDemocratic Kampuchea led byPol Pot (Saloth Sâr) andKhieu Samphan rebuilt their former jungle bases in the Dangrek mountain range area, along the border withThailand and madeAnlong Veng their base from 1989 until 1997. Oddar Meanchey province is one of the mostlandmine-ridden areas in Cambodia.[7]
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Capital:Samraong | ||
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