Sihanoukville is a city of Cambodia and the administrative center of the Sihanouk Province. The Sihanoukville Autonomous Port is the only deep sea port of the country in the Gulf of Siam, halfway between Thailand and Vietnam in the 435 kilometers of the Cambodian sea coastline. The city is the biggest urban, industrial and commercial center of the southern coastal provinces. The Sihanouk Province has an area of 2,397 kilometers sq. and a population of 181,968 inhabitants, according to 2005's statistics. 119.50 kilometers of the Cambodian coastline belong to Sihanouk that is divided in one municipality (the city itself) and three districts: Prey Nop, the second most populated urban center of the province after Sihanoukville, Stung Hav that has a minor but important sea port and Kampong Seilar. There are also 26 communes (sangkat), five of them in the city and 21 in rural areas. Sihanouk Province has 109 villages, 19 in urban and 90 in rural areas. The province was known before as Kompung Saom and many people, especially elderly, still calling it with that former name.
The Cambodians who live in Sihanouk Province are made by Khmer, Cham, Thai and Vietnamese peoples and the 85 percent of the population practices Theravada Buddhism with more than 700 Buddhist monks. The economy is made of agriculture, forestry, tourism, fisheries, industry, harbor development, navigation, nature conservation and oil exploration.
The city is located in a small peninsula and bay that is populated by several islands and islets with great coral reserves. The beaches are well appreciated for their beauty, while the sea offers of big variety of fish. The Province is also the house of the Ream National Park and the Bokor Mountain that it shares with Kompot Province at the east.
In the last decade, the Sihanouk Province has grown its importance not only as an international sea port, but also as a tourist destination due to its rich natural adventures, from sea and islands, to beaches and mountains. Several high standard hotels have been built, while backpacker visitors find in the city a good option of accommodation.
Unfortunately, the city has faced also social problems like the sexual tourism that has put at risk children and women, HIV threats and drugs. Authorities and humanitarian organizations join in Sihanoukville to protect vulnerable people.
12 years ago
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