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Mondulkiri (Khmer: មណ្ឌលគិរី, IPA: [mɔn ˌdɔːl ki ˈriː] literally: "Mountain of the Mandala.") is a province (khaet) of Cambodia. Bordering the provinces of Kratie to the west, Stung Treng to the northwest, Ratanakiri to the north and the country of Vietnam to the east and south, it is the most sparsely populated province in the country despite being the largest in land area. The capital is the town of Senmonorom.
Mondulkiri is known for its forested hills and powerful waterfalls. Some waterfalls include:
- Bou Sra Waterfall. Located at Pich Chinda District, 43 kilometers from Senmonorom town, Bou Sra is the largest waterfall, made famous by a popular Khmer song in Mondulkiri.
- Senmonorom Waterfall. Five kilometers from town and an easy walk, Senmonorom waterfall is not much to look at and used to be a nice picnic spot until the construction of a Japanese built hydro electric power station that cut the flow of water.
- Romnea Waterfall. Ten kilometers from Senmonorom, Romnea waterfall is actually 1 of 3 large waterfalls that has now been deforested and privatised.
Mondulkiri faces a significant threat from illegal loggers attempting to exploit the area's virgin forests.
- 1101 Keo Seima - កែវសីម៉ា
- 1102 Kaoh Neak - កោះញែក
- 1103 O Reang - អូររាំង
- 1104 Pech Chenda - ពេជ្រាដា
- 1105 Senmonorom - សែនមនោរម្យ
Eighty percent of Mondulkiri's population is made up of ten tribal minorities, with the majority of them being Pnong. The remaining 20 percent are Khmer, Chinese, and Muslims Cham.Although more and more houses are built in 'Khmer style', traditional Phnong houses can still be found. Pnong houses contain large jars (which are said to be more than a thousand years old) and traditional gongs. There are various gongs used at different occasions. Jars and gongs are among the most valuable possessions of indigenous communities both in traditional and spiritual as well as material terms. During the times of Pol Pot those objects were buried in hidden places in the jungle and in many cases they still wait in the ground.