Pursat province

Etymology

Pursat is derived from the transliteration of its name in Khmer script Poŭthĭsăt (ពោធិ៍សាត់) means "floating banyan" in Khmer. It's composed of Poŭthĭ- (ពោធិ៍, ), a Khmer word derived from the Sanskrit and Pali word of the tree named bodhi (बोधि), which is where the Buddha became enlightened, and -săt (សាត់, ) which comes from the Khmer word rôsăt (រសាត់, ) meaning "to float".

Geography

The physical geography of Pursat encompasses many bioregions ranging from densely forested mountains to fertile plains to the Tonle Sap basin. Forests cover approximately 58% of Pursat. The mountains of the Cardamom range rise high in the west and southwest of the province along the border with Thailand and the coast. By the early 2010s, programme activities in the Cardamom Mountains portions of Pursat Province included forest and biodiversity protection, land-use planning and rural livelihood work supported by Conservation International’s Cambodia programme. Parts of the province were designated as Central Cardamom Mountains National Park in 2016. The land slopes toward the northeast, opening into the plains that continue into Battambang and from which much of Cambodia's rice crop is harvested. The Pursat River follows this orientation and drains into the Tonle Sap which forms Pursat's eastern boundary. Pursat is one of the nine provinces that are part of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve.

Religion

The state religion is Theravada Buddhism. More than 96.9% of the people in Pursat are Buddhists. Chams have been practicing Islam for hundreds of years. A small percentage follow Christianity.

Economy

Thmada

Chinese investors have disbursed close to 10 billion baht to develop a new city in Thmada, a border village in Veal Veang District in the province. The new town is to be built in five phases, and about 80% of the first phase, 1,000 condominiums, has been built as of 2019, together with a luxury hotel, restaurants, casinos, and other businesses. The project is to be completed by 2022 or 2025.

Agarwood

Due to the geography and climate of Pursat, Aquilaria thrives in its forest. Aquilaria species, specifically Aquilaria crassna, infected with the parasitic mold Phaeoacremonium parasitica are the source of agarwood. There was an abundance in wild agarwood in the past. Due to its distinct fragrance, the trees were sought after and felled for gift offerings to the royal family and officials.

Agarwood harvested from Pursat was the most valuable and highly in demand. In the early-1970s, "oud Cambodi" was the most sought after oud oil on the market because of the belief that it contains a psychoactive substance that affects the mind and emotions.

The depletion of wild trees from rampant cutting of agarwood has resulted in the trees being listed and protected as an endangered species. Projects are being implemented to infect cultivated Aquilaria trees artificially, to produce agarwood in a sustainable manner.

In 2015, Lieutenant General Ouk Kosa of Cambodia's Ministry of National Defense signed an MOU with a Singaporean company, giving the company access to six million mature Aquilaria trees, which they will inoculate to produce agarwood.

Administrative divisions

The province is divided into six districts and one municipality, further divided into 51 communes.

References

References

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3. Total Road Atlas of Cambodia, Third Edition, Phnom Penh, 2006
4. ''History of Bakan Pagoda'', Kambuja Soriya Magazine, Volume 2, 2003, Buddhist Institute, Phnom Penh
5. HS Manjunath. (20 October 2011). "Pursat set for its fifth River run race". Phnom Penh Post.
6. O Kunka. 2005. ''Participation in natural forest resource management in Pursat province, Cambodia''
7. (September 2014). "Mid-Term Review Final Report: Sustainable Forest Management Project Cambodia". United Nations Development Programme.
8. (9 May 2016). "Sub-decree No. 81 on the establishment of Central Cardamom Mountains National Park". Council of Ministers (Cambodia).
9. "Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve Environmental Information Database".
10. (October 2020). "Final General Population Census 2019-English.pdf". National Institute of Statistics Ministry of planning.
11. (1 July 2019). "Boom along the border". Bangkok Post.
12. Pengly, Horng. "A scent more precious than gold". Phnom Penh Post.
13. Broad, S. (1995) "Agarwood harvesting in Vietnam" ''TRAFFIC Bulletin'' 15:96
14. "Memorandum of Understanding Signing (MOU): A Historic Achievement for One Plantation and Cambodia".
15. "Soldiers, Singaporean Firm to Plant 6 Million Trees - The Cambodia Daily". The Cambodia Daily.