Koh Sdach (; ) is a Cambodian island located in the

Gulf of Thailand The Gulf of Thailand (), historically known as the Gulf of Siam (), is a shallow inlet adjacent to the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of the Indochinese Peninsula and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. ...

, around off the coast of Botum Sakor national park, in the Kiri Sakor district in Koh Kong province,

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

. It belongs to a small archipelago of 12 islands, all in relative proximity to each other and to the main land. A

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

community inhabits the island, with people of Khmer, Chinese, Thai and

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...

descent. The village stretches along the east side of the island; to the west there is a small Khmer run

bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...

guesthouse A guest house (or guesthouse, also rest house) is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world (such as the Caribbean), a guest house is a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. In others, it is a private home that has been converted for the e ...

; at the southern end of the island lies a luxurious holiday resort. Koh Sdach has two beaches, one to the south and one westerly facing.

Geography

Koh Sdach is the capital island of the Koh Sdach archipelago. The bean-shaped island stretches from North to South on a length of around , it is rather flat and generally forested. Natural jungle has been replaced by coconut trees and forest crops for commercial purposes. Settlements are mainly in the North, while the southern third is almost non-populated. The tiny Ghost Island/Koh Khmauch (កោះខ្មោច) - east to west and north to south - lies just about west off its southern end.

Community

As in most of Cambodia, the government is largely nonfunctional even to the extent that the de facto currency is the US DOLLAR. A large portion of the economy is of a subsistence nature with a large reliance on fishing. Roughly 70% of the working population are fishermen with most of the rest being farmers or small-time businessmen. Most of the fish that is caught is sold to Thailand.

Legend

According to legend, there once was a king who commanded an army on the island. Because there was no fresh water, the king searched everywhere to find some. At last he found a rock near the sea. Thinking the rock might contain water; the king drew his sword and split open the rock, releasing an endless flow of water that local people still use today.

References

{{coord, 10, 56, N, 103, 4, E, display=title, region:KH_type:isle_source:GNS-enwiki Islands of Cambodia Geography of Koh Kong province Islands of the Gulf of Thailand

Geography

Community

Legend

See also

References