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Koh Rong (, ) is an island in
Preah Sihanouk province Preah Sihanouk (, UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: , ), also Sihanoukville, is a province (''khaet'') in southwest Cambodia on the Gulf of Thailand. The provincial capital, also called Sihanoukville, is a deep water port city and a steadily growing and dive ...
,
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 is the second largest island of Cambodia. The word ''Rong'' might refer to an old term for "cave" or "tunnel" (, ). It can also refer to the
Old Khmer Old Khmer is the oldest attested stage of the Khmer language, an Austroasiatic language historically and presently spoken across Cambodia, Southern Vietnam, and parts of Thailand and Laos. It is recorded in inscriptions dating from the early 7th ...
word for shelter, adding up to ''Shelter Island''. Located about from
Sihanoukville Sihanoukville (, ), also known as Kampong Saom (, ) or Preah Sihanouk (, ), is a coastal city in Cambodia and the capital of Preah Sihanouk Province, at the tip of an elevated peninsula in the country's south-west on the Gulf of Thailand. T ...
, the island has an area of approximately and of its entire coastline of are beaches. Four village communities exist on the island: Koh Tuich, Doeum D'keuw, Prek Svay and Sok San. The island is a popular local tourism destination with numerous hotels, resorts and guesthouses. Koh Rong was established as a commune in 2000, and became a
city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
in 2019. It is the site of a 99-year land concession by
The Royal Group The Royal Group is the premier investment and development company in Cambodia known for bringing diversified investment to the country and providing investors with the platform to run operations. The Royal Group has been at the heart of Cambodi ...
to develop the island, and is one of the islands within the
Koh Rong Marine National Park Koh Rong Marine National Park is a national park in Preah Sihanouk province, Cambodia. Established in February 2018, it is the country's first marine national park. It covers of land and water within it, and encompasses the seven islands of the ...
that was established in 2018. Several seasons of the reality television series ''Survivor'' have been filmed on Koh Rong.


Geography

Koh Rong is the biggest of the islands off the coast of
Sihanoukville Sihanoukville (, ), also known as Kampong Saom (, ) or Preah Sihanouk (, ), is a coastal city in Cambodia and the capital of Preah Sihanouk Province, at the tip of an elevated peninsula in the country's south-west on the Gulf of Thailand. T ...
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. ...
. It stretches from south-east to north-west, is roughly elongate shaped and it encompasses an area of . The terrain is predominantly hilly with a sizable mountain at the island's north-west. The hills provide water for countless creeks and estuaries. The island's interior is almost completely forested, concealing a number of seasonal waterfalls. Koh Rong has around of delicate beaches. There are no less than 23 beaches of varying length and coloration—from (predominantly) white to beige to rose-colored sands—along most of the coastline. Bays, protruding capes and impressive sandstone rock formations contribute to the island's scenic panorama. The southern coastline, exposed to the weather and open sea, is particularly spectacular, whereas the eastern coast, which faces towards the land, is characterized by a sequence of smooth hills, gently sloping towards the numerous crescent-shaped beaches, inlets and bays. Several small islets and many reefs provide an abundance of natural environments for a great variety of marine life. The center of the island is a flat "belt" of sediments that joins the two hilly massifs of the south-east and north-west. Here is a small
savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
—the result of human activities and cultivation. Although most of the island's surface is still covered in forest, many years of illegal logging have seriously affected the quality and health of the jungle. Huge, old and slow-growing hardwood trees have become rare, the original arboreal variety is vanishing and gradually being replaced by commercial mono cultures, such as coco and oil palms, in particular along the coast and in the lowlands. Tiny Koh Tuich island lies off the south-east and the twin islands of Koh Bong-Po'own or Koh Song-Saa lie off the north-east of Koh Rong. To its south lies the uninhabited island of Koh Koun, followed by
Koh Rong Sanloem Koh Rong Sanloem (, ) is an island off the coast of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, south of Koh Rong. It is around long (north to south), wide (east to west) and wide at its narrowest point. Its distance from the local port of Sihanoukville is ...
island. These five islands comprise the Sangkat Koh Rong or Commune 5 of
Mittakpheap Preah Sihanouk Municipality, also Krong Preah Sihanouk (, ), is one of the four districts of Sihanoukville Province in Cambodia. In 1998, it had an urban population of 67,440. In addition to the city of Sihanoukville and the Sihanoukville Auton ...
District.


History

Henri Mouhot Alexandre Henri Mouhot (15 May 1826 – 10 November 1861) was a French naturalist and explorer of the mid-19th century. He was born in Montbéliard, Doubs, France, near the Swiss border. He died near Luang-Prabang, Laos. He is remembered mostly ...
on his way from Bangkok to Kampot, a day and a half before arrival, in ''Travels in the Central Parts of Indo-China'', 1864: The island was governed by the Navy authority for five miles around the island during 1979 to 2000. Since 2000 the Department of Fisheries is the principal government agency responsible for management of living aquatic resources. It cooperates with local authorities, communities, local fishers, and NGOs, to manage and conserve the resources. Koh Rong island is a relatively new commune, only established in 2000. In order to boost development, Koh Rong has had a land concession issued by the Cambodian government. A Cambodian consortium,
the Royal Group The Royal Group is the premier investment and development company in Cambodia known for bringing diversified investment to the country and providing investors with the platform to run operations. The Royal Group has been at the heart of Cambodi ...
has been granted a 99-year lease. In 2008 it revealed plans to build "Asia's first environmentally planned resort island." In February 2018, the
Koh Rong Marine National Park Koh Rong Marine National Park is a national park in Preah Sihanouk province, Cambodia. Established in February 2018, it is the country's first marine national park. It covers of land and water within it, and encompasses the seven islands of the ...
was established around the island, Cambodia's first
marine national park A marine park is a designated park consisting of an area of sea (or lake) set aside to achieve ecological sustainability, promote marine awareness and understanding, enable marine recreational activities, and provide benefits for Indigenous peop ...
. In January 2019, a government sub-decree established a new city from Koh Rong and
Koh Rong Sanloem Koh Rong Sanloem (, ) is an island off the coast of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, south of Koh Rong. It is around long (north to south), wide (east to west) and wide at its narrowest point. Its distance from the local port of Sihanoukville is ...
.


Settlements and infrastructure

There are four distinguishable villages on Koh Rong—Koh Tuich Village in the south-east, Prek Svay in the north-east, Daem Thkov (Sangkat Village) in the east, and Sok San Village in the west. Most local residents live from fishing (70%) and small scale crop cultivation (30%), although an increasing number has found jobs in the quickly growing tourism sector. This is particularly true for Koh Tuich Village, where tourist businesses currently outnumber residential homes. Apart from narrow paths in the jungle—many of these are dead ends that had been created by illegal loggers—there exists absolutely no road network. The island's interior remains non-populated, villages and holiday resorts are confined to the coast and the beaches. Conveniently all transport goes via sea routes. , local residents and visitors can take advantage of a well-functioning ferry network. Extensive road clearings do foreshadow the island's future as a major tourist destination, yet as the developer's Chinese investment partner has dropped out of the team, funding remains uncertain. The Ministry of Tourism has expressed indirect discontent and is likely to cancel development licenses, if these important islands are left undeveloped. In September 2012 the island was hooked up with the internet to Sihanoukville on the main land.
The Royal Group The Royal Group is the premier investment and development company in Cambodia known for bringing diversified investment to the country and providing investors with the platform to run operations. The Royal Group has been at the heart of Cambodi ...
dropped a fiber-glass cable in the gulf's waters—a distance of almost 30 kilometers. Still, none of the infrastructural projects are yet under way and according to ''
The Phnom Penh Post ''The Phnom Penh Post'' (, ) is a daily English-language newspaper published in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Founded in 1992 by publisher Michael Hayes and Kathleen O'Keefe, it is Cambodia's oldest English-language newspaper and prior to the transferr ...
'': "plans are foggy".


''Survivor''

The island has also played host to the popular reality program ''
Survivor Survivor(s) may refer to: * one who survives Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series * ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...
''. In 2012, ''
Koh-Lanta ''Koh-Lanta'' is a French reality game show based on the international ''Survivor'' format. The series premiered on August 4, 2001. The show is broadcast on TF1 and there have been 22 regular seasons and 7 special seasons. The show has been host ...
'', the French edition of the program, produced a special All-Star edition (titled '' Koh-Lanta: Revenge of the Heroes'') on Koh Rong, near Sok San village. Production returned to the island in 2013 for a regular edition ('' Koh-Lanta: Cambodia''), but production ended abruptly after the death of a contestant. ''Koh-Lanta'' returned to the island in 2016 for another regular edition (''Koh-Lanta: Island of Treasure''). More recently, the American edition of ''Survivor'' produced Season 31 ('' Survivor: Cambodia—Second Chance'') and 32 ('' Survivor: Kaôh Rōng—Brains vs Brawn vs Beauty'') of the program on Koh Rong over the course of four months between March and July 2015. The sixteenth edition of ''
Expedition Robinson ''Robinson'', formerly ''Expedition Robinson'', is a Swedish reality game show and the original version of the international '' Survivor'' format. The television show places a group of strangers in an isolated location, where they must provi ...
'',
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
's ''Survivor'', was also filmed on Koh Rong.


Gallery

File:Elementary_school_Koh_Rong.jpg, Rural elementary school File:Koh_Rong_central_plains.jpg, Koh Rong's central plains File:Koh_Rong_viewing_Koh_Koun_and_Koh_Rong_Sanloem.jpg, Koh Rong, viewing Koh Koun and Koh Rong Sanloem File:Prek_Svay_Village_Koh_Rong.jpg, Prek Svay Village File:Road_clearing_Koh_Rong_island.jpg, Road clearing, Koh Rong island File:Sok_San_Beach_bay_Koh_Rong.jpg, Sok San Beach Bay, Koh Rong


See also

*
Koh Rong Sanloem Koh Rong Sanloem (, ) is an island off the coast of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, south of Koh Rong. It is around long (north to south), wide (east to west) and wide at its narrowest point. Its distance from the local port of Sihanoukville is ...
*
Koh Sdach Koh Sdach (; ) is a Cambodian island located in the Gulf of Thailand, around off the coast of Botum Sakor national park, in the Kiri Sakor district in Koh Kong province, Cambodia. It belongs to a small archipelago of 12 islands, all in rela ...
* Koh Thmei * List of islands of Cambodia * List of Cambodian inland islands *
Sihanoukville Sihanoukville (, ), also known as Kampong Saom (, ) or Preah Sihanouk (, ), is a coastal city in Cambodia and the capital of Preah Sihanouk Province, at the tip of an elevated peninsula in the country's south-west on the Gulf of Thailand. T ...


References


External links


Independent Travel Guide on Koh Rong Island


* {{usurped,
Cambodia Island Database-list of islands
} Islands of Cambodia Islands of the Gulf of Thailand Populated places in Sihanoukville province Sihanoukville province National parks of Cambodia Tourist attractions in Cambodia Communes of Sihanoukville province