Kep (Khmer: ខេត្តកែប, UNGEGN: Kêb, ALA-LC: Kaep [kaep]) is the smallest province (khaet) of Cambodia covering 336 km2 (130 sq mi), with a population of 41,798. It is one of the newest Cambodian provinces, together with Pailin, Sihanoukville, and Tboung Khmum, created by Royal Decree on 22 December 2008, which separated Kep Municipality & Damnak Chang’aeur District from the Kampot province, as well as adjusting several provincial borders. It is both the smallest and least populous province of Cambodia. The provincial capital is Kep and the province contains the Kep National Park.
Location
The territory of Kep is entirely surrounded by Kampot province except for the 16 km of sea coast on the southern side fronting the Gulf of Thailand and the Vietnamese island of Phú Quốc. The western limit is 20 km from the town of Kampot. The eastern limit is some 20 km from the Vietnamese border.
Administrative Division
It is subdivided into one district and one municipality, further divided into five communes.
ISO code | District | Khmer |
---|---|---|
23-01 | Damnak Chang’aeur | ស្រុកដំណាក់ចង្អើរ |
23-02 | Kep Municipality | ក្រុងកែប |
The Kep Peninsula enters southwest to the Kep Bay in a triangle. A tiny archipelago of 13 islands (Koh) and islets are located at the east side of the peninsula:
Koh Tonsay
Koh Tonsay (Khmer: កោះទន្សាយ meaning ‘Rabbit Island’) is located about 4.5 Kilometers southwest of Kep. Tourists are drawn to the two white sand beaches, and the sea is shallow and proper for swimming. At the sea bottom are a variety of corals, sea animals, and plants which attract researchers and ecologists.
The name Koh Tonsay is derived from the word Rumsay. While trying to avoid the commander’s troops, Prince Sakor Reach grew hopeless because his troops began to tire. He led his remaining troops across the sea to an island in front of Kep city, where the troops spread out. Accordingly, the island was called Koh Rumsay, Koh Ormsay, Koh Ornsay, and Koh Tonsay, as it is known today. Another version is that, according to many locals who spent their youth in Kep before 1975, the island was previously called Koh Antai. There is no apparent meaning for this word.
Koh Tonsay is 2 square kilometers in area. During then-Prince Norodom Sihanouk’s Sangku Reastr Niyum regime, it was used as a place to rehabilitate criminals, who were also used to defend the island. Horse cart paths and wooden, thatch-roofed motels were also constructed during this time. Most of this infrastructure has been destroyed by weather and decades of war. Today Koh Tonsay is a major tourist attraction for Kep. There are about 8 Khmer-run basic guest houses and about 5 restaurants, serving mainly fresh seafood like crabs, shrimp, and fish. During the day it can get quite busy with day tourists, who leave around 4 pm, so for the sunset, there are only a few overnight people there. Electricity runs only from 6-9 pm by generators. Water can run short during the dry months (Dec-Apr), Long-tail boats with big water tanks supply the island with water.
History
Under French rule Kep belonged to the Circonscription Résidentielle de Kampot, developing into Cambodia’s most prestigious beach town. Established as such in 1908 and named Kep-sur-Mer it was a thriving resort town for the French and Cambodian elite until the early 1970s,
Constructed between 1953 and 1970 – after French occupation, Kep’s modernist villas are unique. Architects Vann Molyvann and Lu Ban Hap who embodied Cambodia’s golden age of architectural modernism, blended elements of the modern movement (Bauhaus, Richard Neutra and Le Corbusier) with traditional Khmer architecture, promoted by King Sihanouk – known as New Khmer Architecture.
A major misconception about Kep is that during the Khmer Rouge years, much of Kep’s French colonial era mansions and villas were destroyed. In fact, local residents, being in need of money and food, stripped down the villas so that they could exchange all these valuable parts in Vietnam for rice and cash.[citation needed] Many of Kep’s villas are abandoned, but some of the town’s former splendor is still apparent.
The ocean is lined with wide sidewalks and large statues. Prince Norodom Sihanouk not only kept his own villa, but his own island as well. Ile des Ambassadeurs was a favorite spot for Sihanouk to entertain a regular stream of guests.
A paved road connects the town with Kampot. Kep’s coastline consists mostly of mangrove marshes and black rock rather than the white sands of Sihanoukville, although a beach nourishment with the white sand of Sihanoukville has made the beach wider and cleaner.
There are now more than 60 guesthouses, resorts and hotels in Kep. It is currently one of the fastest developing touristic areas in Cambodia with a focus on mid-range to high-end businesses.