KAMPONG CHAM

also spelled Kompong Cham, town, south-central Cambodia. The town lies on the right bank of the Mekong River and is an important river port about 45 miles (75 km) northeast of Phnom Penh, the national capital. It has a major airfield, a cotton-textile mill, a rice mill, and agricultural-machinery and vehicle-repair facilities. Before the revolution in 1975, the town contained a branch of the Royal University of Kmpng Cham. In 1921 the well-drained red volcanic soils of the Chub Hill area on the left bank of the Mekong River were discovered to be favourable to the cultivation of the rubber tree. The 64,000-acre (26,000-hectare) Chup Plantation was subsequently started a few miles southeast of Kmpng Cham; it was privately owned until 1975 and had a crepe-rubber factory. Rice, cotton, fruit trees, potatoes, sugarcane, tobacco, jute, cassava, beans, sesame, kapok, cinchona, and corn (maize) are also grown in the surrounding area. The upland regions near Kmpng Cham are rich in timbers, including Ceylon ironwood, rosewood, bean trees, teak, and rubber trees. Fishing is important along the banks of the Mekong. Pop. (1987 est.) town, 33,000.