Champasak ( lo,
āšāšģāšāšēāšŠāšąāš ) is a small town in southern
Laos
Laos (, ''LÄo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: āšŠāšēāšāšēāšĨāš°āšāš°āšĨāšąāš āšāš°āšāšēāšāšīāšāš°āŧāš āšāš°āšāšēāšāšŧāšāšĨāšēāš§, French: RÃĐpublique dÃĐmocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
, on the west bank of the
Mekong River
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annuall ...
about 40 km south of
Pakse
Pakse (or ''Pakxe''; French: ''PaksÃĐ''; Laotian: āšāšēāšāŧāš 'mouth of the river'; th, āļāļēāļāđāļ) is the capital and most populous city of the southern Laotian province of Champasak, and the second most populous city in Laos. Loc ...
, the capital of
Champasak Province.
The town was once the seat of the
Kingdom of Champasak
The Kingdom of Champasak (Lao: āšāšģāšāšēāšŠāšąāš Éà mpà ËsÃĄk or Bassac, (1713â1904) was a Lao kingdom under Nokasad, a grandson of King Sourigna Vongsa, the last king of Lan Xang and son-in-law of the Cambodian King Chey Chettha ...
, an independent Lao state which was abolished by the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
in 1945 when they created the Kingdom of Laos, but the last King of Champasak had his palace in
Pakse
Pakse (or ''Pakxe''; French: ''PaksÃĐ''; Laotian: āšāšēāšāŧāš 'mouth of the river'; th, āļāļēāļāđāļ) is the capital and most populous city of the southern Laotian province of Champasak, and the second most populous city in Laos. Loc ...
. Today the town is very small, consisting mostly of guesthouses along the riverbank, catering to tourists visiting the
Wat Phu
Vat Phou (or Wat Phu; lo, āš§āšąāšāšāšđ ''temple-mountain'') is a ruined Khmer Hindu temple complex in southern Laos. It is at the base of mount Phou Khao, some from the Mekong in Champasak Province. There was a temple on the site as early ...
temple ruins some 10 km away.
External links
*
Populated places in Champasak Province
Populated places on the Mekong River
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