Phongsaly province (
Lao ຜົ້ງສາລີ), also spelled ''Phôngsali'', is a province of
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist s ...
in the extreme north of the country. The capital of the province is the city of
Phôngsali
Phongsali or Phongsaly ( lo, ຜົ້ງສາລີ) is the capital of Phongsaly Province, Laos. It is the northernmost provincial capital in Laos, opposite Attapeu in the south. The town has about 8,000 inhabitants. It lies at approximately 1,4 ...
. Phongsaly is between
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...
(China), and
Điện Biên province in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
. Its culture has thus been historically heavily influenced by China.
Phongsaly province covers an area of , out of which 77% has
forest cover
Forest cover is the amount of forest that covers a particular area of land. It may be measured as relative (in percent) or absolute (in square kilometres/square miles). Around a third of the world's surface is covered with forest, with closed-canop ...
. The province borders China to the north and west,
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
to the east,
Luang Prabang province to the south, and
Oudomxai province to the southwest. The highest mountain in the province is
Phou Doychy with an elevation of Protected areas in the province include the
Phou Dene Din National Biodiversity Conservation Area and Nam Lan Conservation Area.
Agriculture is the mainstay of the people of the province. Phongsaly is the primary trade gateway between Laos and China, exporting lumber and importing several types of finished goods.
History
The
Phunoi left
Muang Sing or
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
and arrived in Phongsaly at the end of the 18th century. The Hmong settled in Phongsaly at the end of the 19th century, having migrated from southern China. In 1895, a Sino-French treaty transferred the Tai Lue's
Sip Song Phan Na principalities of Phongsaly and
Muang Sing to French Laos. Between 1908 and 1910, the Tai Lue conducted a revolt against colonial authority. When it ended, the colonial military assumed full authority in Phongsaly. In 1936,
Sithon Kommadam and his brother, Kamphanh were jailed in Phongsaly because of their participation in their father's (Ong Kommandam) 1934–1936 armed revolt against the French. After Sithon's release in 1945, he established resistance bases in Phongsaly, soon making contact with the Viet Minh. The Communists came into power in 1954 in the province; within six years, the Phunoy began experiencing Buddhist religious purges. Subsequent to the
1954 Geneva Accords, Communist
Pathet Lao
The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...
forces in Phongsaly province were provided with regrouping zones. Phongsaly was integrated into the
Royal Lao Government
The Royal Lao Government was the ruling authority in the Kingdom of Laos from 1947 until the communist seizure of power in December 1975 and the proclamation of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The Franco-Lao Treaty of 1953 gave Laos full i ...
on December 18, 1957.
Geography
Phongsaly province covers an area of , out of which 77% has forest cover.
The province borders
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
to the north and west,
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
to the east,
Luang Prabang province to the south, and
Oudomxai province to the southwest.
It is located high in the mountains, approximately above sea level. The highest mountain in the province is
Phou Doychy with an elevation of .
[ The Phou Fa hill, at , is near the capital city and has road access to the top from where vistas of the city are visible. The top of the mountain is also approached by 431 steps.] Because of economic commerce with China, large portions of the province have been deforested.[
Phongsaly is characterized by a relatively cool climate. Weather in the province is described as "four seasons in a single day" with cold mornings and evenings, humidity during the day, and rains in the afternoon, which has created lush green forests.]
Protected areas
Large areas of the province's forests in Phou Den Din NBCA have plentiful wildlife but no human habitation.[
The 126,880 hectare Phou Dendin ]Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) is located within the 222,000 hectare Phou Den Din NBCA. The IBA altitude varies between above sea level. Topographical elements include the Nam Ou The Nam Ou ( Laotian: ນ້ຳອູ , literally: "rice bowl river") is one of the most important rivers of Laos. It runs 448 km from Phongsaly Province to Luang Prabang Province. The river rises in Muang Ou Nua near the Lao-Chinese border, a ...
River and its catchment, the area at the confluence of the Nam Khang River, mountainous terrain, and slopes. The habitat is characterized by unbroken dry evergreen forest and inland wetlands. Notable avifauna includes Blyth's kingfisher
Blyth's kingfisher (''Alcedo hercules'') is the largest kingfisher in the genus ''Alcedo''. Named for Edward Blyth, the species has also been known as ''Alcedo grandis'' and as the great blue kingfisher. Between long, the kingfisher has deep ru ...
(''Alcedo hercules''), brown dipper
The brown dipper (''Cinclus pallasii''), also known as Pallas's dipper, Asian dipper or the Asiatic dipper, is an aquatic songbird found in the mountains of the east Palearctic. It is a thrush-like bird with a cocked tail. Its plumage is chocola ...
(''Cinclus pallasii''), brown hornbill (''Anorrhinus tickelli''), crested kingfisher (''Megaceryle lugubris''), great hornbill
The great hornbill (''Buceros bicornis''), also known as the concave-casqued hornbill, great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It occurs in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It ...
(''Buceros bicornis''), lesser fish eagle
The lesser fish eagle (''Haliaeetus humilis'') is a species of ''Haliaeetus'' found in the Indian subcontinent, primarily in the foothills of the Himalayas, and south-east Asia. There are records from Gujarat, Central India and in more recent t ...
(''Ichthyophaga humilis''), and rufous-necked hornbill
The rufous-necked hornbill (''Aceros nipalensis'') is a species of hornbill in Bhutan, northeastern India, especially in Arunachal Pradesh, Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is locally extinct in Nepal due to hunting and significant lo ...
(''Aceros nipalensis'').
Administrative divisions
The province is made up of the following districts ''(mueang)'':
The northernmost district of the province is Yot Ou, which has a population of 31,000 spread over 98 villages made up of 11 ethnic groups. The majority of the people are farmers. The Lao-Chinese Border Checkpoint is at Lan Tui, which is designated by landmark No. 7.
Demographics
The population of the province is 177,989 as of the 2015 census. There are 13 minority ethnic groups with independent language and culture identity: Khammu, Thai Dam, Thai Daeng, Yao, Leu, Ho (Han-Chinese), Hmong, Akha, Yang, Bid, Lolo and others.[ Each group has its own practices in respect to marriage customs as well as specific handicrafts, silverware and jewelry.]
Languages
Other than the national language Lao, various minority languages are spoken in Phongsaly province, most of which belong to the Tai
Tai or TAI may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*Tai (comics) a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain
*Tai Fraiser, a fictional character in the 1995 film ''Clueless''
*Tai Kamiya, a fictional character in ''Digimon''
Businesses and organisations ...
(Kra-Dai), Hanoish (Tibeto-Burman), and Khmuic
The Khmuic languages are a branch of the Austroasiatic languages spoken mostly in northern Laos, as well as in neighboring northern Vietnam and southern Yunnan, China. Khmu language, Khmu is the only widely spoken language in the group.
Homelan ...
(Austroasiatic) branches. The table below lists the languages surveyed in Kingsada (1999), Shintani (2001), and Kato (2008), with autonyms and informant birthplaces given as well. All languages are spoken in Phongsaly province unless indicated otherwise.
Economy
Agriculture is the mainstay of the people of the province. Phôngsali is the primary trade gateway between Laos and China, exporting lumber and importing several types of finished goods. There are also several Chinese manufacturing companies in the province, along with other foreign investment.
As an economic activity 24 villages have been identified to install mini hydro-power projects with pico-turbines to provide electric supply utilizing the hydro power potential of the hilly areas which have good monsoon rainfall. Local material will be used for construction of civil works and villagers trained to plan, implement and operate the units including maintenance of all components of the project covering transmission lines also. The objective is to reduce poverty among the rural poor of the remote villages. The project is proposed for implementation at a cost of Euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
210,000 with 48% financing by the Energy and Environment Partnership (EEP)of Mekong with Electriciens Sand Frontieres as lead partner. The project is slated for implementation over a 20 months period.
In order to reduce the addiction to opium
Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...
, the United Nations Organization on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) introduced the covering 30 villages in Khoua and Mai districts, and also minimise opium addiction
Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which ...
in 60 villages in Samphan district, through alternative development activities. During the final years of the 20th century, 3,872 ha of the province had opium poppy
''Papaver somniferum'', commonly known as the opium poppy or breadseed poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It is the species of plant from which both opium and poppy seeds are derived and is also a valuable ornamen ...
cultivation (20% of the national total production) with 513 villages out of 611 growing opium with an addiction rate of 5.6%. In spite of government ban on opium poppy
A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, ''Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug opi ...
cultivation, Phongsaly has the maximum number of districts below the poverty line, and is one of the major opium producing provinces in the country.
Landmarks
Important landmarks in the province are the Wat Ou-Tai Temple, the Wat Luang Ou-Neua Temple and the That Phou Xay Stupa.
The Wat Ou-Tai Temple is in the Ban Ou- Tai village. It was built by Praya Chakkawattiraja and is said to be 500 years old. The Hor Thane Keo, inside the monastery, is a specific sanctum where Buddha images are deified. This sanctum is built with mud and has many types of decorations retained in its original form. The wooden columns of the shrine are supported over on stone blocks; these also have been elegantly designed and painted with drawings of daggers, swords, flowers and flags, and all carved in wood. There is a shrine built in brick masonry within the monastery complex which is called “ Ou Bo Sot” (meaning a place where monks meet and conduct religious rites) by the Tai Lue ethnic groups.
Wat Luang Ou-Neua Temple is also an old and highly revered temple built about 500 years ago in Ban Ou Neua village. The temple has a double overlapping roof in the Lue architecture style and is very impressive. The temple is adorned with traditional fine art techniques and houses A large Buddha image and small Buddha statues are deified inside this temple.
That Phou Xay Stupa is at the top of a hill, approached by walking up 400 steps.
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
;Languages
* Kingsadā, Thō̜ngphet, and Tadahiko Shintani. 1999. ''Basic Vocabularies of the Languages Spoken in Phongxaly, Lao P.D.R.'' Tokyo: Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA).
* Shintani, Tadahiko, Ryuichi Kosaka, and Takashi Kato. 2001. ''Linguistic Survey of Phongxaly, Lao P.D.R.'' Tokyo: Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA).
* Kato, Takashi. 2008. ''Linguistic Survey of Tibeto-Burman languages in Lao P.D.R.'' Tokyo: Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA).
{{Authority control
Provinces of Laos
Hani people