| Kandal | |
| Native Name: | Central Khmer: ខេត្តកណ្ដាល |
| Native Name Lang: | km |
| Settlement Type: | Province |
| Mapsize: | frameless |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Cambodia |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Ta Khmau |
| Parts Type: | Subdivisions |
| Parts: | 10 districts; 1 municipality |
| Leader Party: | CPP |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Kong Sophorn |
| Leader Title2: | National Assembly |
| Established Title: | Provincial status |
| Established Date: | 1907 |
| Area Total Km2: | 3179 |
| Area Rank: | 19th |
| Elevation M: | 10 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 1,820,505 |
| Population As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Rank: | 2nd |
| Population Density Km2: | 378 |
| Population Density Rank: | 2nd |
| Timezone: | ICT |
| Utc Offset: | +07:00 |
| Iso Code: | KH-8 |
| Blank Name Sec2: | HDI (2017) |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 0.591[2] |
Kandal (Central Khmer: កណ្ដាល, in Central Khmer pronounced as /kɑnˈɗaːl/;) is a province of Cambodia located in the southeast portion of the country. It completely surrounds the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh and borders the provinces of Kampong Speu and Takéo to the west, Kampong Chhnang and Kampong Cham to the north, Prey Veng to the east, and shares an international border with Vietnam (An Giang and Đồng Tháp) to the south. It is the second most populous province in Cambodia after the capital Phnom Penh.[3] Its capital and largest city is Ta Khmau, which is approximately 8km (05miles) south of central Phnom Penh. Kandal is one of the wealthier provinces in the country.
Kandal province completely surrounds the capital Phnom Penh. The province is also a part of the greater Phnom Penh Metropolitan Area with more than a million people living in and around the province. While traveling out of Phnom Penh, the boundary between the two provinces is nearly unrecognizable.
The province consists of the typical plain wet area, covering rice fields and other agricultural plantations. The average altitude of the province is no more than 10 meters above sea level. The province also features two of the biggest rivers in the country, the Bassac and Mekong Rivers.[4]
The province has a warm and humid tropical climate. The monsoon season normally begins in May and runs through October, while the rest of the year is the dry season. The warmest period of the year occurs between March and May, while the coolest period is from November through March.[5]
Kandal province serves as an economic belt of the capital Phnom Penh. Farming and fishing are the two main industries of the province. Major products include palm oil, peanuts, rice, and pepper. In addition to farming and fishing, the province also supports thriving cottage industries that specialize in wood carving, silk, and handicrafts.
Many garment factories are located in Kandal province, which hires more than 500,000 workers.
The province is subdivided into 10 districts and 2 municipality. The districts are further subdivided into 146 communes (khum) and 1087 villages.
| ISO code | Name | Khmer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08-01 | Kandal Stueng | Central Khmer: កណ្ដាលស្ទឹង | |
| 08-02 | Kien Svay | Central Khmer: កៀនស្វាយ | |
| 08-03 | Khsach Kandal | Central Khmer: ខ្សាច់កណ្ដាល | |
| 08-04 | Kaoh Thum | Central Khmer: កោះធំ | |
| 08-05 | Leuk Daek | Central Khmer: លើកដែក | |
| 08-06 | Lvea Aem | Central Khmer: ល្វាឯម | |
| 08-07 | Mukh Kampul | Central Khmer: មុខកំពូល | |
| 08-08 | Angk Snuol | Central Khmer: អង្គស្នួល | |
| 08-09 | Ponhea Lueu | Central Khmer: ពញាឮ | |
| 08-10 | S'ang | ស្អាង | |
| 08-11 | Ta Khmau | Central Khmer: តាខ្មៅ | |
| 08-12 | Arey Ksat | អរិយក្សត្រ |
2 districts Khsach Kandal and Lvea Aem in east Mekong river
See main article: Kandal (National Assembly constituency).
The state religion is Theravada Buddhism. More than 98.3% of the people in Kandal are Buddhists. Chams have been practicing Islam for hundreds of years. A small percentage follow Christianity.