| Name | Sainyabuli |
|---|
| Settlement type | Province |
|---|
| Subdivision type | Country |
|---|
| Subdivision name | Laos |
|---|
| Subdivision type1 | Capital city |
|---|
| Subdivision name1 | Sainyabuli |
|---|
| Native name | ໄຊຍະບູລີ |
|---|
| Area total km2 | 16389 |
|---|
| Population total | 382200 |
|---|
| Population as of | 2004 |
|---|
| Population density km2 | 23 |
|---|
| Isocode | LA-XA |
|---|
Sainyabuli (
Lao ໄຊຍະບູລີ) is a province of
Laos, located in the northwest of the country.
Geography
The province is located in the northwest of the country, and covers all the area west of the
Mekong river. It is bordered by
Oudomxai Province to the north,
Louangphabang and
Vientiane Province to the east, and (from the south clockwise) the
Thai provinces
Loei,
Phitsanulok,
Uttaradit,
Nan and
Phayao. The province is quite mountainous and devoid of vehicle roads expect for one north-south route extending from the provincial capital to the Thai border opposite Thailand's Loie Province. The province is rich in
timber and
lignite, and is considered the rice basket of norther Laos, since most other northern provinces are too mountainous to grow enough rice. Other important crops include maize, oranges, cotton, peanuts and sesame.
History
In 1904 the area of the province was ceded from
Siam to the
French Indochina colony. In 1941 it was annexed by Thailand again under the name Lan Chang Province, but returned to the pre-war status in 1946.
Asian elephants in Sainyabuli
The Sainyabuli province is home to Laos’ majority of domesticated
Asian elephants. Approximately 75% of the nation’s 560 domesticated elephants work in Sainyabuli. Their main work duties are within the logging industry, which causes a loss in both wild and domestic elephant habitat. The Sainyabuli province is also home to the annual
Elephant Festival, organised in partnership by the Lao PDR National Tourism Authority,
Elefantasia, provincial and district authorities.
Geography
Sainyabuli is the only Laotian province that is west of the
Mekong River. Because the Mekong isolated Sainuyabuli from other Laotian provinces with
Hmong villages, the warfare during the
Quiet War that affected other Hmong villages largely did not affect Sainyabuli. Most Hmong villages in Sainyabuli did not see any fighting.
Administrative divisions
The province is made up of the following districts:
# Boten (8-09)
# Hongsa (8-03)
# Kenthao (8-08)
# Khop (8-02)
# Ngeun (8-04)
# Paklai (8-07)
# Phiang (8-06)
# Thongmixai (8-10)
# Sainyabuli (8-01)
# Xianghon (8-05)
Other locations
Houaysouy was a
Hmong village in Sainyabuli. It had no fighting during the
Quiet War, and
Vang Pao did not recruit any of its men. After the war, Anne Fadiman, author of
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, said that the village was "tossed into the political melee along with the rest of the country." The occupying Vietnamese soldiers regarded the residents of the village as traitors because they were Hmong. Because of this, the Vietnamese soldiers persecuted the Hmong.
The family of Lia Lee, the subject of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, originated from Houaysouy.
See also
Thai-Laotian Border War
References
Category:Provinces of Laos
