Damrei Mountains
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| Damrei Mountains | |
|---|---|
| ជួរភ្នំដំរី (Chuŏr Phnum Dâmrei) | |
| Geography | |
| Type | Mountain range |
| Country | Cambodia |
| Provinces | Kampot |
| Parent Range | Cardamom Mountains |
| Coordinates | 10.800000, 104.100000 |
| Borders | Gulf of Thailand (south and west) |
| Elevation | 1,048 m (Phnom Bokor) |
| Length | ~75 km |
| Rock Type | Sandstone, laterite |
| Growing Region | Southern Cambodia |
The Damrei Mountains (Khmer: ជួរភ្នំដំរី, Chuŏr Phnum Dâmrei), commonly known in English as the Elephant Mountains, are a mountain range in southwestern Cambodia extending south and southeast from the Kravanh Mountains. The range rises to elevations of 500–1,000 m, with the highest point at Phnom Bokor (1,048 m) in Kampot province.[1]
The Damrei Mountains are distinguished by extremely steep slopes, particularly on the seaward side where they present an almost vertical face toward the Gulf of Thailand.[2] Together with the Kravanh Mountains, they form a continuous highland barrier separating the southwestern coastal plain from the interior lowlands.
Geography
The Damrei Mountains run roughly south-southeast from the main Kravanh range, spanning Kampot, Preah Sihanouk and portions of Koh Kong province. The range forms the southwestern rim of the Tonle Sap basin and is bordered on the west by the Gulf of Thailand and the port city of Sihanoukville.[2]
The western slopes receive heavy rainfall from the southwest monsoon, while the eastern slopes lie in a rain shadow. Dwarf conifer forests (Dacrydium elatum) grow on the southern slopes, a distinctive vegetation type within the broader Cardamom Mountains rain forests ecoregion.[3]
Bokor National Park
Phnom Bokor, the highest point in the Damrei Mountains, is the site of Bokor National Park and the ruins of a French colonial hill station built in the 1920s. The station was abandoned during the Cambodian civil war and later served as a Khmer Rouge stronghold. The area has since been developed as a commercial resort complex, though portions of the national park remain forested.[2]
Cannabis significance
The Damrei Mountains form the southern portion of the Cardamom-Elephant corridor identified in the 2003 INCSR as a primary cannabis production zone.[4] Kampot province, situated at the southern foot of the Damrei range, historically served as both a cultivation area and a node in the coastal export corridor linking production in the Cardamom Mountains to trafficking routes through Sihanoukville and the Koh Kong coastline.[4]
The range's steep terrain and limited road access provided the same shelter for cannabis cultivation as the Kravanh Mountains to the northwest, though Kampot's cultivation has been less extensively documented in enforcement reports than the Koh Kong or Kirivong zones.
See Also
References
- ↑ Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Krâvanh Mountains." [1]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Blue Green Atlas. "The Geography of Cambodia." [2]
- ↑ Wikipedia. "Cardamom Mountains." [3]
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 US Department of State. "International Narcotics Control Strategy Report 2003: Cambodia." Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, March 2003. [4]