Champhone district

Champhone district
ເມືອງຈຳພອນ
District
Interactive map of Champhone district
Coordinates: 16°29′N 105°13′E / 16.49°N 105.22°E / 16.49; 105.22
CountryLaos
ProvinceSavannakhet
Area
 • Total
1,065 km2 (411 sq mi)
Population
 (2015)
 • Total
109,174
Time zoneUTC+7 (ICT)

Champhone is a district (muang) of Savannakhet province in southern Laos. It covers an area of approximately 1,065 km2 (411 sq mi) and had a population of 109,174 in 2015. It is subdivided into 102 villages.

Geography

Champhone is one of the 15 district (muang) of Savannakhet Province, Laos. It covers an area of approximately 1,065 km2 (411 sq mi). The district is located approximately 54 km (34 mi) southeast of the provincial capital Savannakhet. It is bordered by Songkhone, Thaphalanxay, Khanthaboury, Outhoumphone, Xonboury, Atsaphangthong, and Xaibouathong districts of Savannakhet Province.

The land cover consists primarily of rice fields (44.5%), mixed deciduous forest (26.7%) and dry dipterocarp forest (17%).: 6  The district lies on the lowland plain of the Xe Champhone river basin with an average elevation of 900 m (3,000 ft).: 6  Approximately 12 ha (30 acres) of the land in the district forms part of the Xe Champhone Wetlands, declared as a Ramsar site in 2010. The wetlands as an important habitat for the critically endangered Siamese crocodile. The topography is predominantly flat which contributes to the prolonged retention of surface water and flooding during periods of heavy rainfall. In 2024, the district had nine main reservoirs, 30 smaller reservoirs, 37 natural ponds, and several aquifiers.: 11 

The district has a tropical monsoon climate, with a dry season from November to early May and a wet season from May to October.: 7  The average temperature reaches the maximum in April at 42 °C (108 °F),: 7  with an average annual temperature was 26.13 °C (79.03 °F). The district received an average annual rainfall of 1,478.5 mm (58.21 in). The Xe Champhone River flows mostly during the rainy season from June until September.: 7 

The district is subdivided into 102 villages. According to the 2015 census, 100 of the villages had road access, 98 had access to electricity, 93 had a school, 32 had water supply, 26 had a health facility, and six had a market.

Demographics

According to the 2015 census, Champhone District had a population of 109,174, including 15,658 people in urban areas and 93,516 in rural areas. A 2019 report estimated the district population as 115,915.: 6  The district is inhabited by four major ethnic groups– Lao, Phouthai, Makong and Katang. In 2018, the Lao people formed the majority with 77.4% of the population, followed by Thais (4.9%), Makongs (13.9%), and Katang (3.6%).: 6 

Economy

In 2025, the district had a gross domestic product of 2,146 billion kip in 2019. Agriculture accounted for 67% of the district's GDP, industry for 18%, and services for 15%. The average GDP per capita was 18–30 million kip.: 6 

Agriculture is the principal economic activity with 90% of the rural population engaged in rice cultivation during the rainy season. About 80% of the population is engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry, and fishing, with the remaining working in services (10%), handicrafts (5%), and others (5%).

References

  1. ↑ "Savannakhet Province". Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism. 4 December 2019. Archived from the original on 30 August 2026. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Lao Population and Housing Census 2015: Provisional Report (Report). Ministry of Planning and Investment, Lao Statistics Bureau. 2 December 2015. p. 48. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  3. ↑ "Administrative Divisions of Laos". City Population. Archived from the original on 31 July 2026. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  4. ↑ "Division by District" (PDF). Geo-ref.net. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 August 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  5. 1 2 Khounthikoumane, Sengphachan; Chang, Jae Bong; Lee, Yoonsuk (12 July 2021). "Profit Efficiency of Rice Farms in Wet-Season Lowlands in Champhone District, Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR". Agriculture. 11 (7): 657. Bibcode:2021Agric..11..657K. doi:10.3390/agriculture11070657.
  6. ↑ "Champhone (District)". City Population. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Krittasudthacheewa, Chayanis; Navy, Hap; Tinh, Bui Duc; Voladet, Saykham, eds. (2019). "Climate change and water scarcity in Champhone district, Savannakhet province, Lao PDR". Development and Climate Change in the Mekong Region: Case Studies (PDF). Stockholm Environment Institute and SUMERNET. pp. 190–191. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  8. ↑ "Chamaphone District, Savannakhet Province, Laos". Mindat. Archived from the original on 25 April 2026. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Integrated Climate-Resilient Flood Management Strategy for Champhone District (PDF) (Report). United Nations Development Programme and Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. February 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands: Xe Champhone Wetlands". Ramsar Convention. Archived from the original on 14 January 2026. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  11. ↑ Moore, Patricia; Pholsena, Minavanh; Phommachanh, Ketsana; Glémet, Raphaël (2013). Review of Statutory and Customary Law in the Xe Champhone Ramsar Site, Lao PDR: Implications for a Rights-Based Approach to Conservation (PDF) (Report). International Union for Conservation of Nature. p. 16. Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  12. ↑ "More than 40 villages in Champhone District, Lao PDR achieve Open Defecation Free Status". Water for Women Fund. Archived from the original on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  13. ↑ The 4th Population and Housing Census of Lao PDR 2015 (PDF) (Report). Lao Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Planning and Investment. October 2016. p. 104. Retrieved 9 November 2026.