Champasak Province

Champasak (or Champassak, Champasack – Lao: ຈຳປາສັກ [t͡ɕàm pàː sák]) is a province in southwestern Laos. It is 1 of the 3 principalities that succeeded the kingdom of Lan Xang. As of the 2015 census, it had a population of 694,023. The capital is Pakse, and the province takes its name from Champasak, the former capital of the Kingdom of Champasak. Champasak is bordered by Salavan province to the north, Sekong province to the northeast, Attapeu province to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west. The Mekong River forms part of the border with neighboring Thailand and contains Si Phan Don ('Four Thousand Islands') in the south of the province, on the border with Cambodia.

Champasak has played a role in the history of Siam and Laos, with battles taking place in and around Champasak. Its cultural heritage includes temple ruins and French colonial architecture. Champasak has some 20 wats (temples), such as Wat Phou, Wat Luang, and Wat Tham Fai. The province's waterfalls are tourist attractions, as were the local freshwater dolphins which have died out. (A surviving population still exists in Cambodia.)