Its capital is Khemarak Phoumin Koh Kong. The most southwestern province of Cambodia , Koh Kong has a long undeveloped coastline and a mountainous, forested, and largely inaccessible interior which includes part of the Cardamom Mountains , Cambodia's largest national park Botum Sakor National Park , and a section of Kirirom National Park. From to the area was under Siamese administration with the local name of "Koh Kong".
During the reign of King Mongkut the name Patchan Khiri Khet was given to the city as the area falls at the same latitude as another city of Prachuap Khiri Khan which also had its name changed during the same year. In , the region and the city of Trat was ceded to French Indochina in exchange of French troop evacuation from Chanthaburi.
After the national government encouraged people to live in Koh Kong, there has been a net influx of people. Koh Kong's towns have developed rapidly partially in response to market pressures from Thailand and because of immigration from other parts of Cambodia.
The province has been the site of a Sino-Cambodian port development project. The project is planned to spread over 45, hectares , to include casinos, golf courses, and resorts. A 20 kilometre stretch of coastline is be turned into a deep-water port to accommodate cruise ships as well as freight.
Near the port, an airfield with a runway 3, metres long will allow for commercial flights. The US government worries that the port project is a Cambodian-Chinese civil-military collaboration that will permit the Chinese navy to use the facilities as a forward operating base.
