Bolikhamsai (also Borikhamxay, Lao: ບໍລິຄໍາໄຊ, ) is a province of Laos. Pakxan, Thaphabat, Pakkading, Borikhane, Viengthong, and Khamkeut are its districts and Pakxan is its capital city. The province is the site of the Nam Theun 2 Dam, the country's largest hydroelectric project.
Bolikhamsai province covers an area of . Bolikhansai province borders Xiangkhouang province to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Khammouane province to the south, and Thailand to the west. The province includes the Annamite Range, stretching east to Vietnam, while to the west are the Mekong River and Thailand. At , the Nakai-Nam Theun National Park in Bolikhamsai and Khammouane provinces is the third largest protected area in Laos.
History
The province faced invasions from the Siamese throughout its history. The foundation of Paksan dates from the late nineteenth century. In 1836, the Siamese assumed suzerainty over Laos. After 1865, the invasions of "Hos", Chinese gangs from southern China, affected the provinces of Xieng Khouang and Bolikhamsai (Borikhane). In 1876, the King of Siam, Rama V, ordered the creation of the Muong Borikhane with the last survivors of the Ho invasion of 1874. The Muong of Borikhane was placed under the authority of Governor of Nong Khai.
In the 1890s, Christian missionaries of the Missions étrangères de Paris arrived on the Mekong River, a few miles from the mouth of the Nam Sane. They built a church at Paksan. By 1911, the Muong Borikhane had about 61 villages housing a population of about 4000 inhabitants. Paksane had grown to several thousand in 1937.
The modern province was formed in 1986 from parts of the Vientiane province and Khammuan. In recent times, religious tension has been apparent in the province. In February 2005, 100 villagers were forced to sell their possessions and prepare to be evicted in Kok Poh village in Borikham District, but the central authorities intervened to stop this.
Geography
Bolikhamsai province covers an area of . Bolikhamsai province borders Xiangkhouang province to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Khammouane province to the south, and Thailand to the west. Notable settlements include Pakxan, Borikham, Lak Sao, Muang Bo, Ban Hatkham, Ban Thana, Ban Thasi, Ban Hai, Ban Don, Ban Soppanga, Ban Pak Ham, Ban Naxon, Ban Kengbit, Ban Pakha, Ban Phayat, Ban Sopchat, Ban Muangcham and Ban Nap. The province includes the Annamite Range, stretching east to Vietnam, while to the west are the Mekong River and Thailand.
Bolikhamsai province has a rugged terrain, with large boulders and streams. Its elevation ranges from . The principal river is the Nam Kading, meaning 'water like a bell', a tributary of the Mekong; its catchment covers about 92% of the provincial area. The other main rivers are the Nam Muan, Nam Sat, and the Nam Tek. Waterfalls of note include the Tad Leuk, Tad Xay and Tad Xang. The longest mountain range in the province is the Phou Louang range, running to the southwest, the Phou Ao range to the southeast; the Thalabat range to the northwest, and the Pa Guang range to the northeast. In Khamkheuth District, there is karst limestone scenery, which is allegedly the largest formation of its type in Southeast Asia. The many rock pinnacles have formed stone forest similar to limestone outcrops in southern China.
Protected areas
At , Nakai-Nam Theun National Park in Bolikhamsai and Khammouane provinces is the third largest protected area in Laos. It includes mixed semi-tropical forests, reported in large areas of Indochina. The wetlands of the Nam Kading National Protected Area and the Phou Khao Khouay National Protected Area attract numerous migratory birds, and also has some 13 globally and 12 regionally endangered mammals such as the Asiatic black bear, clouded leopard, elephant, giant muntjac, gaur, sun bear, and tiger and both northern and southern white-cheeked crested gibbon. The saola (spindle horn) or Vii Quang ox (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) was discovered in neighbouring Vietnam in 1992 and sighted since then in this conservation area. In 1996, the saola was discovered living in the adjoining Khammouane province.