Natural conditions of Dak Lak province

1. Geographical location, area, population, administrative units

Dak Lak province is located in the heart of the Central Highlands, at the headwaters of the Serepok River system and part of the Ba River. It lies within the geographical coordinates of 107°28'57" to 108°59'37" East longitude and 12°9'45" to 13°25'06" North latitude, with an average altitude of 400-800m above sea level. It is 1,410 km from Hanoi and 350 km from Ho Chi Minh City. It borders Gia Lai province to the north, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa provinces to the east, Lam Dong and Dak Nong provinces to the south, and Cambodia to the west. Dak Lak has an area of ​​13,125.37 km², and its population as of 2012 reached 1,796,666 people, with a population density of over 137 people/km². Of this total, 432,458 people live in urban areas, and 1,364,208 people live in rural areas. The male population is 906,619, and the female population is 890,047. Dak Lak province comprises 47 ethnic groups. The Kinh people account for over 70% of the population; ethnic minorities such as the Ede, M'nong, Thai, Tay, and Nung make up nearly 30% of the province's total population.

The province's population is unevenly distributed across its districts, mainly concentrated in Buon Ma Thuot city, towns, district centers, and along National Highways 14, 26, and 27, such as Krong Buk, Krong Pak, Ea Kar, and Krong Ana. Districts with low population density are primarily those facing extreme difficulties, such as Ea Sup, Buon Don, Lak, Krong Bong, M'Drak, and Ea Hleo. In addition to the indigenous ethnic minorities, a large number of people have migrated from the northern and central provinces to Dak Lak to settle and establish their livelihoods. In recent years, Dak Lak's population has fluctuated due to mechanical growth, mainly spontaneous migration, which has placed significant pressure on the province in terms of housing, agricultural land, social welfare, security, and environmental issues. Dak Lak is a province where many ethnic groups live together, each with its own unique cultural beauty. Particularly noteworthy are the traditional cultures of the Ede, M'Nong, and Gia Rai ethnic groups, with their gong festivals, buffalo sacrifices, and elephant races in the spring; their stilt house and communal house architecture; their famous ancient musical instruments such as gong sets, stone xylophones, and T'rưng instruments; and their epic songs of the Central Highlands... These are valuable tangible and intangible cultural products, among which the "Central Highlands Gong Culture Space" has been recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of oral and intangible cultural heritage of humanity. All these beautiful cultural traditions of the ethnic groups create the diversity and richness of Dak Lak's culture. The Ede ethnic group belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian language family and mainly resides in the northern and southern districts: from Ea Hleo and Buon Ho down to M'Drak and extending up to Buon Ma Thuot. The M'nong ethnic group belongs to the Mon-Khmer language family and mainly resides in the southern districts and along the southwestern border. *Dak Lak Province has 15 district-level administrative units, including 1 city, 1 town, and 13 districts. Within these, there are 184 commune-level administrative units, including 152 communes, 20 wards, and 12 townships. LIST OF ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS UNDER DAK LAK PROVINCE

No.	NAME	AREA (Km2)	POPULATION (people)	YEAR OF ESTABLISHMENT
1	Buon Ma Thuot City	377.18	339,879	June 5, 1930
2	Buon Ho town	282.52	99,949	December 23, 2008
3	Ea Súp District	1,765.63	62,497	August 30, 1977
4	Krong Nang District	614.79	121,410	9/11/1987
5	Krông Búk District	357.82	59,892	1976
6	Buon Don District	1,410.40	62,300	October 7, 1995
7	Cu M'Gar District	824.43	168,084	January 23, 1984
8	Ea Kar District	1,037.47	146,810	September 13, 1986
9	M'Đrắk District	1,336.28	69,014	August 30, 1977
10	Krong Pac District	625.81	203,113	1976
11	Krong Bong District	1257.49	90,126	September 19, 1981
12	Krong Ana District	356.09	84,043	September 19, 1981
13	Lak District	1256.04	62,572	1976
14	Cu Kuin District	288.30	101,854	August 27, 2007
15	Ea H'Leo District	1,335.12	125.123	April 3, 1980

2. Topography

The province's topography is very diverse: located in the west and at the end of the Truong Son mountain range, it is a vast plateau with gently sloping, undulating terrain, interspersed with low plains along the main rivers. The province's topography gradually slopes downwards from the southeast to the northwest. 3. Climate The climate of the entire province is divided into two sub-regions. The northwestern region has a hot, dry climate during the dry season; the eastern and southern regions have a cool, temperate climate. The agricultural ecological climate of the province is divided into 6 sub-regions: - The Ea Sup plain sub-region occupies 28.43% of the natural area. - The Buon Ma Thuot – Ea H'Leo plateau sub-region occupies 16.17% of the natural area. - The M'Drak hill and plateau sub-region occupies 15.82% of the natural area. - The Krong Ana – Serepok riverbank sub-region occupies 14.51% of the natural area. - The Chu Yang Sin high mountain sub-region accounts for 3.98% of the natural area. - The Rlang Dja mountain sub-region accounts for 3.88% of the natural area. In general, the climate varies between different landforms and decreases with altitude: areas below 300 m are hot and sunny year-round, from 400-800 m the climate is hot and humid, and above 800 m the climate is cool. However, the seasonal rainfall pattern is a limitation for the development of commercial agricultural production. The climate has two distinct seasons: the rainy season and the dry season. The rainy season begins from May to the end of October, accounting for 90% of the annual rainfall. The dry season is from November to April of the following year, with negligible rainfall.

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