The territory of Kep is entirely surrounded by Kampot province except for the 16 km of sea coast on the southern side fronting the Gulf of Thailand and the Vietnamese island of Phú Quốc.

Another version is that, according to many locals who spent there youth in Kep before 1975, the island was previously called Koh Antai.

During then-Prince Norodom Sihanouk's Sangku Reastr Niyum regime, it was used as a place to rehabilitate criminals, who were also used to defend the island.

There are about 8 khmer run basic guest houses and about 5 restaurants, serving mainly fresh seafood like crabs, shrimps and fish.

Under French rule Kep belonged to the Circonscription Résidentielle de Kampot,[8] developing into Cambodia's most prestigious beach town.

Established as such in 1908 and named Kep-sur-Mer it was a thriving resort town for the French and Cambodian elite until the early 1970s.

In fact, local residents, being in need of money and food, stripped down the villas so that they could exchange all these valuable parts in Vietnam for rice and cash.

Ile des Ambassadeurs was a favorite spot for Sihanouk to entertain a regular stream of guests.

It is currently one of the fastest developing touristic areas in Cambodia with a focus on mid-range to high-end businesses.

The French legacy in education is represented today by the Ecole pour Tous dedicated mainly to children in the area.

The Rabbit Island (Koh Tunsay) is probably the main tourist attraction in Kep, however the tiniest Cambodian province has many other places of interest promoted from an environment perspective as ecotourism not only by the local government, but also by private initiatives like the Kep Tourist Association that gathers local hotels and restaurants of the province.

[19] The Butterfly Farm is a private ecological garden in the Jasmine Valley Trail dedicated to preserve the local environment led by expatriate philanthropic persons.

Phnom Sar Sear consists of three small mountains spread across a total land area of approximately 1.5 square kilometers.

South coastal provinces are considered of high risk malaria areas,[30] especially islands and jungle territories, where it is advisable to keep precautionary measures against mosquito bites, especially during the raining season.

[31] Highway No 33 traverses the province from west to east, running from Kampot town to Kampong Trach District then onward to the Vietnamese border.

A lane of the No 33 named No 33A detours at the Kep White Horse Monument in Damnak Chang'aeur District, running along the coast before rejoining No 33, some 3 km (2 mi) to the east.

The province is crossed by the southern Cambodian Rail line linking Phnom Penh and the Port of Sihanoukville with a station in Kep.