Nakhon Ratchasima Province
Nakhon Ratchasima is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces lies in lower northeastern Thailand also called Isan. It is the country's largest province by area, has a population of approximately 2.7 million, and generates about 250 billion baht in GDP, the highest in Isan. Neighbouring provinces are Chaiyaphum, Khon Kaen, Buriram, Sa Kaeo, Prachinburi, Nakhon Nayok, Saraburi, and Lopburi.
The capital of the province is the city of Nakhon Ratchasima in Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima District, also called Khorat.
Geography
The province is at the west end of the Khorat Plateau, separated from the Chao Phraya river valley by the Phetchabun and Dong Phaya Yen mountain ranges. Two national parks are in the province: Khao Yai in the west and Thap Lan in the south. Both parks are in the forested mountains of the Sankamphaeng Range, the southern prolongation of the Dong Phaya Yen mountainsNakhon Ratchasima is a large province on the northeastern plateau and acts as a gateway to other provinces in the northeast. It is from Bangkok and has an area of around. The province is rich in Khmer culture and has a long history.
History
The area around Khorat was already an important centre in the times of the Khmer empire in the 11th century, as can be seen by the temple ruins in Phimai historical park. Nakhon Ratchasima Province is one of the provinces where there is still a sizable northern Khmer population.A new walled-city with a surrounding moat, designated as Nakhon Ratchasima, was built in the 17th century by order of the King Narai, as the easternmost "command post", guarding the kingdom's border. It continued this duty during the Bangkok Period, although it was briefly seized during Chao Anuwong of Vientiane's 1826 revolt against King Rama III of Siam.
Nakhon Ratchasima has long been the most important political and economic centre in the northeastern region. In the late-19th century, the railroad reached Khorat and it became the junction of two main rail lines in the northeastern, Isan, region. In 1933 it was the stronghold of the royalist troops in the Boworadet Rebellion, as they fought against the new ostensibly democratic government in Bangkok. In the 1950s, the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base was built in Nakhon Ratchasima; from 1961 until 26 February 1976, this facility was also used as a base by the United States Air Force.
A mass shooting occurred in the province on 8 and 9 February 2020. The gunman killed 29 and wounded another 58 before being shot dead by police. It was the deadliest mass shooting in Thailand's history.
Symbols
The provincial seal depicts the revered heroine of Khorat, Thao Suranari.A monument to Thao Suranari stands in front of the old Pratu Chumphon gate. Also called "The Great Heroine of Khorat", Kunying Mo was the wife of the Siamese-appointed deputy governor of Nakhon Ratchasima during the reign of King Rama III. In 1826, Khunying Mo managed to repel the Laotian army led by Prince Anouvong of Vientiane who tried to reinstate control over the Khorat plateau. King Rama III conferred the title of Thao Suranari on Khunying Mo, as well as additional ones honouring her bravery.
The provincial tree is the sathon
The provincial flower is the Sathon
The provincial motto is "Land of brave women, fine silk material, Khorat rice noodles, Phimai Historical Park, and Dan Kwian ceramics".
The provincial color is orange
Administrative divisions
Provincial government
The province is divided into 32 districts. The districts are further subdivided into 263 sub-districts and 3,743 villages.- Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima
- Khon Buri
- Soeng Sang
- Khong
- Ban Lueam
- Chakkarat
- Chok Chai
- Dan Khun Thot
- Non Thai
- Non Sung
- Kham Sakaesaeng
- Bua Yai
- Prathai
- Pak Thong Chai
- Phimai
- Huai Thalaeng
- Chum Phuang
- Sung Noen
- Kham Thale So
- Sikhio
- Pak Chong
- Nong Bun Mak
- Kaeng Sanam Nang
- Non Daeng
- Wang Nam Khiao
- Thepharak
- Mueang Yang
- Phra Thong Kham
- Lam Thamenchai
- Bua Lai
- Sida
- Chaloem Phra Kiat
Local government
Economy
Khorat's economy has traditionally been heavily dependent on agriculture. It is known as a processing centre for Isan's production of rice, tapioca, and sugar. The Isan region accounts for half of Thailand's exports of those commodities. Khorat is also one of two sites in Thailand manufacturing disk drives by Seagate Technology, employing 12,100 workers in Khorat.Transport
;AirNakhon Ratchasima has Nakhon Ratchasima Airport, but it has no scheduled flights. The nearest working airport is in Buriram and has flights to and from Bangkok.
;Rail
The railway system in Nakhon Ratchasima is on both northeastern routes from Bangkok Railway Station. Nakhon Ratchasima Province has eight main railway stations. In 2017, a 60-kilometre dual-track line will connect Korat to Khon Kaen Province. It is the first segment of a dual track network that will connect Isan with the Laem Chabang seaport. Mueang District is served by two stations: Nakhon Ratchasima railway station and Thanon Chira Junction railway station.
;Road
Highway 2 is the main route that connects nine districts in Nakhon Ratchasima including Muang district. This route also connects Nakhon Ratchasima to Saraburi and Khon Kaen Provinces. Hwy 24 links Si Khio District from Hwy 2 to Pak Thongcha, Chok Chai, and Nong Bunnak Districts and to Buriram Province. A new motorway connecting Khorat to Bangkok is under construction in 2016 and will reduce travel time on the 250 kilometre journey to just over two hours.
Health
Nakhon Ratchasima has hospitals in mostly the public sector, but some in the private sector. Its main hospital is Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital, which is one of the main hospitals for the Praboromarajchanok Medicine Program of Mahidol University. The province also has a university hospital, which is Suranaree University of Technology Hospital of the Institute of Medicine, Suranaree University of Technology.Sports
;Footballmatch in 2011
Nakhon Ratchasima F.C. play in Thai League 1 top tier of Thailand football league. Despite the city of Korat having a population in excess of 400,000 and Nakhon Ratchasima Province having a population in excess of 2.5 million, Nakhon Ratchasima F.C. struggled to attract more than 400 for most home games throughout their history, the club play in the 80th Birthday Stadium.
;Volleyball
Nakhon Ratchasima is the home of the four-times Men's Volleyball Thailand League winner, Nakhon Ratchasima the Mall and the three-times Women's Volleyball Thailand League winner, Nakhon Ratchasima the Mall.
Education
;UniversitiesThere are four universities in the area.
- Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University
- Rajamangala University of Technology Isan
- Suranaree University of Technology
- Vongchavalitkul University
- Ratchasima Wittayalai School
- Saint Mary's College Nakhon Ratchasima
- Suranaree Wittaya School
- MBAC
- Boonwatthana
- Phimai Witthaya
- Assumption School Nakhon Ratchasima
- Fort Surathamphithak School
- Phoowittaya School
- Plookpanya School
- Koratpittayakom school
- Wangrongnoi school
- St Stephen's International School
- Adventists International Mission School
- Anglo Singapore International School
- Wesley International School
Human achievement index 2017
Notable people
Born in Nakhon Ratchasima
- Prachya Pinkaew , film director of and Tom-Yum-Goong, both martial arts films starring Tony Jaa.
- Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai , former head coach of the Thailand women's national volleyball team
- Luang Por Khun Parissuddho , buddhist monk
- Prem Tinsulanonda , politician and statesman
- Prayut Chan-o-cha , politician
Communications
- Landlines provided by TOT and TT&T
- IDD phones provided by CAT
- Mobiles provided by AIS GSM, DTAC, TRUE, and HUTCH
- Internet / High-speed internet provided by TOT, CAT, and TT&T.
Attractions
- Phimai Historical Park is one of the most important Khmer temples of Thailand. It is in the town of Phimai. The temple marks one end of the ancient Khmer Highway from Angkor. As the enclosed area of 1020 x 580 metres is comparable to that of Angkor Wat, Phimai must have been an important city in the Khmer Empire. Most buildings date from the late-11th to the late-12th century, built in the Baphuon, Bayon, and Angkor Wat styles. However, even though the Khmer at that time were Hindu, the temple was built as a Buddhist temple, since the inhabitants of the Khorat area had been Buddhists as far back the 7th century. Inscriptions name the site Vimayapura, which developed into the Thai name Phimai.
- Khao Yai National Park is in the western part of the Sankamphaeng Mountain Range, at the southwestern boundary of the Khorat Plateau. The highest mountain in the area of the park is 1,351 m high Khao Rom. This park lies largely in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, but also includes parts of Saraburi, Prachinburi, and Nakhon Nayok Provinces. The park is the third largest in Thailand. It covers an area of 300 square kilometers, including tropical seasonal forests and grasslands. Elevations mostly range from 400–1,000 m. It is home to 3,000 species of plants and 320 species of birds. Waterfalls include the 80 metre Heo Narok, and Heo Suwat.
- Nakhon Ratchasima railway station is a 1st class station and the main railway station in the province. There are 18 daily trains serving this station. There are four to six special trains during the celebration of the New Year and Songkran.
- Lam Takhong Dam is an embankment dam on the Lam Takhong River between Pak Chong District and Sikhio District. The dam was constructed in 1974 for the purposes of irrigation and water supply, but after 2002 its water storage also serves as the lower reservoir for the Lam Takhong pumped storage power plant, Thailand's first power plant of this type.
- Korat's zoo was established under the patronage of the king. The zoo is managed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The Korat Zoo has rare animals such as tigers, giraffes, lions, elephants, zebras, rhinoceroses, hedgehogs, birds such as guinea fowls, ostriches, and flamingos.
- Khao Yai Tiang is the mountain located in khlong phai, Pak chong district. There are 12 wind turbines on top of the mountain. Tourist can go cycling and enjoying the view of reservoir.
Korat cat
In 1965, Korat cats were first registered in the US by the Korat Cat Fanciers Association. The cats that formed the breed were first imported from Thailand by Jean L. Johnson in 1959. In 1966 the breed was accepted by the Cat Fanciers' Association. The Korat breed is now accepted by cat associations around the world.
The International Maew Boran Association was formed in Thailand to provide a registry of and pedigrees for Thai cats, including Korats, and to provide a voice in English for Thai breeders as "...Thai breeders...do not speak English, and farang breeders do not speak Thai.".
Sister cities
- Harare, Zimbabwe