Khon Kaen

Khon Kaen
ขอนแก่น
City Municipality
City of Khon Kaen
เทศบาลนครขอนแก่น

Seal
Khon Kaen
Location in Thailand
Coordinates: 16°26′N 102°50′E / 16.433°N 102.833°E / 16.433; 102.833Coordinates: 16°26′N 102°50′E / 16.433°N 102.833°E / 16.433; 102.833
Country Thailand
Province Khon Kaen
District Muang Khon Kaen
Government
 • Type City Municipality
 • Mayor Peerapon Pattabapeeradech
Area
 • Total 46 km2 (18 sq mi)
Elevation 162 m (531 ft)
Population (2010)
 • Total 113,754
 • Density 2,500/km2 (6,400/sq mi)
  Registered residents only
Time zone UTC+7 (ICT)
Area code (+66) 43
Website www.kkmuni.go.th

Khon Kaen (Thai: ขอนแก่น, pronounced [kʰɔ̌(ː)n kɛ̀n]) is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, also known as the "big four of Isan", the others being Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Ubon Ratchathani. It is the capital of Khon Kaen Province and the Mueang Khon Kaen District. Khon Kaen lies 450 kilometres (280 mi) north-northeast of Bangkok.[1]

Geography and demography

Khon Kaen is on the Khorat Plateau, and is the center of the mid-northeastern provincial group of Thailand, according to the Thai government. Its geographical location is 16°26′N 102°50′E / 16.433°N 102.833°E / 16.433; 102.833. The city has a population of 113,754.

Regional importance

Khon Kaen is one of rural cities in northern region of Thailand. The city is bisected by Mithraphap Road, also known as "Friendship Highway", or "Highway 2", the road linking Bangkok to the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. A modern, multi-lane by-pass enables through-traffic to avoid the city centre to the west, and connects to the airport, the new main bus station (BKS3),[2] and to the main roads to Kalasin and Maha Sarakham in the east, and Udon Thani in the north.

The city can be easily navigated by driving along either of the two north-south main roads: Na Muang and Klang Muang, which are east and parallel to the Friendship Highway. In addition, there are two main east-west roads: Srichan Road and Prachasamosorn Road, leading east to the city of Kalasin, and west to the airport, as well as to other small villages.

Smart City initiative

Khon Kaen's 2017 population was 1.8 million with a GDP of 190 billion baht. Its Smart City development plan aims to double its GDP per person to 394,000-493,000 baht by 2029 from an average of about 192,000 baht in 2016. Khon Kaen's plan has been incorporated into Thailand's 12th national social and economic plan (2017-2021). The plan has been driven largely by the Khon Kaen Think Tank (KKTT), a group of involved citizens. The Smart City's signature project is the Khon Kaen Transit System Co (KKTS), founded in 2017. Its plans for a 26 km light rail network from Samran to Tha Phra in the Mueang Khon Kaen District are complete and awaiting Thai Cabinet approval before bidding on the project can begin. The light rail system will feature 18 to 21 stations, take two years to complete, and will cost 15 billion baht. The Land Traffic Management Commission (LTMC), a national think tank for transportation policy, has already blessed the plan.[3]

Climate

Khon Kaen's climate is categorised as tropical savanna (Köppen climate classification Aw), with winters that are dry and very warm. Temperatures rise until April—a very hot month, with an average daily maximum of 36.4 °C (97.5 °F). The monsoon season runs from May until October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day although nights remain warm.

Climate data for Khon Kaen (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 37.3
(99.1)		 39.2
(102.6)		 41.7
(107.1)		 42.6
(108.7)		 41.9
(107.4)		 39.6
(103.3)		 37.3
(99.1)		 37.0
(98.6)		 36.3
(97.3)		 35.7
(96.3)		 37.5
(99.5)		 35.7
(96.3)		 42.6
(108.7)
Average high °C (°F) 30.8
(87.4)		 33.1
(91.6)		 35.3
(95.5)		 36.4
(97.5)		 34.5
(94.1)		 33.6
(92.5)		 33.0
(91.4)		 32.4
(90.3)		 31.9
(89.4)		 31.6
(88.9)		 31.2
(88.2)		 30.1
(86.2)		 32.8
(91)
Daily mean °C (°F) 23.4
(74.1)		 26.0
(78.8)		 28.5
(83.3)		 29.9
(85.8)		 28.9
(84)		 28.6
(83.5)		 28.1
(82.6)		 27.7
(81.9)		 27.2
(81)		 26.5
(79.7)		 25.0
(77)		 23.0
(73.4)		 26.9
(80.4)
Average low °C (°F) 17.4
(63.3)		 20.1
(68.2)		 22.8
(73)		 24.9
(76.8)		 24.9
(76.8)		 25.0
(77)		 24.6
(76.3)		 24.4
(75.9)		 23.9
(75)		 22.8
(73)		 20.1
(68.2)		 17.2
(63)		 22.3
(72.1)
Record low °C (°F) 8.2
(46.8)		 11.9
(53.4)		 11.1
(52)		 18.5
(65.3)		 20.6
(69.1)		 21.1
(70)		 21.0
(69.8)		 21.9
(71.4)		 20.3
(68.5)		 14.6
(58.3)		 10.3
(50.5)		 6.4
(43.5)		 6.4
(43.5)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 4.0
(0.157)		 21.4
(0.843)		 42.1
(1.657)		 89.6
(3.528)		 168.7
(6.642)		 161.6
(6.362)		 173.3
(6.823)		 216.4
(8.52)		 232.0
(9.134)		 117.7
(4.634)		 15.9
(0.626)		 4.1
(0.161)		 1,246.8
(49.087)
Average rainy days 1.0 2.7 4.2 7.7 14.5 14.4 15.9 17.8 17.7 9.7 2.5 0.7 108.8
Average relative humidity (%) 65 63 61 64 74 77 78 81 83 78 70 65 72
Mean monthly sunshine hours 275.9 243.0 275.9 204.0 198.4 156.0 120.9 117.8 144.0 198.4 219.0 257.3 2,410.6
Mean daily sunshine hours 8.9 8.6 8.9 6.8 6.4 5.2 3.9 3.8 4.8 6.4 7.3 8.3 6.6
Source #1: Thai Meteorological Department[4]
Source #2: Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department (sun and humidity)[5]

Tourist attractions

Many Buddhist temples are in Khon Kaen, notably Phra Mahathat Kaen Nakhon, also known as Wat Nong Wang. On the south side of the city and east of the Friendship highway, a diverse range of recreational areas and facilities exist at Lake Bueng Kaen Nakhon.

The Khon Kaen National Museum (พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ ขอนแก่น), was opened by His Majesty King Bhumiphol Adulyadej on 20 December 1972.[6] The museum displays a diverse selection of antiques, precious art pieces, and archaeological finds from the region. The museum exhibits date back to the pre-historic period and include ancient relics and the skeleton of a "New Stone Age" man, with tools from that period. Most of the archaeological excavation was conducted at the Muang Fa Daet Song Yang site in Ban Chiang.

Phu Wiang Dinosuar Museum is the fossil research center of Phu Wiang Dinosaur. It was founded by the corporation between Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Khon Kaen Province and the Department of Mineral Resources to research and publicly disseminate mineral resource knowledge and reserve for benefiting the public and promoting sustainable tourism.[7]

Culture

Thailand's 2014 EU Film Festival included Khon Kaen, together with Chiang Mai and Bangkok, as host locations. A selection of six films was shown in the city, including the Spanish film The Pelayos and the Polish film Walesa, Man of Hope.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Distance: Bangkok to Khon Kaen". Google Maps. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "Khon Kaen City's central bus terminal shuts down after 44 years". The Isaan Record. 2017-12-26. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  3. ↑ Natanri, Chakkrapan; Kongrut, Anchalee (14 October 2018). "Khon Kaen takes lead in Thailand's race to smarten up". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  4. ↑ "Climatological Data for the Period 1981–2010". Thai Meteorological Department. p. 10. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "ปริมาณการใช้น้ำของพืชอ้างอิงโดยวิธีของ Penman Monteith (Reference Crop Evapotranspiration by Penman Monteith)" (PDF) (in Thai). Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department. p. 48. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  6. ↑ "Khon Kaen National Museum". KhonKaen.com. KhonKaen.com. 1996–2014. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Makar, A. B.; McMartin, K. E.; Palese, M.; Tephly, T. R. (June 1975). "Formate assay in body fluids: application in methanol poisoning". Biochemical Medicine. 13 (2): 117–126. ISSN 0006-2944. PMID 1.
  8. ↑ "Showtimes EU Film Festival 2014". SFX Cinemas. SFX Cinemas. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
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