Sakon Nakhon Province

Sakon Nakhon (Thai: สกลนคร, pronounced [sā.kōn ná(ʔ).kʰɔ̄ːn]) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (changwat) lies in upper northeastern Thailand also called Isan. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin, and Udon Thani. The capital is Sakon Nakhon.

Sakon Nakhon

สกลนคร
Province
Nong Han
Flag
Seal
Nickname(s): 
Sakon
Mueang Sakon
Map of Thailand highlighting Sakon Nakhon Province
CountryThailand
CapitalSakon Nakhon
Government
 • GovernorMonsit Phaisanthanawat
(since October 2019)[1]
Area
 • Total9,606 km2 (3,709 sq mi)
Area rankRanked 19th
Population
 (2018)[3]
 • Total1,152,282
 • Rank Ranked 17th
 • Density120/km2 (300/sq mi)
 • Density rankRanked 41st
Human Achievement Index
 • HAI (2017)0.5734 "somewhat low"
Ranked 50th
Time zoneUTC+7 (ICT)
Postal code
47xxx
Calling code042
ISO 3166 codeTH-47
Vehicle registrationสกลนคร
Websitewww.sakonnakhon.go.th

Toponymy

The word sakon originates from the Sanskrit word sakala (Devanagari: सकल) meaning 'entire', 'whole', or 'total', and the word nakhon from Sanskrit nagara (Devanagari: नगर) meaning 'town' or 'city'. Hence the name of the province literally means "city of cities".

Geography

The province is on the Khorat Plateau, not far from the Mekong. The Nong Han lake, the biggest natural lake of northeast Thailand, near the city of Sakon Nakhon, is a popular resort. The Phu Phan Mountains delimit the province to the south.

History

The history of Sakon Nakhon dated back for about three thousand years. Local legend says that Mueang Nong Han Luang, or presently Sakhon Nakhon, was built in 11thcentury when Khmer ruled this region. When Khmer lost its power, the town was under the rules of Lan Xang or Lao Kingdom. It was renamed into "Mueang Chiang Mai Nong Han". When the town was under Siam, it was renamed again into "Sakhon Thawapi" in 1830, during King Rama III's reign, it was renamed "Sakon Nakhon".

Phu Phan Mountains in the area of Sakon Nakhon, especially Sawang Daen Din, formerly a stronghold of the Communist Party of Thailand.[5]

Ethnic group

The Ethnic group of Sakon Nakhon are Chinese and Vietnamese with Tai Dam as well as Nyaw.[6][5]

Symbols

The provincial seal shows the Phrathat Choeng Chum, a Lao-style chedi built during the Ayutthaya period over a Khmer-style prang.

The provincial tree is the banaba or Queen's Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia speciosa). Black sharkminnow (Labeo chrysophekadion) is the provincial fish.[7]

Economy

Fish and rice are two of the major products of the region.[6]

Kho Khun Pon Yang Kham is branded as Thailand's best-quality beef, produced by Pon Yang Kham Breeding Cooperatives, which was incorporated in 1980 in Ban Pon Yang Kham in Mueang Sankhon Nakhon. It has created a great reputation for the province. Kho Khun Pon Yang Kham is regarded as "Thai Kobe beef".[8]

Transportation

Rail

Sakon Nakhon does not have a train service yet. People who want to travel to Sakon Nakhon by train can get off at Udon Ratchathani Railway Station in neighboring province Udon Thani. Then take a local bus to Sakon Nakhon, the distance is approximately 156 km.

Roads

Route 22 leads north to Udon Thani, 160 km distant, and east to Nakhon Phanom (91 km) and the border with Laos. Route 223 leads south to That Phanom (76 km). Route 213 leads west to Kalasin (131 km).

Air

There is a regional airport, Sakon Nakhon Airport, on the north side of the city.[9]

Administrative divisions

Provincial government
Map of 18 districts

The province is divided into 18 districts (amphoes). The districts are further divided into 125 subdistricts (tambons) and 1,323 villages (mubans).

  1. Mueang Sakon Nakhon
  2. Kusuman
  3. Kut Bak
  4. Phanna Nikhom
  5. Phang Khon
  6. Waritchaphum
  7. Nikhom Nam Un
  8. Wanon Niwat
  9. Kham Ta Kla
  1. Ban Muang
  2. Akat Amnuai
  3. Sawang Daen Din
  4. Song Dao
  5. Tao Ngoi
  6. Khok Si Suphan
  7. Charoen Sin
  8. Phon Na Kaeo
  9. Phu Phan

Local government

As of 26 November 2019 there are[10]: one Sakon Nakhon Provincial Administration Organisation (ongkan borihan suan changwat) and 66 municipal (thesaban) areas in the province. Sakon Nakhon has city (thesaban nakhon) status. Further 65 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon). The non-municipal areas are administered by 74 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).[3]

Human achievement index 2017
Health Education Employment Income
65 61 25 63
Housing Family Transport Participation
2 2 73 29
Province Mae Hong Son, with an HAI 2017 value of 0.5734 is "somewhat low", occupies place 50 in the ranking.

Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using the Human achievement index (HAI), a composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has taken over this task since 2017.[4]

RankClassification
  1 - 15"high"
16 - 30"somewhat high"
31 - 45"average"
45 - 60"somewhat low"
61 - 77"low"

Important places

Sakon Nakhon is a location of many important places, apart from Nong Han and Phu Phan Mountains, include

  • Phu Phan National Park
  • Phu Pha Yon National Park
  • Phu Pha Lek National Park
  • Nam Un Dam
  • Wat Phra That Choeng Chum
  • Phu Phan Rajanivet Palace

Events and festivals
  • Prasat Pueng Procession: held during the 12th-15th day of waxing moon in October to mark the end of Buddhist Lent. On the night of 13thday, people will join hands in decoration Prasat Pueng (wax castle) at Ming Mueang Field. The 14thday, wax castel from various temples will join the procession, roaming the municipality to Wat Phra That Choeng Chum. Isan people believe that the wax will welcome Lord Buddha who comes back from the heaven to help all creatures on earth.
  • Regatta: held synchronically with the Prasat Pueng Procession, the ancient regatta will be held at Phang Thong Pond or Tha Nang Ap, Ban Tha Wat.
  • Tha Rae Star Procession: is a tradition unique to the world and has been held annually during Christmas Eve since 1982, the celebrations and procession will take place at Ban Tha Rae, home to Thailand's largest Roman Catholic community, in Mueang Sakhon Nakhon.[11]

Notable people

Born in Sakhon Nakhon

Notes

Reports (data) from Thai government are "not copyrightable" (Public Domain), Copyright Act 2537 (1994), section 7.

See also
  • Khit cloth
  • 3,000-year-old petroglyphs at Phu Pha Yon National Park
  • Sakon Nakhon City Gate
  • Phra That Choeng Chum, Wat Phra That Choeng Chum

References
  1. "ประกาศสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง แต่งตั้งข้าราชการพลเรือนสามัญ" [Announcement of the Prime Minister's Office regarding the appointment of civil servants] (PDF). Royal Thai Government Gazette. 136 (Special 242 Ngor). 23. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  2. Advancing Human Development through the ASEAN Community, Thailand Human Development Report 2014, table 0:Basic Data (PDF) (Report). United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Thailand. pp. 134–135. ISBN 978-974-680-368-7. Retrieved 17 January 2016, Data has been supplied by Land Development Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, at Wayback Machine.
  3. "รายงานสถิติจำนวนประชากรและบ้านประจำปี พ.ศ.2561" [Statistics, population and house statistics for the year 2018]. Registration Office Department of the Interior, Ministry of the Interior (in Thai). 31 December 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  4. Human achievement index 2017 by National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), pages 1-40, maps 1-9, retrieved 14 September 2019, ISBN 978-974-9769-33-1
  5. Lyovarin, Win (1997). ประชาธิปไตยบนเส้นขนาน [Democracy, Shaken and Stirred] (in Thai). Bangkok: Dok Ya. pp. 255–256. ISBN 9748585476.
  6. "จังหวัดสกลนคร เตรียมจัดงานมหกรรมภูมิปัญญาพื้นบ้านมูนมังอีสาน ครั้งที่ 11 ภายใต้ชื่อ "ข้าว ปลา ป่า เกลือ"" [Sakon Nakhon preparing to organize the 11th Moonmang-Isan Folklore Festival under the title "Rice, Salt, Wild, Fish"]. NNT (in Thai). 2020-01-10. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  7. admin (2015-06-08). "สัตว์น้ำประจำจังหวัดสกลนคร" [Provincial aquatic animal]. Charoensinsuka "Phokham's Memorial" School (in Thai). Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  8. Chantanusornsiri, Wichit (2018-08-23). "The Kobe beef of Isan takes off". Bangkokpost. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  9. "Sakon Nakhon Airport". OurAirports. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  10. "Number of local government organizations by province". dla.go.th. Department of Local Administration (DLA). 26 November 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019. 56 Sakon Nakhon: 1 PAO, 1 City mun., 65 Subdistrict mun., 74 SAO.
  11. Svasti, Pichaya (2017-12-21). "Christmas Star parades". Bangkokpost. Retrieved 2020-04-22.

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