City municipality in Thailand
Nakhon Ratchasima
(
Thai
:
??????????
,
pronounced
[na(?).k???ːn
raːt.t????.s?ː.m?ː]
) is the capital of
Nakhon Ratchasima province
and the third largest city in
Thailand
. It is one of the four major cities of
Isan
(Northeast Thailand), known as the "big four of Isan". The city is commonly known as
Korat
(
?????
,
pronounced
[k??ː.raːt]
), a shortened form of its name.
Korat is at the western edge of the
Korat Plateau
. Historically, it once marked the boundary between
Lao
and
Siam
territory. It is the gateway to the Lao-speaking northeast of Thailand. Its location is
14°58.5′N
102°6′E
/
14.9750°N 102.100°E
/
14.9750; 102.100
.
Toponymy
[
edit
]
Archaeological evidence suggests that in
Sung Noen District
32 km west of present-day Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) there were two ancient towns called
Sema
("
Bai sema
" (
??????
) are notable artifacts of the
Korat plateau
)
[
citation needed
]
and
Khorakapura
. (
Pali
pura
becomes
Sanskrit
puri
, hence
Thai
(
buri
), all connoting the same as Thai
mueang
: "city with
defensive wall
".) N The latter name was shortened to
Nakhon Raj
. (
Nakhon
(
???
) derives from
Sanskrit
nagara
(
???
), "city";
Raj
(
???
), from Sanskrit
Raj
, "
sovereign
.") The present city name is a
portmanteau
of
Nakhon Raj
and
Sema
.
The city is commonly known as "Korat" (Thai: ?????), which is a short version of the ancient Khmer name "ankor raj".
History
[
edit
]
Prior to the 14th century, the area of Nakhon Ratchasima was under
Khmer empire
suzerainty
and known in
Khmer
as
Angkor raj
,
Nokor Reach Seyma
, or
Nokor Reach Borei
, and
Koreach
.
Phimai
, to the north, was probably more important.
King
Narai
of
Ayutthaya
in the 17th century, ordered a new city built on the site to serve as a
stronghold
on Ayutthaya's northeastern frontier. Nakhon Ratchasima was thereafter mentioned in Siamese chronicles and legal documents as a "second-class" city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. A royal governor ruled the city in a hereditary position.
After the
final phase of the Ayutthaya kingdom
ended with its
complete destruction
by the Burmese in 1767, a son of King
Boromakot
attempted to set himself up ruler in Phimai, holding sway over Korat and other eastern provinces. King
Taksin
of the
Thonburi Kingdom
(1768?1782) sent two of his generals, brothers
Thong Duang
and
Boonma
, to defeat the prince, who was executed in 1768. Thong Duang later became King
Rama
I of the
kingdom
, and Korat became his strategic stronghold on the northeastern frontier to supervise the Lao and Khmer
tributary states
.
In 1826,
Vientiane
King
Chao
Anouvong
, perceiving
Siam
as weakened, attacked Korat in the
Laotian Rebellion
against King
Rama III
that was to rage on for two years.
[2]
Lady Mo
, the wife of the deputy governor at the time, is credited with having freed the city from Anouvong's army, and has been honored with a statue in the center of downtown Korat. A full account of the war and its impact on Laos and Siam, is detailed in the book,
Lady Mo and Heroism at Tung Samrit
, written by Frank G Anderson. The city's old wall, east of the monument was designed and built by a French engineer who is believed to be the one who also built
Naraimaharaj
Palace in
Lopburi
. The French-based design is reflected in the moat system that surrounds the innermost portion of the city.
Nakhon Ratchasima continued to be an important political and economic center in the northeastern region under the
Monthon
administrative reforms of the late-19th century. In November 1900, the
Royal State Railways of Siam
began operation of the Nakhon Ratchasima Line from Bangkok with
Korat Station
as its
terminus
. It was officially opened on 21 December 1900 by
King Chulalongkorn
.
[3]
The
Ubon Ratchathani
Line to the
town of Warin
opened 1 November 1922. The
Thanon Chira Junction
to
Khon Kaen
opened on 1 April 1933.
Korat station
was changed to
Nakhon Ratchasima Railway Station
in 1934.
In October 1933, after the
Siamese revolution of 1932
ended the
absolute monarchy
, Nakhon Ratchasima became the headquarters of the
Boworadet Rebellion
, an abortive uprising against the new government in Bangkok.
[
citation needed
]
During
World War II
, the troops from Nakhon Ratchasima joined the fight in
Franco-Thai War
, The Thai army was able to temporarily recapture some of the territory. After the war, the
United States
helped build
Mittraphap Road
from Saraburi to Nakhon Ratchasima.
In April 1981 during another
attempted coup
, the government, together with the royal family, took refuge in Korat.
[
citation needed
]
From 1962 to 1976, during the
Vietnam War
,
Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base
hosted components of the
Royal Thai Air Force
, the
United States Air Force
, and a complement of the
Royal New Zealand Air Force
(RNZAF). After the US withdrawal in 1976, the Thai Air Force assumed full control. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the airfield was jointly operated as a civil airport for Nakhon Ratchasima. This ended with the opening of
Nakhon Ratchasima Airport
in the early 1990s.
On 13 August 1993, Thailand's worst disaster happened in the city, the
collapse of the Royal Plaza Hotel
, killing 137 people.
[4]
On 8 and 9 February 2020, Thailand's
deadliest shooting
occurred in the city, when an offduty
Royal Thai Army
Sergeant shot 29 people dead and wounded 58 others, mostly at the local
Terminal 21
mall, before being killed by responding officers.
[5]
Korat City from Fort Suranaree Hospital
Demography
[
edit
]
As of 2019
[update]
, Nakhon Ratchasima Municipality had a population of 126,391. This number represents only part of the city's current size.
To reflect the population growth since Korat's original designation as a city municipality (
thesaban nakhon
) in 1995, both the
Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning
and the
Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Administrative Organization
regularly publish up-to-date city boundaries (
Thai
:
????????
).
[6]
These boundaries extend the original municipal borders into adjacent sub-districts, and comprise the whole Capital district of
Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima
, which forms Korat's urban area. With an urban population of 466,098, Korat is the third largest city in
Thailand
, behind
Bangkok
and
Chiang Mai
.
[1]
Administration
[
edit
]
On 4 January 1908 Pho Klang subdistrict became Nakhon Ratchasima sanitation.
[7]
The sanitation changed to town municipality (
thesaban mueang
) on 11 December 1935.
[8]
On 8 March 1937 the municipality was enlarged to 4.4 km
2
.
[9]
and later on 1 January 1983 to 37.5 km
2
or 5 percent of
Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima District
. The status was upgraded to city municipality (
thesaban nakhon
) on 25 September 1995.
[10]
The administration of the city is responsible for a population of 126,391 registered residents in 71,022 households.
[1]
Climate
[
edit
]
Nakhon Ratchasima has a
tropical savanna climate
(
Aw
in the
Koppen climate classification
), with the large majority of its rain falling between May and October.
Climate data for Nakhon Ratchasima (1991?2020)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °C (°F)
|
37.7
(99.9)
|
40.6
(105.1)
|
42.3
(108.1)
|
43.2
(109.8)
|
41.8
(107.2)
|
39.2
(102.6)
|
39.2
(102.6)
|
37.2
(99.0)
|
36.7
(98.1)
|
35.1
(95.2)
|
36.1
(97.0)
|
36.0
(96.8)
|
43.2
(109.8)
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
31.0
(87.8)
|
33.5
(92.3)
|
35.7
(96.3)
|
36.6
(97.9)
|
35.4
(95.7)
|
34.7
(94.5)
|
34.0
(93.2)
|
33.3
(91.9)
|
32.4
(90.3)
|
31.3
(88.3)
|
30.9
(87.6)
|
29.9
(85.8)
|
33.2
(91.8)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
24.8
(76.6)
|
26.9
(80.4)
|
29.2
(84.6)
|
30.1
(86.2)
|
29.5
(85.1)
|
29.3
(84.7)
|
28.8
(83.8)
|
28.3
(82.9)
|
27.6
(81.7)
|
27.0
(80.6)
|
26.0
(78.8)
|
24.4
(75.9)
|
27.7
(81.8)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
19.2
(66.6)
|
21.1
(70.0)
|
23.7
(74.7)
|
25.1
(77.2)
|
25.4
(77.7)
|
25.4
(77.7)
|
25.0
(77.0)
|
24.8
(76.6)
|
24.4
(75.9)
|
23.6
(74.5)
|
21.5
(70.7)
|
19.3
(66.7)
|
23.2
(73.8)
|
Record low °C (°F)
|
4.9
(40.8)
|
10.6
(51.1)
|
13.0
(55.4)
|
19.0
(66.2)
|
21.5
(70.7)
|
22.0
(71.6)
|
21.3
(70.3)
|
21.7
(71.1)
|
20.4
(68.7)
|
16.6
(61.9)
|
9.1
(48.4)
|
6.2
(43.2)
|
4.9
(40.8)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
8.6
(0.34)
|
12.7
(0.50)
|
46.3
(1.82)
|
79.5
(3.13)
|
151.7
(5.97)
|
120.0
(4.72)
|
130.1
(5.12)
|
178.0
(7.01)
|
238.8
(9.40)
|
135.0
(5.31)
|
19.6
(0.77)
|
2.6
(0.10)
|
1,122.9
(44.21)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 1.0 mm)
|
1.0
|
1.3
|
3.7
|
5.7
|
10.5
|
9.2
|
10.1
|
12.5
|
14.4
|
8.9
|
2.0
|
0.5
|
79.8
|
Average
relative humidity
(%)
|
65.7
|
62.1
|
62.6
|
66.4
|
73.4
|
73.0
|
74.0
|
76.6
|
81.2
|
78.4
|
71.2
|
66.4
|
70.9
|
Mean monthly
sunshine hours
|
226.3
|
211.9
|
201.5
|
186.0
|
155.0
|
114.0
|
117.8
|
117.8
|
108.0
|
145.7
|
186.0
|
226.3
|
1,996.3
|
Mean daily
sunshine hours
|
7.3
|
7.5
|
6.5
|
6.2
|
5.0
|
3.8
|
3.8
|
3.8
|
3.6
|
4.7
|
6.2
|
7.3
|
5.5
|
Source 1:
World Meteorological Organization
[11]
|
Source 2: Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department (sun 1981?2010)
[12]
(extremes)
[13]
|
Economy
[
edit
]
Korat'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. Together, these three agricultural commodities employ 700,000 Isan families. Korat is also one of two sites in Thailand manufacturing disk drives by
Seagate Technology
, employing 12,100 workers in Korat.
[14]
[15]
Retail
[
edit
]
Korat has become the commercial hub, not only for Isan, but also for neighbouring Cambodia and Laos. All three of Thailand's largest Bangkok-based department store chains have invested in expansive outlets in the city, which will provide one million square metres of retail space by late 2017.
[14]
Transport
[
edit
]
Nakhon Ratchasima Airport
lies 26 kilometres (16 mi) east of the city.
[16]
There are no scheduled air services operating from the airport.
Rail
[
edit
]
Nakhon Ratchasima is on the northeastern railway line, connecting Bangkok with
Ubon Ratchathani
and
Nong Khai
. There are two main railway stations in the city:
Nakhon Ratchasima Railway Station
on Mukkhamontri Road and
Thanon Chira Junction Railway Station
on Watcharasarit Road. In 2017, a 60 km (37 mi) dual-track line will connect Korat to
Khon Kaen
. It is the first segment of a dual track network that will connect Isan with the
Laem Chabang
seaport.
[14]
A
high-speed rail line to Bangkok
is due to open in 2027.
[17]
Road
[
edit
]
Passing near the city is
Mittraphap Road
(Thailand Route 2), the main arterial road that joins Bangkok with the province capitals of Saraburi, Nakhon Ratchasima. Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, and Nong Khai (the major gateway to Laos). A new motorway connecting Korat to Bangkok is under construction in 2016 and will reduce travel time on the 250 km (160 mi) journey to just over two hours.
[14]
Education
[
edit
]
Universities
[
edit
]
There are four universities in the area.
Schools
[
edit
]
International schools
[
edit
]
Hospitals
[
edit
]
- Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital
- Fort Suranaree Hospital
- Saint Mary's Hospital
- Korat Memorial Hospital
- Bangkok-Ratchasima Hospital
- Po-Pat Hospital
- Po-Pat 2 Hospital
- The Golden Gate Hospital
Sports
[
edit
]
The
80th Birthday Stadium
is the main stadium in
His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary, 5th December 2007 Sports Complex
. It is home to
Nakhon Ratchasima FC
that competes in the national first tier football level,
Thailand Premier League
and it was used for the
2007 Southeast Asian Games
.
The stadium is in the former SEA Games sports complex on Highway 304 (
Pak Thong Chai
Road) to the southwest of the city. The stadium is all-seats with a capacity of 20,000.
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
. It is also the birthplace of football player
Thanayut Kaewjohor
.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
????????????????????????????????????? ?.?.2562
[Statistics, population and house statistics for the year 2019]. Registration Office Department of the Interior, Ministry of the Interior (in Thai). 31 December 2019. Archived from
the original
on 14 June 2019
. Retrieved
10 March
2020
.
Archiving is not necessary because DOPA provides data from 1993 to future years.
- ^
Chandler, David P.; Roff, William R.; Smail, John R.W.; Steinberg, David Joel; Taylor, Robert H.; Woodside, Alexander; Wyatt, David K. (1987) [1971]. "13 Siam, 1767?1868". In David, Steinberg (ed.).
In search of south-east Asia
(Revised ed.). Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. pp. 113?117.
ISBN
0-8248-1110-0
.
OCLC
500095794
.
- ^
"Siam's First Railway"
.
The Straits Times
. 28 December 1900. p. 2
. Retrieved
2022-09-25
– via newspaperSG.
- ^
"Court orders five to pay Bt152 million compensation for Korat Hotel collapse"
.
The Nation
. 7 March 2009. Archived from
the original
on 30 March 2013
. Retrieved
9 May
2015
.
- ^
"One gunman, four locations, 29 dead: how the mass shooting in Thailand unfolded"
.
Reuters
. 9 February 2020
. Retrieved
9 January
2021
.
- ^
"Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, City plans, Nakhon Ratchasima"
.
- ^
?????? ???????????????????????? ???????????? ?????????????? ?.?. ???
[Announcement: Act Pho Klang sanitation, Nakhon Ratchasima monthon R.E. 127 (1908)]
(PDF)
.
Royal Thai Government Gazette
.
25
(40): 1183. 3 January 1908. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on October 22, 2021
. Retrieved
16 April
2020
.
- ^
????????????? ???????????????????????????? ????????????????? ?????????? ????
[Royal Decree of Nakhon Ratchasima town municipality, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Buddhist Era 2478 (1935)]
(PDF)
.
Royal Thai Government Gazette
.
52
: 1675?1681. 10 December 1935. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on October 22, 2021
. Retrieved
5 April
2020
.
- ^
????????????? ???????????????????????????? ????????????????? (?????? ?) ?????????? ???0
[Royal Decree Change of Nakhon Ratchasima town municipality, Nakhon Ratchasima province, (Issue 2) Buddhist Era 2480 (1937)]
(PDF)
.
Royal Thai Government Gazette
.
111
(54): 1764?1768. 7 March 1937. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on October 22, 2021
. Retrieved
16 April
2020
.
- ^
????????????? ?????????????????????????? ????????????????? ?????????? ????
[Royal Decree of Nakhon Ratchasima city municipality, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Buddhist Era 2538 (1995)]
(PDF)
.
Royal Thai Government Gazette
.
112
(40 Kor): 33?36. 24 September 1995. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on November 10, 2011
. Retrieved
5 April
2020
.
- ^
"World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991?2020"
. World Meteorological Organization
. Retrieved
12 October
2023
.
- ^
?????????????????????????????????????? Penman Monteith (Reference Crop Evapotranspiration by Penman Monteith)
(PDF)
(in Thai). Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department. p. 59
. Retrieved
2 August
2016
.
- ^
"Climatological Data for the Period 1981?2010"
. Thai Meteorological Department
. Retrieved
4 August
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Janssen, Peter (2 November 2016).
"Thailand takes a long-term gamble on Isaan region"
.
Nikkei Asian Review
. Retrieved
3 November
2016
.
- ^
Temphairojana, Pairat (2015-02-10).
"Seagate to invest $470 mln in Thailand over next 5 years"
.
Reuters
. Retrieved
3 November
2016
.
- ^
"Nakhon Ratchasima Airport"
. Flightstats.com. Archived from
the original
on 6 July 2017
. Retrieved
29 April
2012
.
- ^
"Thailand's high-speed railway will carry first passengers in 2023"
.
The Thaiger
. 4 September 2019
. Retrieved
7 September
2019
.
External links
[
edit
]
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