Sakon Nakhon (, ; , ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (changwat). It lies in upper Northeastern Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin, and Udon Thani. Its capital is Sakon Nakhon.

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. The total forest area is or 17.7 percent of provincial area.

{|

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| Phu Pha Yon National Park   ||   ||(19,061)

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| Phu Phan National Park || ||  (7,677)

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| Phu Pha Lek National Park || ||  (5,569)

|}

{|role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"

|<strong>Location protected areas of Sakon Nakhon</strong>

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|-

|thumb|left|500px|

{| class= "wikitable" style= "width:35%;"

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| style="width:3%; background:#00FF00;"|&nbsp;

| style="width:32%;"|National park

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|&nbsp;&nbsp;1 ||Phu Pha Yon

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|&nbsp;&nbsp;2 ||Phu Phan

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|&nbsp;&nbsp;3 ||Phu Pha Lek

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History

The history of Sakon Nakhon dates back to about three thousand years. Local legend says that Mueang Nong Han Luang, or presently Sakhon Nakhon, was built in the 11th century when the Khmer ruled this region. When the Khmer lost its power, the town was under the rule 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 district, formerly a stronghold of the Communist Party of Thailand.

Ethnic group

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

Economy

Fish and rice are two of the major products of the region.

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 Thani Railway Station in neighboring province Udon Thani. Then take a local bus to Sakon Nakhon, the distance is approximately 156&nbsp;km.

Roads

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

west to Kalasin (131&nbsp;km).

Air

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

Health

Sakon Nakhon's main hospital is Sakon Nakhon Hospital, operated by the Ministry of Public Health.

Administrative divisions

thumb|300px|Map of eighteen districts

Provincial government

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

{|

|---valign=top

||

  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

||

<ol start=10>

<li>Ban Muang

<li>Akat Amnuai

<li>Sawang Daen Din

<li>Song Dao

<li>Tao Ngoi

<li>Khok Si Suphan

<li>Charoen Sin

<li>Phon Na Kaeo

<li>Phu Phan

</ol>

|}

Local government

As of 26 November 2019 there are: one Sakon Nakhon Provincial Administration Organisation (') 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).

Human achievement index 2022

{| class="wikitable floatright" style="width:400px;"

|-

| style="text-align:center; width:100px; background:black; color:white;"| Health

| style="text-align:center; width:100px; background:black; color:white;"| Education

| style="text-align:center; width:100px; background:black; color:white;"| Employment

| style="text-align:center; width:100px; background:black; color:white;"| Income

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| 95px

| 100px

| 100px

| 100px

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| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 38

| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 72

| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 43

| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 70

|-

| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| Housing

| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| Family

| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| Transport

| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| Participation

|-

| style="height:100px;"| 100px

| center|85px

| 100px

| 90px

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| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 11

| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 8

| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 29

| style="text-align:center; background:black; color:white;"| 55

|-

| colspan="4"; style="background:black; color:white;"| Province Sakon Nakhon, with an HAI 2022 value of 0.6292 is "somewhat low", occupies place 54 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.

Notable people

Born in Sakhon Nakhon

  • Dusit Chalermsan: professional footballer, football coach
  • Suree Sukha: professional footballer
  • Surat Sukha: professional footballer
  • Sinthaweechai Hathairattanakool: professional footballer
  • Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym: a world-class professional boxer

See also

  • Khit cloth

<gallery>

File:Phu Pha Yon National Park.jpg|3,000-year-old petroglyphs at Phu Pha Yon National Park

File:สกลนคร.jpg|Sakon Nakhon City Gate

file:SNRU7.jpg|Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University

file:ปราสาทผึ้ง.jpg|Wax Castle Procession

</gallery>

References

  • Provincial page from the Tourist Authority of Thailand

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  • Website of province (Thai only)