| Nakhon Ratchasima | |
| Official Name: | Nakhon Ratchasima province |
| Native Name: | นครราชสีมา |
| Native Name Lang: | th |
| Settlement Type: | Province |
| Nickname: | Korat (Thai: โคราช) |
| Motto: | เมืองหญิงกล้า ผ้าไหมดี หมี่โคราช ปราสาทหิน ดินด่านเกวียน ("City of brave women. Excellent silk. Mee Korat. Stone castles. Dan Kwian clay.") |
| Mapsize: | frameless |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Thailand |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Nakhon Ratchasima City |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Siam Sirimongkol (since October 2022)[1] |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Area Total Km2: | 20,736 |
| Area Rank: | Ranked 1st |
| Population Footnotes: | [3] |
| Population Total: | 2,630,058 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Rank: | Ranked 2nd |
| Population Density Km2: | 127 |
| Population Density Rank: | Ranked 35th |
| Demographics Type2: | GDP |
| Demographics2 Footnotes: | [4] |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics2 Info1: | baht 275 billion (US$9.5 billion) (2019) |
| Demographics Type1: | Human Achievement Index |
| Demographics1 Footnotes: | [5] |
| Demographics1 Title1: | HAI (2022) |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 0.6471 "average" Ranked 30th |
| Timezone1: | ICT |
| Utc Offset1: | +7 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 30xxx |
| Area Code Type: | Calling code |
| Area Code: | 044 |
| Iso Code: | TH-30 |
Nakhon Ratchasima (th|นครราชสีมา, pronounced as /th/; tts|นครราชสีมา, in Lao pronounced as /nà(ʔ).kʰɔ᷇ːn lâːt.sā.sǐː.ma᷇ː/, often called Khorat (th|โคราช, pronounced as /th/; tts|โคราช, in Lao pronounced as /kʰo᷇ː.lâːt/)) (alternate spelling Korat) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (changwat) 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.[6] Neighbouring provinces are (clockwise, from north) 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.
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 mountains. The total forest area is 3193km² or 15.4 percent of provincial area.[2]
Nakhon 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.
There are two national parks, along with two other national parks, make up region 1 (Prachinburi) of Thailand's protected areas.
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.[8]
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. Nakhon Ratchasima continued this duty during the Bangkok Period, although it was briefly seized during Lao rebellion (1826–1828) in 1826, in the reign of 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, Nakhon Ratchasima was the stronghold of the royalist troops in the Boworadet Rebellion, as they fought against the new 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 30 and wounded another 57 before being shot dead by police. It was the deadliest mass shooting in Thailand's history.
Nakhon Ratchasima was the birthplace of Thao Suranari who was born in 1771 and was the savior of Nakhon Ratchasima from King Chao Anouvong's army in 1826.
The provincial seal depicts the revered heroine of Khorat, Thao Suranari (Thai: ท้าวสุรนารี).
A monument to Thao Suranari (real name: Khunying Mo; 1771–1852) 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 and flower is the sathon (Millettia leucantha). The provincial aquatic animal is Hoven's carp (Leptobarbus hoevenii).
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
The province is divided into 32 districts (amphoes). The districts are further subdivided into 263 sub-districts (tambons) and 3,743 villages (mubans).
| Class | Name | Area (km2) | Distance to Provincial Hall (km) | Established | Sub-districts (Units) | Villages (Units) | Population | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Total | ||||||||
| Special | Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima | 755.596 | 0 | 1895 | 25 | 243 | 212,627 | 221,211 | 433,838 | |
| 1 | Dan Khun Thot | 1,428.14 | 84 | 1908 | 16 | 220 | 62,571 | 63,347 | 125,918 | |
| 1 | Bua Yai | 305.028 | 101 | 1886 | 10 | 121 | 41,855 | 42,278 | 84,133 | |
| 1 | Pak Thong Chai | 1,374.32 | 34 | 1910 | 16 | 213 | 56,716 | 58,950 | 115,666 | |
| 1 | Phimai | 896.871 | 60 | 1900 | 12 | 208 | 64,421 | 66,024 | 130,445 | |
| 1 | Sikhio | 1,247.07 | 45 | 1955 | 12 | 169 | 60,898 | 61,163 | 122,061 | |
| 1 | Pak Chong | 1,825.17 | 85 | 1955 | 12 | 217 | 91,146 | 91,685 | 182,831 | |
| 2 | Khon Buri | 1,816.85 | 58 | 1939 | 12 | 152 | 46,086 | 47,167 | 93,253 | |
| 2 | Chakkarat | 501.672 | 40 | 1953 | 8 | 108 | 34,441 | 34,643 | 69,084 | |
| 2 | Chok Chai | 503.917 | 30 | 1905 | 10 | 126 | 37,297 | 39,223 | 76,520 | |
| 2 | Non Sung | 676.981 | 37 | 1897 | 16 | 195 | 62,639 | 65,374 | 128,013 | |
| 2 | Prathai | 600.648 | 97 | 1961 | 13 | 148 | 38,622 | 38,761 | 77,282 | |
| 2 | Sung Noen | 782.853 | 36 | 1901 | 11 | 125 | 38,429 | 40,181 | 78,610 | |
| 2 | Huai Thalaeng | 495.175 | 65 | 1961 | 10 | 120 | 37,443 | 37,131 | 74,574 | |
| 2 | Chum Phuang | 540.567 | 98 | 1959 | 9 | 130 | 40,918 | 41,038 | 82,161 | |
| 3 | Soeng Sang | 1,200.24 | 88 | 1976 | 6 | 84 | 33,733 | 33,302 | 67,032 | |
| 3 | Khong | 454.737 | 79 | 1938 | 10 | 155 | 40,052 | 41,076 | 81,128 | |
| 3 | Non Thai | 541.994 | 28 | 1900 | 10 | 131 | 36,126 | 37,592 | 73,718 | |
| 3 | Kham Sakaesaeng | 297.769 | 50 | 1968 | 7 | 72 | 21,423 | 21,753 | 43,176 | |
| 3 | Kaeng Sanam Nang | 107.258 | 130 | 1986 | 5 | 56 | 18,782 | 19,054 | 37,836 | |
| 3 | Wang Nam Khiao | 1,130.00 | 70 | 1992 | 5 | 83 | 20,416 | 20,503 | 40,910 | |
| 4 | Ban Lueam | 218.875 | 85 | 1976 | 4 | 39 | 10,620 | 10,732 | 21,351 | |
| 4 | Nong Bunmak | 590.448 | 52 | 1983 | 9 | 104 | 29,424 | 29,316 | 58,740 | |
| 4 | Thepharak | 357.465 | 90 | 1995 | 4 | 58 | 12,002 | 11,451 | 23,453 | |
| 4 | Phra Thong Kham | 359.522 | 45 | 1996 | 5 | 74 | 21,260 | 21,680 | 42,940 | |
| 4 | Sida | 162.825 | 85 | 1997 | 5 | 50 | 12,087 | 12,133 | 24,220 | |
| 4 | Bua Lai | 106.893 | 103 | 1997 | 4 | 45 | 12,374 | 12,450 | 24,824 | |
| 4 | Non Daeng | 193.407 | 30 | 1989 | 5 | 65 | 12,597 | 12,984 | 25,581 | |
| 4 | Kham Thale So | 203.605 | 22 | 1966 | 5 | 46 | 14,091 | 14,021 | 28,112 | |
| 4 | Mueang Yang | 255.522 | 110 | 1995 | 4 | 44 | 14,321 | 14,038 | 28,359 | |
| 4 | Lam Thamenchai | 308.457 | 120 | 1996 | 4 | 59 | 16,114 | 15,953 | 32,067 | |
| 4 | Chaloem Phra Kiat | 254.093 | 18 | 1996 | 5 | 61 | 16,966 | 17,411 | 34,377 | |
As of 26 November 2019 there are:[9] one Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Administration Organisation (Thai: ongkan borihan suan changwat) and 90 municipal (thesaban) areas in the province. Nakhon Ratchasima municipality has city (thesaban nakhon) status. Bua Yai, Mueang Pak, Pak Chong and Sikhio municipalities have town (thesaban mueang) status. Further 85 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon).The non-municipal areas are administered by 243 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).[3]
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.[10]
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 the largest provincial hospital operated by the Ministry of Public Health and one of the main hospitals for the MOPH-Mahidol CPIRD Program.[11] The province also has a university hospital, which is Suranaree University of Technology Hospital of the Institute of Medicine, Suranaree University of Technology.
| Health | Education | Employment | Income | |
| 33 | 58 | 10 | 55 | |
| Housing | Family | Transport | Participation | |
| 29 | 26 | 58 | 30 | |
| Province Krabi, with an HAI 2022 value of 0.6471 is "average", occupies place 30 in the ranking. | ||||
| Rank | Classification | |
| 1–13 | "High" | |
| 14–29 | "Somewhat high" | |
| 30–45 | "Average" | |
| 46–61 | "Somewhat low" | |
| 62–77 | "Low" |
See main article: Korat.
(th|โคราช, มาเลศ, สีสวาด,)
The Korat cat is a natural breed, and one of the oldest stable cat breeds. Originating in Nakhon Ratchasima province at Phimai,[13] it is named after its province of origin. In Thailand the breed is known as si sawat, meaning "colour of the sawat seed" (bluish-gray). Korat cats are distinguished not only by the colour of their fur. Genuine Korat cats have a heart-shaped face when viewed from any angle and shorter grey hair with silver tips. The true breed's eyes are yellow with an inner green circle. They must be slender and agile. The cat's tail must be slender. Cats with crooked tails are considered inauspicious.
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 (CFA). The Korat breed is now accepted by cat associations around the world.
The International Maew Boran Association (TIMBA) ("maew boran" means "ancient cat") 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.".[14]