| Sakon Nakhon | |
| Native Name: | สกลนคร |
| Native Name Lang: | th |
| Settlement Type: | Province |
| Nickname: | Sakon (Thai: สกล) |
| Motto: | พระธาตุเชิงชุมคู่บ้าน พระตำหนักภูพานคู่เมือง งามลือเลื่องหนองหาน แลตระการปราสาทผึ้ง สวยสุดซึ้งสาวภูไท ถิ่นมั่นในพุทธธรรม ("Home of Phra That Choeng Chum. Home of Phu Phan Palace. The famous Nong Han lake. Fascinating Prasat Phueng. Beautiful Phu Thai women. The lands strong in Buddhism and Dharma.") |
| Mapsize: | frameless |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Thailand |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Sakon Nakhon |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Nattawat Wiriyanapaporn (since December 2023) |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 9,580 |
| Area Rank: | Ranked 19th |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 1,153,390 |
| Population As Of: | 2019 |
| Population Rank: | Ranked 18th |
| Population Density Km2: | 121 |
| Population Density Rank: | Ranked 40th |
| Demographics Type2: | GDP |
| Demographics2 Footnotes: | [3] |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics2 Info1: | baht 56 billion (US$1.9 billion) (2019) |
| Demographics Type1: | Human Achievement Index |
| Demographics1 Footnotes: | [4] |
| Demographics1 Title1: | HAI (2022) |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 0.6292 "somewhat low" Ranked 54th |
| Timezone1: | ICT |
| Utc Offset1: | +7 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 47xxx |
| Area Code Type: | Calling code |
| Area Code: | 042 |
| Iso Code: | TH-47 |
| Registration Plate: | สกลนคร |
Sakon Nakhon (Thai: สกลนคร, in Thai pronounced as /sā.kōn ná(ʔ).kʰɔ̄ːn/; สกลนคร, in Lao pronounced as /sā.kōn nà(ʔ).kʰɔ᷇ːn/) 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.
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".
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 1692km² or 17.7 percent of provincial area.[1]
There are three national parks, along with four other national parks, make up region 10 (Udon Thani) of Thailand's protected areas.
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.[6]
The Ethnic group of Sakon Nakhon are Chinese and Vietnamese with Tai Dam as well as Nyaw.[7] [6]
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.[8]
Fish and rice are two of the major products of the region.[7]
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".[9]
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 km.
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).
There is a regional airport, Sakon Nakhon Airport, on the north side of the city.[10]
Sakon Nakhon's main hospital is Sakon Nakhon Hospital, operated by the Ministry of Public Health.
The province is divided into 18 districts (amphoes). The districts are further divided into 125 subdistricts (tambons) and 1,323 villages (mubans).
As of 26 November 2019 there are:[11] one Sakon Nakhon Provincial Administration Organisation (Thai: 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).[2]
| Health | Education | Employment | Income | |
| 38 | 72 | 43 | 70 | |
| Housing | Family | Transport | Participation | |
| 11 | 8 | 29 | 55 | |
| Province Sakon Nakhon, with an HAI 2022 value of 0.6292 is "somewhat low", occupies place 54 in the ranking. | ||||
| Rank | Classification | |
| 1 - 13 | "high" | |
| 14 - 29 | "somewhat high" | |
| 30 - 45 | "average" | |
| 46 - 61 | "somewhat low" | |
| 62 - 77 | "low" |
Sakon Nakhon is a location of many important places, apart from Nong Han and Phu Phan Mountains, include
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