| Sukhothai | |
| Native Name: | สุโขทัย |
| Native Name Lang: | th |
| Settlement Type: | Province |
| Motto: | มรดกโลกล้ำเลิศ กำเนิดลายสือไทย เล่นไฟลอยกระทง ดำรงพุทธศาสนา งามตาผ้าตีนจก สังคโลกทองโบราณ สักการแม่ย่าพ่อขุน รุ่งอรุณแห่งความสุข ("Excellent world heritage. Origin of the Thai script. Lights of the Loy Krathong festival. Preserving Buddhism. Beautiful Teen Chok Thai fabric. Ancient golden pottery. Worship Mae Ya and Pho Khun. Dawn of happiness.") |
| Mapsize: | frameless |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Thailand |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Sukhothai Thani |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Wirun Phandevi |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 6,671 |
| Area Rank: | Ranked 29th |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 595,072 |
| Population As Of: | 2019 |
| Population Rank: | Ranked 43rd |
| Population Density Km2: | 89 |
| Population Density Rank: | Ranked 53rd |
| Demographics Type2: | GDP |
| Demographics2 Footnotes: | [3] |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics2 Info1: | baht 45 billion (US$1.6 billion) (2019) |
| Demographics Type1: | Human Achievement Index |
| Demographics1 Footnotes: | [4] |
| Demographics1 Title1: | HAI (2022) |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 0.6292 "somewhat low" Ranked 55th |
| Timezone1: | ICT |
| Utc Offset1: | +7 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 64xxx |
| Area Code Type: | Calling code |
| Area Code: | 055 |
| Iso Code: | TH-64 |
Sukhothai (Thai: สุโขทัย, in Thai pronounced as /sù.kʰǒː.tʰāj/) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (changwat) lies in lower northern Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phrae, Uttaradit, Phitsanulok, Kamphaeng Phet, Tak, and Lampang. Sukhothai can be translated as 'dawn of happiness'.
The modern-day province of Sukhothai was named after the Sukhothai Kingdom that once ruled the area, which in turn borrowed its name from the Sanskrit terms sukha (Sanskrit: सुख 'happiness') + udaya (Sanskrit: उदय 'rise', 'emergence'), meaning 'dawn of happiness'.
Sukhothai is in the valley of the Yom River in the lower north of Thailand. The provincial capital, Sukhothai Thani is 427km (265miles) north of Bangkok and 300km (200miles) south of Chiang Mai. The province covers 6671km².[1]
The Khao Luang Mountain Range, with its four main peaks: Khao Phu Kha, Khao Phra Mae Ya, Khao Chedi, and Pha Narai, lies within the Ramkhamhaeng National Park in the south of the province.[5] Si Satchanalai National Park is in the northwest, protecting the mountainous forest areas of the Phi Pan Nam Range at the northern end of the province. The total forest area is 1975km² or 29.6 percent of provincial area.[1]
The two national parks, along with six other national parks, make up region 14 (Tak) of Thailand's protected areas.
There is one wildlife sanctuary, along with three other wildlife sanctuaries, make up region 14 (Tak) of Thailand's protected areas.
See main article: Sukhothai Kingdom. Sukhothai was a town founded in the 13th century on the fringe of the Khmer empire. The exact year is unknown, but according to the Fine Arts Office it was between 1238 and 1257. Founded by Phokhun Si Intharathit, it was the first truly independent Thai (Siamese) Kingdom after defeating the Khmers. Sukhothai enjoyed a golden age under their third king, King Ramkhamhaeng, who was credited with creating the Khmer-derived Thai alphabet which is essentially the same as that in use today.[8] He also laid the foundation for politics, the monarchy and religion, as well as expanding its circle of influence. Sukhothai was later ruled by many kings. The province is most known for the historic city of Sukhothai, the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom. It is about 12 km from the modern New Sukhothai city. Not far from Sukhothai are the Si Satchanalai Historical Park and the Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park. Both were cities in the former Sukhothai kingdom and at the same time period.Sukhothai Kingdom was merged into Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1438.
The province was at first known as Sawankhalok; it was renamed to Sukhothai in 1939.[9]
The inhabitants of Sukhothai still speak the Sukhothai dialect of Thai, a language that has been spoken since the formation of the Sukhothai Kingdom, some 700 years ago, among themselves. The Sukhothai dialect is distinct from Central Thai in both tone and vocabulary and is thought to be similar to proto-Tai in tone structure, an ancestor to the modern Thai language.[10] The inhabitants of Si Satchanalai and Thung Saliam Districts in the northern part of the province mainly speak Kham Muang (also known as Northern Thai language or Lan Na).
The provincial seal shows King Ram Khamhaeng the Great sitting on the Managkhasila Asana throne. Under King Ramkhamhaeng the kingdom of Sukhothai flourished.[11]
The provincial tree is Afzelia xylocarpa. The provincial flower is the Lotus (Nymphaea lotus).
The provincial slogan is "Source of national heritage and pride, birth place of the Thai alphabet, fireworks of the Loy Krathong festival, preservation of Buddhism, the fine Teen Jok cloth, ancient golden chinaware, holy image of Ramkhamhaeng the Great's mother, the dawn of happiness".
The province is divided into nine districts (amphoes). These are further divided into 86 subdistricts (tambons) and 782 villages (mubans).
As of 26 November 2019 there are:[12] one Sukhothai Provincial Administration Organisation (Thai: ongkan borihan suan changwat) and 21 municipal (thesaban) areas in the province. Sukhothai, Sawankhalok and Si Satchanalai have town (thesaban mueang) status. Further 18 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon). The non-municipal areas are administered by 69 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).[2]
There are five highways traversing Sukhothai:
Sukhothai Airport is in Sawankhalok District, about 30km (20miles) from downtown. Flights operate daily between Sukhothai and Bangkok.
The Rail system in Sukhothai is part of the Sawankhalok Line, a branch line which splits from the Chiang Mai Main Line at Ban Dara Junction, Uttaradit and ends at Sawankhalok Station, 30 kilometers from Sukhothai town.
Songthaew Songthaews are the most popular form of public transport in the new city and the rural areas. Larger sized Songthaews travel to and from the old and new cities.
Air-conditioned buses run regularly from Sukhothai Bus Terminal to Bangkok and Chiang Mai, stopping at other major towns on the way. Non air-conditioned buses are for inter-provincial travel to the other districts.
Tuk-tuks and motorbike-taxis are popular for short journeys within the new town.
Sukhothai province is most known for its historical city of Sukhothai, the first capital of Siam, founded by King Ramkhamhaeng. The province's temples and monuments have been well restored and Sukhothai Historical Park is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other interesting places include Ramkhamhaeng National Museum, Ramkhamhaeng National Park, Si Satchanalai Historical Park, Khao Luang National Park and The Royal Palace and Wat Mahathat.
| Health | Education | Employment | Income | |
| 53 | 49 | 74 | 44 | |
| Housing | Family | Transport | Participation | |
| 32 | 47 | 49 | 21 | |
| Province Sukhothai, with an HAI 2022 value of 0.6292 is "somewhat low", occupies place 55 in the ranking. | ||||
| Rank | Classification | |
| 1 - 13 | "high" | |
| 14 - 29 | "somewhat high" | |
| 30 - 45 | "average" | |
| 46 - 61 | "somewhat low" | |
| 62 - 77 | "low" |