Khon Kaen (Thai: ขอนแก่น, pronounced [kʰɔ̌(ː)n kɛ̀n]) is the capital of Khon Kaen province and the fourth-largest city in Thailand. It is one of the four major cities of Isan, Northeast Thailand, also known as the "big four of Isan", the others being Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Ubon Ratchathani.
Khon Kaen
ขอนแก่น | |
|---|---|
| City of Khon Kaen เทศบาลนครขอนแก่น | |
From top, left to right: Aerial view of Khon Kaen City; Wat Klang Khon Kaen; Sithan Gate of Khon Kaen University, flags half-raised to honor Princess Galyani Vadhana; Khon Kaen democracy monument; statue of King Rama IV at Khon Kaen University. | |
 Seal | |
  Khon Kaen Location in Thailand | |
| Coordinates: 16°26′N 102°50′E / 16.433°N 102.833°E | |
| Country |  Thailand |
| Province | Khon Kaen |
| District | Muang Khon Kaen |
| Town municipality | 20 Aug 1935 |
| City municipality | 24 Sept 1995 |
| Government | |
| • Type | City Municipality |
| • Mayor | Thirasak Thikhayuphan (since Sept 2012) |
| Area | |
| • City Municipality | 46 km2 (17.76 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 953.4 km2 (368.1 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 10th |
| Elevation | 187 m (613.5 ft) |
| Population (2019)[1] | |
| • City Municipality | 114,459 |
| • Rank | 4th (Urban) |
| • Density | 2,488/km2 (6,440/sq mi) |
| • Urban (2022) | 412,758 |
| • Urban density | 430/km2 (1,100/sq mi) |
| Registered residents | |
| Time zone | UTC+7 (ICT) |
| Postcode | 40000 |
| Calling ode | 043 |
| Website | www |
The city municipality of Khon Kaen (thesaban nakhon) acts as the governmental seat of the province, as well as the Mueang Khon Kaen district and lies 450 kilometres (280 mi) northeast of Bangkok.[2]
Geography and demography
editKhon Kaen is on the Khorat Plateau, elevation 187 m,[3] and is the center of the mid-northeastern provincial group of Thailand, according to the Thai government. Its coordinates are 16°26′N 102°50′E / 16.433°N 102.833°E. The city municipality has a population of 114,459,[1] while the Mueang Khon Kaen district, forming the city's urban area, has a population of 412,758.[4] Khon Kaen therefore ranks as the fourth-largest city in Thailand after Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Korat.
Location
editKhon Kaen is a city in the northeastern region of Thailand. The city is bisected by Mithraphap Road, also known as the "Friendship Highway", or "Highway 2", the road linking Bangkok to the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. Highway 230, a modern, multi-lane by-pass enables through-traffic to avoid the city center to the west, and connects to the airport, the new main bus station (BKS3).[5]
Smart City
editThe province of Khon Kaen's 2017 population was 1.8 million with a GDP of 190 billion baht.[6] Its Smart City development plan aims to double its GDP per person to 394,000-493,000 baht by 2029 from an average of about 192,000 baht in 2016. Khon Kaen's plan has been incorporated into Thailand's 12th national social and economic plan (2017–2021). The plan has been driven largely by the Khon Kaen Think Tank (KKTT), a group of involved citizens. The Smart City's signature project is the Khon Kaen Transit System Co (KKTS), founded in 2017. Its plans for a 26 km light rail network from Samran to Tha Phra in the Mueang Khon Kaen District are complete and awaiting Thai Cabinet approval before bidding on the project can begin. The light rail system will feature 18 to 21 stations, take two years to complete, and will cost 15 billion baht. The Land Traffic Management Commission (LTMC), a national think tank for transportation policy, has already blessed the plan.[6]
Culture
editThailand's 2014 EU Film Festival included Khon Kaen, together with Chiang Mai and Bangkok, as host locations. A selection of six films were shown in the city, including the Spanish film The Pelayos, and the Polish film Walesa, Man of Hope.[7]
Administration
editThe municipality of Khon Kaen was established on 20 August 1935, with an area of 4 square kilometers. It was later upgraded to a city municipality on 24 September 1995.[8] The administration of the city is now responsible for an area that covers approximately 46 sq. km. and consists of 66,179 households. There are 95 communities divided into 4 zones, each with about 20-30 communities each.
Climate
editKhon Kaen's climate is categorized as tropical savanna (Köppen climate classification Aw), with winters that are dry and very warm. Temperatures rise until April, a very hot month, with an average daily maximum of 36.3 °C (97.3 °F). The monsoon season runs from May until October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm.
| Climate data for Khon Kaen (1991–2020, extremes 1951-present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 37.3 (99.1) |
41.0 (105.8) |
41.8 (107.2) |
43.1 (109.6) |
42.8 (109.0) |
39.6 (103.3) |
40.0 (104.0) |
37.7 (99.9) |
36.5 (97.7) |
36.5 (97.7) |
37.5 (99.5) |
37.5 (99.5) |
43.1 (109.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.8 (87.4) |
32.8 (91.0) |
35.2 (95.4) |
36.2 (97.2) |
34.9 (94.8) |
34.0 (93.2) |
33.0 (91.4) |
32.4 (90.3) |
32.0 (89.6) |
31.8 (89.2) |
31.6 (88.9) |
30.3 (86.5) |
32.9 (91.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 23.8 (74.8) |
25.9 (78.6) |
28.6 (83.5) |
29.9 (85.8) |
29.1 (84.4) |
28.8 (83.8) |
28.2 (82.8) |
27.6 (81.7) |
27.3 (81.1) |
26.8 (80.2) |
25.5 (77.9) |
23.7 (74.7) |
27.1 (80.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 18.1 (64.6) |
20.0 (68.0) |
23.0 (73.4) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.1 (77.2) |
25.1 (77.2) |
24.6 (76.3) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24.1 (75.4) |
22.9 (73.2) |
20.7 (69.3) |
18.2 (64.8) |
22.6 (72.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.7 (42.3) |
10.3 (50.5) |
11.1 (52.0) |
17.2 (63.0) |
17.4 (63.3) |
21.1 (70.0) |
21.0 (69.8) |
21.1 (70.0) |
20.3 (68.5) |
14.6 (58.3) |
9.4 (48.9) |
5.6 (42.1) |
5.6 (42.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 6.0 (0.24) |
17.3 (0.68) |
38.0 (1.50) |
94.6 (3.72) |
155.0 (6.10) |
145.7 (5.74) |
177.9 (7.00) |
222.2 (8.75) |
246.0 (9.69) |
102.1 (4.02) |
21.5 (0.85) |
5.1 (0.20) |
1,231.4 (48.48) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.8 | 1.6 | 3.3 | 5.9 | 11.2 | 10.4 | 12.4 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 6.8 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 84.0 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 64.4 | 61.9 | 61.2 | 64.8 | 74.0 | 75.8 | 78.2 | 81.1 | 83.3 | 76.9 | 69.3 | 64.5 | 71.3 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 237.4 | 237.3 | 244.1 | 223.5 | 189.6 | 154.3 | 136.5 | 128.0 | 144.9 | 209.0 | 221.8 | 221.7 | 2,348.1 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 8.9 | 8.6 | 8.9 | 6.8 | 6.4 | 5.2 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 6.4 | 7.3 | 8.3 | 6.6 |
| Source 1: World Meteorological Organization[9] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department (daily sun 1981–2010)[3](extremes)[10][11] | |||||||||||||
Notable people
edit- Thaiboy Digital - musician
- Tee Ritson - rugby league player
- Tin Sritrai - racing driver
- Mimi Tao, fashion model[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "รายงานสถิติจำนวนประชากรและบ้านประจำปี พ.ศ.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.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ "Distance: Bangkok to Khon Kaen". Google Maps. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ a b "ปริมาณการใช้น้ำของพืชอ้างอิงโดยวิธีของ Penman Monteith (Reference Crop Evapotranspiration by Penman Monteith)" (PDF) (in Thai). Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department. p. 48. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ "สำนักบริหารการทะเบียน – The Bureau of Registration Administration (BORA), Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA), Population data for the year 2022" (in Thai). Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ "Khon Kaen City's central bus terminal shuts down after 44 years". The Isaan Record. 2017-12-26. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ a b Natanri, Chakkrapan; Kongrut, Anchalee (14 October 2018). "Khon Kaen takes lead in Thailand's race to smarten up". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Showtimes EU Film Festival 2014". SFX Cinemas. SFX Cinemas. 23 May 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "พระราชกฤษฎีกา จัดตั้งเทศบาลนครขอนแก่น จังหวัดขอนแก่น พุทธศักราช ๒๔๗๘" [Royal Decree of Khon Kaen City Municipality, Khon Kaen Province, Buddhist Era 2538 (1995)] (PDF). Royal Thai Government Gazette. 112 (40 Kor): 24–28. 24 September 1995. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 17, 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "Climatological Data for the Period 1981–2010". Thai Meteorological Department. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ "48381: Khon Kaen (Thailand)". ogimet.com. OGIMET. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ Vitkute, Demi (2019-03-15). "Mimi Tao was the first transgender person on 'Project Runway.' She says she can't change the industry alone". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
External links
editKhon Kaen travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Tourism Thailand official website