The Chi River (, , ) is the longest
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...
flowing wholly within
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
. It is long but carries less water than the second longest river, the
Mun. The name of the river is "Mae Si" () in the
Isan and
Lao language
Lao, sometimes referred to as Laotian (, 'Lao' or , 'Lao language'), is a Kra–Dai languages, Kra–Dai language of the Lao people. It is spoken in Laos, where it is the official language for around 7 million people, as well as in northeas ...
s of the region, being transliterated as "Chi" in Bangkok-Thai. In
wet season
The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the se ...
s there are often
flash floods in the
floodplain
A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...
of the Chi River basin.
Course
The river rises in the
Phetchabun mountains
The Phetchabun mountains ( th, ทิวเขาเพชรบูรณ์, , ) are a mountain massif in Phetchabun, Phitsanulok, Loei and Chaiyaphum Provinces, Thailand. It consists of two parallel mountain chains, with the valley of the ...
, then runs east through the central Isan provinces of
Chaiyaphum
Chaiyaphum ( th, ชัยภูมิ, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in northeastern Thailand, capital of Chaiyaphum Province. it had a population of 58,350, and covers the full '' tambon'' Nai Mueang of Mueang Chaiyaphum District. Chaiy ...
,
Khon Kaen
Khon Kaen ( th, ขอนแก่น, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, also known as the "big four of Isan", the others being Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Ubon Ratchathani. It is the capital of Khon Kaen province ...
, and
Maha Sarakham, then turns south in
Roi Et, runs through
Yasothon and joins the Mun in the
Kanthararom district of
Sisaket Province. The river carries approximately of water per annum.
The river was an 18th-century migration route for the re-peopling of the
Khorat Plateau by ethnic
Lao people
The Lao people are a Tai ethnic group native to Southeast Asia, who speak the eponymous language of the Kra–Dai languages. They are the majority ethnic group of Laos, making up 53.2% of the total population. The majority of Lao people adher ...
from the left (east) bank of the
Mekong resettling on the right bank. This began in 1718 when the first king of the left bank
Kingdom of Champasak, King
Nokasad Nokasad (full name Somdetch Brhat Chao Jaya Sri Samudra Buddhangkura; alternate names Soi Si Samout Phouthong Koun; King of Champa Nagapurisiri or Nakhon Champa Nakhaburisi) (reckoned posthumously to have been born in 1693 as Prince ( Chao) Nakasatr ...
, sent a group of some 3,000 subjects led by an official in his service to found the first settlement in the Chi River valley—and indeed anywhere in the interior of the
Khorat Plateau—
Muang Suwannaphum
( sa, सुवर्णभूमि; Pali: '); my, သုဝဏ္ဏဘူမိ, ; km, សុវណ្ណភូមិ, ''Sovannaphoum''; and th, สุวรรณภูมิ, . is a toponym, that appears in many ancient Indian literary s ...
in present-day
Roi Et Province (a history recorded and remembered, largely in terms of the struggle to expand
wet-rice cultivation in the river valley). Their descendants are now regarded as a separate
ethnic group from the Lao to the north and the central Thai to the southwest.
Pop culture
Chi river is the setting of a
Thai TV drama on
Channel 7 HD, titled ''Chart Lam Chi'' (ชาติลำชี; The River Chi's Protector). It was an action-drama TV series that aired from March 14 to April 25, 2018,
remake
A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the sa ...
from namesake
film in 1969 (starred by
Mitr Chaibancha
Mitr Chaibancha (Thai มิตร ชัยบัญชาpronunciation, 28 January 1934 in Phetchaburi, Thailand - 8 October 1970) was a Thai film actor who acted 266 films from 1956 to 1970.
He died on 8 October 1970 at Dongtan Beach, Jo ...
and
Petchara Chaowarat).
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Ostracods (Crustacea) from floodplain of the Chi River basin
Isan
Rivers of Thailand
Geography of Chaiyaphum province
Geography of Khon Kaen province
Geography of Maha Sarakham province
Geography of Phetchabun province
Geography of Roi Et province
Geography of Sisaket province
Geography of Yasothon province
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