Sakon Nakhon ( th, สกลนคร, ; sometimes written Sakhon Nakhon) is a city (

thesaban nakhon Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system. The mu ...

) in

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 ...

within the

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan ( Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 prov ...

region, and capital city of Sakon Nakhon Province as well as Mueang Sakon Nakhon District, with a population of approximately 76,000. Sakon Nakhon covers the whole ''

tambon ''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district ('' amphoe'') and province ('' changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 '' khwaen ...

'' of That Choeng Chum and parts of ''tambons'' Ngio Don, Huai Yang, Dong Mafai, That Na Weng and Hang Hong. Sakon Nakhon is north-east of Bangkok by road.

History

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Sakon Nakhon became a haven for Free Thais, and a base for Communist activities in the late 1950s.

Geography

Sakon Nakhon lies on a flat plain at about elevation on the south-west bank of

Lake Nong Han The Nong Han ( th, หนองหาน, ) is a lake in the northeast of Thailand, northeast of the provincial capital town of Sakon Nakhon. The lake covers an area of 125.2 km² and is the largest natural lake of northeast Thailand. The ma ...

, the largest lake of north-east Thailand. The town is surrounded by extensive farmland.

Climate

Sakon Nakhon has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Aw''). Winters are dry and very warm. Temperatures rise until April, which is hot with the average daily maximum at . The

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...

season runs from May through October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Thailand is in Sakon Nakhon when was recorded on 2 January 1974.

Economy

Fish and rice are two of the major products of the region.

Transportation

Route 22 leads west to

Udon Thani Udon Thani ( th, อุดรธานี, ) is a city in Isan ( Northeast Thailand), the capital of Udon Thani Province and with a population of approximately 430,000 in its urban area the 7th largest city in the country. The city municipality ...

, distant, and east to

Nakhon Phanom Nakhon Phanom ( th, นครพนม, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in northeastern Thailand, capital of Nakhon Phanom Province. The town covers ''tambons'' Nai Mueang and Nong Saeng and parts of ''tambons'' At Samat and Nong Yat, all in ...

() and the border with Laos. Route 223 leads south to

That Phanom Wat Phra That Phanom ( th, วัดพระธาตุพนม) is a temple in the That Phanom District in the southern part of Nakhon Phanom Province, northeastern Thailand. According to legend, the temple contains Phra Uranghathat / พ ...

(). Route 213 leads southwest to

Kalasin Kalasin ( th, กาฬสินธุ์) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in northeast Thailand, the capital of Kalasin Province. As of 2015, it has a population of 34,429 It covers the whole ''tambon ''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a loca ...

(). There is a regional airport,

Sakon Nakhon Airport Sakon Nakhon Airport ( th, ท่าอากาศยานสกลนคร) is an airport in Sakon Nakhon, Thailand. It is used for civil and military purposes (Royal Thai Air Force). Airlines and destinations Accidents *On 23 Septembe ...

, on the north side of the city.

Notable people

Notable people born in Sakon Nakthon, and notable residents and ex-residents include: * Jiranun Sakultangphaisal (born 1965 in Sakon Nakthon), philanthropist

References

External links

* *
Private pageLocal events, accommodations, & photo gallery
{{Authority control Populated places in Sakon Nakhon province