Nakhon Ratchasima ( th, นครราชสีมา, ) is one of the four major cities of

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 ...

, Thailand, known as the "big four of Isan". The city is commonly known as Korat (, ), a shortened form of its name. It is the governmental seat of the Nakhon Ratchasima province and

Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima district Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima ( th, เมืองนครราชสีมา, ) is one of 32 districts of Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeastern Thailand. Overview Nakhon Ratchasima was built in the reign of King Narai the Great of Ayutthay ...

. After

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

and Chiang Mai, Korat is the third largest city 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 ...

. Korat is at the western edge of the

Korat Plateau The Khorat Plateau ( th, ที่ราบสูงโคราช) is a plateau in the northeastern Thai region of Isan. The plateau forms a natural region, named after the short form of Nakhon Ratchasima, a historical barrier controlling access ...

. Historically, it once marked the boundary between Lao and

Siam 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 bo ...

territory. It is the gateway to the Lao-speaking northeast (

). Its location is . , the municipal area - as a small part of Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima - had a population of 126,391, while the

, forming Korat's urban area, has a population of 450,000 (Estimate 2022).

Toponymy

Archaeological evidence suggests that in

Sung Noen District Sung Noen ( th, สูงเนิน, ) is a district (''amphoe'') in western part of Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeastern Thailand. History The literal translation of ''Sung Noen'' is 'high hills', as the area has two high (sung) hills (no ...

32 km west of present-day Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) there were two ancient towns called ''Sema'' (" Bai sema" () are notable artifacts of the

Korat plateau The Khorat Plateau ( th, ที่ราบสูงโคราช) is a plateau in the northeastern Thai region of Isan. The plateau forms a natural region, named after the short form of Nakhon Ratchasima, a historical barrier controlling access ...

) and ''Khorakapura''. (

Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...

''púra'' becomes

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

''puri'', hence Thai (), all connoting the same as Thai ''

mueang Mueang ( th, เมือง ''mɯ̄ang'', ), Muang ( lo, ເມືອງ ''mɯ́ang'', ; Tai Nuea: ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ''muang''), Mong ( shn, ''mə́ŋ'', ), Meng () or Mường (Vietnamese), were pre-modern semi-independent city-states or principal ...

'': "city with defensive wall".) N The latter name was shortened to ''Nakhon Raj''. ( ( นคร) derives from

''nagara'' (), "city"; ( ราช), from Sanskrit Raj, " sovereign.") The present city name is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words

History

Prior to the 14th century, the area of Nakhon Ratchasima was under Khmer empire suzerainty and known in Khmer as ''Angkor raj'', ''Nokor Reach Seyma'', or ''Nokor Reach Borei'', and ''Koreach''. Phimai, to the north, was probably more important. King

Narai King Narai the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( th, รามาธิบดีที่ ๓ ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the P ...

of Ayutthaya in the 17th century, ordered a new city built on the site to serve as a

stronghold A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

on Ayutthaya's northeastern frontier. Nakhon Ratchasima was thereafter mentioned in Siamese chronicles and legal documents as a "second-class" city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. A royal governor ruled the city in a hereditary position. After the final phase of the Ayutthaya kingdom ended with its complete destruction by the Burmese in 1767, a son of King Boromakot attempted to set himself up ruler in Phimai, holding sway over Korat and other eastern provinces. King

Taksin King Taksin the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้าตากสินมหาราช, , ) or the King of Thonburi ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้ากรุงธนบุรี, ; ; Teochew: Dên Chao; April 17, ...

of the

Thonburi Kingdom The Thonburi Kingdom ( th, ธนบุรี) was a major Siamese kingdom which existed in Southeast Asia from 1767 to 1782, centered around the city of Thonburi, in Siam or present-day Thailand. The kingdom was founded by Taksin the Great, ...

(1768–1782) sent two of his generals, brothers Thong Duang and Boonma, to defeat the prince, who was executed in 1768. Thong Duang later became King

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

I of the

kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

, and Korat became his strategic stronghold on the northeastern frontier to supervise the Lao and Khmer

tributary state A tributary state is a term for a pre-modern state in a particular type of subordinate relationship to a more powerful state which involved the sending of a regular token of submission, or tribute, to the superior power (the suzerain). This to ...

2019 0211 Nakhon Ratchasima train station

In 1826,

Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...

King Chao Anouvong, perceiving

as weakened, attacked Korat in the Laotian Rebellion against King Rama III that was to rage on for two years. Lady Mo, the wife of the deputy governor at the time, is credited with having freed the city from Anouvong's army, and has been honored with a statue in the center of downtown Korat. A full account of the war and its impact on Laos and Siam, is detailed in the book, ''Lady Mo and Heroism at Tung Samrit'', written by Frank G Anderson. The city's old wall, east of the monument was designed and built by a French engineer who is believed to be the one who also built

maharaj Palace in

Lopburi Lopburi ( th, ลพบุรี, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town (''thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Th ...

. The French-based design is reflected in the moat system that surrounds the innermost portion of the city. Nakhon Ratchasima continued to be an important political and economic center in the northeastern region under the Monthon administrative reforms of the late-19th century. In November 1900, the Royal State Railways of Siam began operation of the Nakhon Ratchasima Line from Bangkok with Korat Station as its

terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...

. It was officially opened on 21 December 1900 by

King Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

. The

Ubon Ratchathani Ubon Ratchathani ( th, อุบลราชธานี, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan (with Khorat/ Nakhon Ratchasima, Udon Thani, and Khon Kaen), also known as the "big four of Isan." The city is on the Mun River in the so ...

Line to the town of Warin opened 1 November 1922. The Thanon Chira Junction to

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 ...

opened on 1 April 1933. ''Korat station'' was changed to

Nakhon Ratchasima Railway Station Nakhon Ratchasima railway station is a 1st class station and the main railway station in Nakhon Ratchasima Province in Thailand. This station located in west side of the city of Nakhon Ratchasima. There are 18 daily trains, 1 E&O trains served ...

in 1934. In October 1933, after the Siamese revolution of 1932 ended the

absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism (European history), Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute pow ...

, Nakhon Ratchasima became the headquarters of the Boworadet Rebellion, an abortive uprising against the new government in Bangkok. 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 ...

, the troops from Nakhon Ratchasima joined the fight in

Franco-Thai War The Franco-Thai War (October 1940 – January 28, 1941, th, กรณีพิพาทอินโดจีน, Krṇī phiphāth xindocīn; french: Guerre franco-thaïlandaise) was fought between History of Thailand (1932–1973), Thailand an ...

, The Thai army was able to temporarily recapture some of the territory. After the war, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

helped build

Mittraphap Road Mittraphap Road (, , ) or Highway 2 (, ) is one of the four primary highways in Thailand, along with Phahonyothin Road (Highway 1), Sukhumvit Road (Highway 3), and Phetkasem Road (Highway 4). It runs from Saraburi to Nong Khai. The road was ori ...

from Saraburi to Nakhon Ratchasima. In April 1981 during another attempted coup, the government, together with the royal family, took refuge in Korat. From 1962 to 1976, during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base is a base of the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) in northeast Thailand, approximately 200 km (125 mi) northeast of Bangkok and about 4 km (2.5 mi) south of the centre of the city of Nakhon Ratcha ...

hosted components of the

Royal Thai Air Force "Royal Thai Air Force March" , mascot = , anniversaries = 9 April 1937 (Royal Thai Air Force Day) , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles ...

, the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

, and a complement of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). After the US withdrawal in 1976, the Thai Air Force assumed full control. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the airfield was jointly operated as a civil airport for Nakhon Ratchasima. This ended with the opening of

Nakhon Ratchasima Airport Nakhon Ratchasima Airport ( th, ท่าอากาศยานนครราชสีมา) , is a domestic airport serving Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of ...

in the early 1990s. On 13 August 1993, Thailand's worst disaster happened in the city, the collapse of the Royal Plaza Hotel, killing 137 people. On 8 and 9 February 2020, Thailand's deadliest shooting occurred in the city, when an offduty

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA ( th, กองทัพบกไทย; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's ...

Sergeant shot 29 people dead and wounded 58 others, mostly at the local

Terminal 21 file:Terminal 21 Asok Bangkok 20202021.jpg, Terminal 21 Asok and Grand Centre Point Hotel Terminal 21 ( th, เทอร์มินอล 21) is a chain of Mixed-use development, mixed-use complexes with 4 locations in Thailand; Asok and Rama III ...

mall, before being killed by responding officers.

Administration

On 4 January 1908 Pho Klang subdistrict became Nakhon Ratchasima sanitation. The sanitation changed to town municipality (''

thesaban mueang 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 ...

'') on 11 December 1935. On 8 March 1937 the municipality was enlarged to 4.4 km². and later on 1 January 1983 to 37.5 km² or 5 percent of

Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima District Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima ( th, เมืองนครราชสีมา, ) is one of 32 districts of Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeastern Thailand. Overview Nakhon Ratchasima was built in the reign of King Narai the Great of Ayutthay ...

. The status was upgraded to city municipality (''

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 ...

'') on 25 September 1995. The administration of the city is responsible for a population of 126,391 registered residents in 71,022 households.

Climate

Nakhon Ratchasima 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 ...

(''Aw'' in the

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 ...

), with the large majority of its rain falling between May and October.

Economy

Korat's economy has traditionally been heavily dependent on agriculture. It is known as a processing centre for Isan's production of rice, tapioca, and sugar. The Isan region accounts for half of Thailand's exports of those commodities. Together, these three agricultural commodities employ 700,000 Isan families. Korat is also one of two sites in Thailand manufacturing disk drives by Seagate Technology, employing 12,100 workers in Korat.

Retail

Korat has become the commercial hub, not only for Isan, but also for neighbouring Cambodia and Laos. All three of Thailand's largest Bangkok-based department store chains have invested in expansive outlets in the city, which will provide one million square metres of retail space by late 2017.

Transport

Air

lies east of the city. There are no scheduled air services operating from the airport.

Rail

Nakhon Ratchasima is on the northeastern railway line, connecting Bangkok with

and

Nong Khai Nong Khai ( th, เทศบาลเมืองหนองคาย, ) is a city in northeast Thailand. It is the capital of Nong Khai province. Nong Khai city is located in Mueang Nong Khai district. Nong Khai lies on the Mekong River, near ...

. There are two main railway stations in the city:

on Mukkhamontri Road and

Thanon Chira Junction Railway Station Thanon Chira Junction railway station (SRT Code: CIY) ( th, สถานีรถไฟชุมทางถนนจิระ (จร.)) is the main railway station in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand. The station is on the south side of th ...

on Watcharasarit Road. In 2017, a dual-track line will connect Korat to

. It is the first segment of a dual track network that will connect Isan with the

Laem Chabang Laem Chabang ( th, แหลมฉบัง, ) is a port city municipality ('' thesaban nakhon'') in Si Racha and Bang Lamung districts of Chonburi Province, Thailand. It includes Thung Sukhla subdistrict (''tambon'') and parts of subdistricts Bu ...

seaport. A high-speed rail line to Bangkok is due to open in 2027.

Road

Passing near the city is

(Thailand Route 2), the main arterial road that joins Bangkok with the province capitals of Saraburi, Nakhon Ratchasima. Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, and Nong Khai (the major gateway to Laos). A new motorway connecting Korat to Bangkok is under construction in 2016 and will reduce travel time on the journey to just over two hours.

Education

Universities

There are four universities in the area. * Suranaree University of Technology * Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University * Rajamangala University of Technology Isan *

Vongchavalitkul University Vongchavalitkul University (VU) ( th, มหาวิทยาลัยวงษ์ชวลิตกุล) is a private university in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand. Founded in 1984 as Vongchavalitkul College, it was upgraded to universit ...

Schools

*Anuban Sansanook School *

Saint Mary's College Nakhon Ratchasima In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

* Suratham Pitak School * Rajsima Wittayalai School * Suranaree Witthaya School * Suranaree 2 Nakhon Ratchasima * Boonwattana School * St.Mary Business Administration College * Assumption College Nakhonratchasima * Marie vitthaya School Nakhon Ratchasima * Sarasas Witaed Nakhon Ratchasima * Koratpittayakom Nakhon Ratchasima

International schools

* Wesley International School *

Anglo Singapore International School Anglo Singapore International School (, ) is an International School in Phra Khanong District, Bangkok, Thailand established in 2003 that provides an education based on Education in Singapore, Singapore Curriculum Framework leading to the Cambridg ...

(Korat Campus)* * Sarasas Witaed Nakhon Ratchasima 1* * Sarasas Witaed Nakhon Ratchasima 2*

Hospitals

Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital () is the main hospital of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand and is classified under the Ministry of Public Health as a regional hospital. It is the largest regional hospital in Thailand under the responsibili ...

*Fort Suranaree Hospital * Saint Mary's Hospital * Korat Memorial Hospital * Bangkok-Ratchasima Hospital * Po-Pat Hospital * Po-Pat 2 Hospital * The Golden Gate Hospital

Sports

The 80th Birthday Stadium is the main stadium in His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary, 5th December 2007 Sports Complex. It is home to

Nakhon Ratchasima FC Nakhonratchasima Mazda Football Club ( Thai สโมสรฟุตบอลจังหวัดนครราชสีมา), commonly known as Korat, is a professional football club based in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. They play in the Th ...

that competes in the national first tier football level, Thailand Premier League and it was used for the

2007 Southeast Asian Games The 2007 Southeast Asian Games ( th, กีฬาแห่งเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ 2007, Kila haeng echiye tawan oak chiyeng tai 2007), officially known as the 24th Southeast Asian Games, was a South ...

. The stadium is in the former SEA Games sports complex on Highway 304 ( Pak Thong Chai Road) to the southwest of the city. The stadium is all-seats with a capacity of 20,000. Nakhon Ratchasima is the home of the four-times Men's Volleyball Thailand League winner, Nakhon Ratchasima the Mall and the three-times

Women's Volleyball Thailand League The Women's Volleyball Thailand League ( th, วอลเลย์บอลหญิงไทยแลนด์ลีก) is the top-level professional women's volleyball league in Thailand. Contested by eight clubs, it operates on a system of ...

winner, Nakhon Ratchasima the Mall. It is also the birthplace of football player

Thanayut Kaewjohor Thanayut Kaewjohor is a professional footballer from Thailand. He currently plays for Bangkok United in the Thailand Premier League. He previously played for Bangkok University FC in the 2007 AFC Champions League The 2007 AFC Champions Lea ...

References

External links

* What's On Korat
www.whatsonkorat.com
is an online English guide to Korat / Nakhon Ratchasima with an up to date Facebook page * {{Authority control Isan Populated places in Nakhon Ratchasima province Populated places established in 1656 Cities and towns in Thailand 1656 establishments in Asia