Nakhon Ratchasima

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This article is about the town Nakhon Ratchasima. For other uses, see Nakhon Ratchasima (disambiguation).

Nakhon Ratchasima (Thai: นครราชสีมา) is a city (thesaban nakhon) in the north-east (Isan) of Thailand. It is the capital of the Nakhon Ratchasima Province and Nakhon Ratchasima district. As of December 2005, the city has a population of 150,768, which makes it the third-biggest city in Thailand. Nakhon Ratchasima is also capital of the province Nakhon Ratchasima.

The city is also commonly known as Khorat or Korat (Thai: โคราช), which is a short version of the ancient name Korakapura.^{[citation needed]} It is located at the western edge of the Khorat Plateau and historically marked the boundary between the Lao and Siamese territory. Its geographical location is 15°0′N 102°6′E.

1 History
2 Weather
3 Traffic
4 Major Points of Interest
5 External links

[edit] History

From archeological evidence it has been found that there were 2 ancient towns named Sema and Korakapura which currently are in Sung Noen district, 30 km west of present-day Khorat. In the years around 1656-1688 King Narai moved the city to its current location. The city was attacked by Anouvong, the King of Vientiane, in 1827 in an attempt to halt the growing Siamese control of Laos. Thao Suranaree is a local heroine with a statue in the center of the city; she is credited with having saved the city from Anouvong's army. The old town of Khorat west of the Thao Suranaree monument was designed and built by the French engineer who is believed to be the same one who built Naraimaharaj Palace in Lopburi.

[edit] Weather

3 Season : Hot (February - May), Raining (May - October), Cold (October - February)

[edit] Traffic

Nakhon Ratchasima (Nakhonratchasima, Korat) is connected with the northeastern railway line, connecting Bangkok with Nong Khai. Also passing the city is Thai highway 2 (Friendship highway). 26km east of the city is the Nakhon Ratchasima Airport. As of 30 November 2006, the airport does not handle passenger traffic, and shipping has not been seen as a major commercial possibility. Passenger service has been attemmpted many times with financial failure (charges were as low as 99 Baht to fly to Bangkok), authorities are still discussing ways to make the over 400 million Baht investment several years ago a paying venture.

[edit] Major Points of Interest

Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base was used by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War is located some 8km south of the city.
Korat Zoo - As of end November 2006, the zoo sported a sign at the entry charging foreigners far more than Thais. This has dissuaded some from visiting. However, the zoo is first-class and worth the visit.
Thao Suranaree Monument - This is currently under major rennovation. Lady Mo statue itself is in place, and vendors providing flowers and incense, etc., are currently nearby in makeshift stalls. An English language history of Lady Mo can be found at http://www.thekoraport.com/ladymo.html The article also includes, at the bottom, instructions on how to make offerings.
Wat Salaloi

Korat has becoming increasingly attractive to foreigners over the last five years, with growing numbers from mostly North America and Europe moving to the province. Still rustic with cheap housing and land prices, the province is yet located only three hours' drive from Bangkok, and as its Gateway to the Northeast moniker suggests, Korat connects the other 18 NE Thailand provinces with the central region by rail and highway.