Chaiyaphum ชัยภูมิ |
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Province | ||
Phraya Lae Monument, Chaiyaphum City Hall
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Map of Thailand highlighting Chaiyaphum Province |
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Country | Thailand | |
Capital | Chaiyaphum town | |
Government | ||
• Governor | Chusak Trisan (since October 2015) | |
Area | ||
• Total | 12,778.3 km2 (4,933.7 sq mi) | |
Area rank | Ranked 7th | |
Population (2014) | ||
• Total | 1,137,049 | |
• Rank | Ranked 15th | |
• Density rank | Ranked 50th | |
Time zone | ICT (UTC+7) | |
ISO 3166 code | TH-36 |
Chaiyaphum (Thai: ชัยภูมิ, pronounced [t͡ɕʰāj.jā.pʰūːm]) is one of the northeastern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Lopburi, and Phetchabun.
The word chaiya originates from the Sanskrit word jaya meaning "victory", and the word phum from Sanskrit bhumi meaning "earth" or "land". Hence the name of the province literally means "land of victory", the Malay/Indonesian/Sanskrit word jayabumi is equivalent.
The province is cut in two by the Phetchabun mountain range, with the highest elevation in the province at 1,222 m. The east of the province is part of the Khorat Plateau.
Four national parks are in the province. Tat Ton National Park is in the northwest, featuring some scenic waterfalls and dry dipterocarp forests. The biggest attraction of the Sai Thong National Park in the west is the Sai Thong waterfall, but also some fields of the Siam tulip. Similar fields can be found in the Pa Hin Ngam National Park in the southwest, scheduled to be gazetted in the future. This park's name ("beautiful rock forest") derives from the strangely-shaped rock formations found there. Phu Laenkha National Park covers 200 km² of forested hills northwest of Chaiyaphum city.