Mukdahan มุกดาหาร |
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Town | |
View from Haw Kaew Mukdahan Observation Deck
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Coordinates: 16°32′35″N 104°43′22″E / 16.54306°N 104.72278°E | |
Country | Thailand |
Provinces | Mukdahan Province |
Amphoe | Amphoe Mueang Mukdahan |
Elevation | 140 m (460 ft) |
Population (2000) | 180,600 |
Time zone | ICT (UTC+7) |
Mukdahan (Thai: มุกดาหาร) is a town (thesaban mueang) and capital of Mukdahan Province, which became Thailand's 73rd province in 1982. In the northern region of the country, on the right (west) bank of the river Mekong, it was formerly a district of Nakhon Phanom Province. The population of the municipal area was 180,600 in the year 2010. Mukdahan is 645 km north-east of Bangkok.
The city was established at the mouth of Muk Creek (Thai: ห้วยมุก) and named Mukdahan from Kaeo Mukdahan, derived from the following:
Prehistoric paintings and other archaeological discoveries show that the area of Mukdahan was the location of ancient communities. The modern history of the city begins late in the Ayutthaya Era (1350-1767). In the years 1767–1770, Prince Kinnari, son of Prince Suriwong, ruler in Ban Luang Phonsim of Savannakhét, established a settlement at the mouth of Muk Creek, across the Mekong from Savannakhét. In the reign of King Taksin, 1768–1782, Prince Kinnari received appointment as Phraya Chandara Sri Surat with a rank equivalent to viceroy. In 1893, Savannakhét District of Mukdahan was ceded to France.
Mukdahan has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw). Winters are dry and very warm. Temperatures rise until April, which is hot with the average daily maximum at 35.2 °C (95.4 °F). The monsoon season runs from late-April through early-October, with very heavy rains and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm.