Sakon Nakhon สกลนคร |
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Province | ||
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Map of Thailand highlighting Sakon Nakhon Province |
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Country | Thailand | |
Capital | Sakon Nakhon | |
Government | ||
• Governor | Witthaya Chanchalong (since October 2016) | |
Area | ||
• Total | 9,605.8 km2 (3,708.8 sq mi) | |
Area rank | Ranked 19th | |
Population (2014) | ||
• Total | 1,138,609 | |
• Rank | Ranked 17th | |
• Density rank | Ranked 43rd | |
HDI | ||
• HDI (2009) | 0.705 (medium) (62nd) | |
Time zone | ICT (UTC+7) | |
Area code(s) | 042 | |
ISO 3166 code | TH-47 | |
Vehicle registration | สกลนคร |
Sakon Nakhon (Thai: สกลนคร) is one of the northeastern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin, and Udon Thani. The capital is Sakon Nakhon.
The word sakon originates from the Sanskrit word sakala (Devanagari: सकल) meaning "entire", "whole", or "total", and the word nakhon from Sanskrit nagara (Devanagari: नगर) meaning "town" or "city". Hence the name of the province literally means "city of cities". In the Khmer language the province would be Sakor Nokor.
The province is on the Khorat Plateau, not far from the River Mekong. The Nong Han lake, the biggest natural lake of northeast Thailand, near the city of Sakon Nakhon, is a popular resort of the local people. The Phu Phan Mountains delimit the province to the south.
The provincial seal shows the Phrathat Choeng Chum, a Lao-style chedi built during the Ayutthaya period over a Khmer-style prang.