Khon Kaen
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Located at the heart of the Northeastern Thailand (Isan), Khon Kaen is one of the major cities under the National Economic and Social Plan of the country along with Chiang Mai, Songkhla, Nakhon Ratchasima and Chonburi. The city itself, with the official census population of 140,000 as at 2006, regionally centers development in terms of education, financial institutions, government offices and transportation. The city is also unofficially dubbed the capital city of Isan and is an important centre for the region's silk trade.
The geographical location is . It is also the capital of the province Khon Kaen and the Khon Kaen district. It is the home of Rajamangala University and Khon Kaen University.
Strategically important for the Isan region's infrastructure, Khon Kaen's airport was raised to international standards in 2005 with the opening of a new terminal. At peak times of the year there may be as many as 20 scheduled flights per day at Khon Kaen, making it one of the country's busiest domestic airports. As of 2006, two budget airlines and the national carrier operate scheduled daily morning, midday and evening flights and the aircraft, some of them wide-bodied jets, are full. Direct international services are expected to start in 2007.
The city is bisected by the Mithraphap Highway, the road linking Bangkok with the Northeast and Laos. A modern, multi-lane by-pass enables through traffic to avoid the city centre to the west and connects to the airport and to the main roads to Kalasin and Mahasarakham in the east and Udon Thani in the north.
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