| Udon Thani อุดรธานี Udon Thani |
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| Udon Thani | |
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Udon Thani
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Thailand |
| Government | |
| • Type | City |
| • Mayor | |
| Population (2011 April) | |
| • Total | 255,243 |
| • Density | 361/km2 (935/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Thailand (UTC+7) |
| Postcode | 41000 |
Udon Thani (Thai: อุดรธานี, pronounced [ʔudɔːn tʰaːniː]) is a city in Isan, north-east Thailand, and the capital of Udon Thani Province.
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The province of Udon Thani has a population of 1,467.200, the city alone 500.000. Geographical location and is approximately 560 km from Bangkok. Udon is also a major commercial centre in northern Isan and the gateway to Laos, Northern Vietnam and Southern China.
47 km east of Udon Thani is Thailand's premier Bronze Age excavation at Ban Chiang, the world-renowned archaeological site.
Although there are few attractions in the city for most travellers, there are a few interesting Buddhist temples. Within a few kilometers of Udon Thani is Wat Pa Baan That, which was home for many years to Forest Meditation monk Luangta Maha Bua, known for his philanthropic endeavors such as accumulating gold and giving it to the National Treasury to benefit Thailand's citizens during the economic crisis of the late 1990's. It is said that over the course of his tenure at this temple over $550-million (USD) was collected for the benefit of Thai citziens, be it directly or via building of hospitals and clinics. Ajahn Maha Bua died in January 2011.
The city became a bustling support center for the nearby Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base during the Vietnam War and so retains reminders of that time, with bars (many catering to European tourists), coffee shops and hotels.
It also became the site of a Voice of America relay station alleged to have been a CIA black site.
Asia Pacific Resources, a wholly owned subsidiary of Italian-Thai Development PLC, owns the concession to the Udon Thani potash mines and plans to develop them. According to press reports, Udon Thani has enough potash to mine two million tonnes per year for 25 years. Potash is one of the main components in fertilizer.
| Climate data for Udon Thani | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 29 (84) |
31 (88) |
34 (93) |
35 (95) |
33 (91) |
32 (90) |
32 (90) |
31 (88) |
31 (88) |
31 (88) |
30 (86) |
28 (82) |
31.4 (88.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 15 (59) |
18 (64) |
21 (70) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
25 (77) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
22 (72) |
19 (66) |
16 (61) |
21.3 (70.4) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 5 (0.2) |
19 (0.75) |
36 (1.42) |
82 (3.23) |
219 (8.62) |
231 (9.09) |
221 (8.7) |
276 (10.87) |
253 (9.96) |
84 (3.31) |
8 (0.31) |
3 (0.12) |
1,437 (56.57) |
| Source: Weatherbase [1] | |||||||||||||
Udon Thani has three Tesco-Lotus, 2 Big C Mall, a Makro center, and two large shopping malls. The largest shopping mall is CentralPlaza Udon Thani which hosts Udon Thani’s only movie theatre cinema Major Cineplex. The newest shopping plaza UDTOWN opened in winter 2009. Situated in a park like setting on an area of 38,000 m² / 24 Rai, UDTOWN is Thailand’s largest open air shopping center.[2]