Khon Kaen
| Khon Kaen ขอนแก่น | |
|---|---|
| City Municipality | |
 | |
  Khon Kaen | |
| Coordinates: 16°26′N 102°50′E / 16.433°N 102.833°ECoordinates: 16°26′N 102°50′E / 16.433°N 102.833°E | |
| Country | Thailand |
| Province | Khon Kaen |
| Amphoe | Muang Khon Kaen |
| Government | |
| • Type | City municipality |
| • Mayor | Peerapon Pattabapeeradech |
| Area | |
| • Total | 46 km2 (18 sq mi) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 113,754 |
| • Density | 2,500/km2 (6,400/sq mi) |
| Registered residents only | |
| Time zone | Thailand (UTC+7) |
| Website | www.kkmuni.go.th/ |
Khon Kaen (Thai: ขอนแก่น, pronounced [kʰɔ̌ːn kɛ̀n] or [kʰɔ̌n kɛ̀n]) is a city in Isan, Thailand. It is also the capital of Khon Kaen Province and the Khon Kaen District.
Geography and demography
Khon Kaen is located on the Khorat Plateau, in the central-northeastern area of Isaan. Its geographical location is 16°26′N 102°50′E / 16.433°N 102.833°E. The city has a population of 113,754
Regional importance
Khon Kaen is a regional center for education, financial institutions, government offices and transportation. The city is also an industrial center, especially for the region's silk trade, as well as an agricultural hub.[1][2] Khon Kaen has played host to a number of regional conferences, such as the Asean Regional Forum and United Nations meetings.[3] The Lao People's Democratic Republic maintains the office of Consulate-General on Phothisan Road.
Presently Khon Kaen is one of the major cities under Thailand's National Economic and Social Plan, along with Chiang Mai, Songkhla, Nakhon Ratchasima and Chonburi. It is also the home of Rajamangala University and Khon Kaen University—the largest university in the Northeast, with a student population of around 25,000.
Strategically important for the Isan region's infrastructure, Khon Kaen Airport was raised to international standards in 2005, with the opening of a new terminal. However, despite efforts to expand services, as of April, 2010, only two airlines use the airport. Thai Airways operate three flights a day to Bangkok with an Airbus, and Nok Air run a twice weekly service to Chiang Mai using an ATR turboprop.[citation needed]
The city is bisected by Mithraphap Road, also known as 'Friendship Highway', or 'Highway 2', the road linking Bangkok to the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. 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.
The city can be easily navigated by driving along either of the two north-south main roads—Na Muang and Klang Muang, which are located east and parallel to the Friendship Highway. In addition, there are two main east-west roads—Srichan Road and Prachasamosorn Road—leading east to the city of Kalasin, and West to the airport, as well as to other small villages.
Climate
Khon Kaen has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw). Winters are dry and very warm. Temperatures rise until April, which is very hot with the average daily maximum at 36.4 °C (97.5 °F). The monsoon season runs from May through October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm.
| Climate data for Khon Kaen (1961-1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 36.2 (97.2) |
41.0 (105.8) |
41.1 (106) |
42.6 (108.7) |
41.2 (106.2) |
39.4 (102.9) |
38.0 (100.4) |
37.0 (98.6) |
36.3 (97.3) |
35.4 (95.7) |
35.0 (95) |
35.8 (96.4) |
42.6 (108.7) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.3 (86.5) |
32.7 (90.9) |
35.2 (95.4) |
36.4 (97.5) |
34.5 (94.1) |
33.2 (91.8) |
32.7 (90.9) |
32.0 (89.6) |
31.6 (88.9) |
31.4 (88.5) |
30.7 (87.3) |
29.7 (85.5) |
32.53 (90.57) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 22.8 (73) |
25.5 (77.9) |
28.4 (83.1) |
29.9 (85.8) |
29.0 (84.2) |
28.5 (83.3) |
28.0 (82.4) |
27.5 (81.5) |
27.0 (80.6) |
26.4 (79.5) |
24.7 (76.5) |
22.6 (72.7) |
26.69 (80.04) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 16.2 (61.2) |
19.3 (66.7) |
22.3 (72.1) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.8 (76.6) |
24.8 (76.6) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.2 (75.6) |
23.7 (74.7) |
22.5 (72.5) |
19.6 (67.3) |
16.4 (61.5) |
21.89 (71.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.7 (42.3) |
10.4 (50.7) |
11.1 (52) |
16.4 (61.5) |
19.8 (67.6) |
20.7 (69.3) |
20.9 (69.6) |
21.0 (69.8) |
19.3 (66.7) |
15.9 (60.6) |
9.4 (48.9) |
5.6 (42.1) |
5.6 (42.1) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 4.4 (0.173) |
14.7 (0.579) |
34.7 (1.366) |
66.4 (2.614) |
173.6 (6.835) |
179.5 (7.067) |
165.8 (6.528) |
196.0 (7.717) |
246.1 (9.689) |
107.3 (4.224) |
55.8 (2.197) |
3.3 (0.13) |
1,247.6 (49.119) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 108 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 279.0 | 248.6 | 251.1 | 252.0 | 238.7 | 180.0 | 182.9 | 164.3 | 171.0 | 232.5 | 255.0 | 266.6 | 2,721.7 |
| Source #1: NOAA (temperature data)[4] | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: Hong Kong Observatory (precipitation & sun)[5] | |||||||||||||
Tourism and recreation
Khon Kaen has some noteworthy Buddhist temples. On the south side of the city and east of the Friendship highway, Lake Bueng Kaen Nakhon has a diverse range of recreation areas and facilities.
The Khon Kaen National Museum [6] (พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ ขอนแก่น), was opened by His Majesty King Bhumiphol Adulyadej on the 20th of December, 1972.[7] It has a diverse selection of antiques, precious art pieces and archaeological finds from the region. The exhibits range from the pre-historic to historical periods, including ancient relics and the skeleton of a 'New Stone Age' man, with tools from that period, most of the archaeology having been conducted at the Muang Fa Daet Song Yang excavation site and in Ban Chiang.
MICE City
Khon Kaen is one of the five major MICE cities in Thailand designated by TCEB.[8] It is also one of the winners of IBM's Smarter Cities programme for developing MICE promoting strategies.[9]
The city has several major convention centres, the region’s largest, the Golden Jubilee Convention Hall at Khon Kaen University, which can cater to as many as 5,000 visitors with space of 3,000 sqm, the Convention Hall at Central Plaza Khon Kaen having an area of 2,600 sqm, which can host 1,500 - 4,000 guests,[10] and also Centara Convention Centre with an area of 1,690sqm, which can host 2,000 guests.[11]
Khon Kaen hosted international events such as the APEC Ministerial Meeting, the International Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Thai-ASEAN Trade Fair.[12]
References
- ↑ Industry
- ↑ Staff Overview of Khon Kaen Poverty Environment Initiative (PIE) Thailand, Retrieved 27 August 2012
- ↑ Trade & Economic Relations
- ↑ "Climate Normals for Mae Hong Son". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
- ↑ "Climatological Information for Khon Kaen, Thailand". Hong Kong Observatory. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
- ↑ http://www.khonkaen.com/english/attractions/museum.asp
- ↑ "Khon Kaen National Museum". KohnKaen.com. Retrieved 2012-08-27.
- ↑ Imtiaz Muqbil (11 November 2013). "Khon Kaen Helps Raise Northeast Thailand’s Profile for Mice Events". Look East Magazine. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ↑ "IBM helping Khon Kaen become top MICE city". The Nation. 1 October 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ↑ Luc Citrinot (28 October 2013). "TCEB looks at promoting Khon Kaen for MICE". Travel Daily News. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ↑ "Centara Hotel & Convention Centre Khon Kaen, Thailand". TTG MICE. August 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ↑ "MICE Destinations - Khon Kaen". TCEB. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
External links
- News Reviews and Business Listings for hotels, apartments, nightlife, hospitals, banking, restaurants and more
- Municipality Website (Thai only)
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Khon Kaen (city). |
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