The statue of Thao Suranaree (Khun Ying Mo) marks the centre of the city, between the old town to the east and the newer development to the west.

Nakhon Ratchasima (Thai: นครราชสีมา) is a city (thesaban nakhon) in the north-east (Isan) of Thailand and gateway to Isan. It is the capital of the Nakhon Ratchasima Province and Nakhon Ratchasima district. As of May 31, 2007^[1], the city has a population of 147,437, which makes it the third-largest city in Thailand. Nakhon Ratchasima is a city in Thailand Nakhon Ratchasima may also refer to Nakhon Ratchasima Province, the province of the city. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 85 KB) statue of Thao Suranaree in Nakhon Ratchasima; photo taken by User: Markalexander100 27/2/05 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 85 KB) statue of Thao Suranaree in Nakhon Ratchasima; photo taken by User: Markalexander100 27/2/05 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Statue of Thao Suranaree in Khorat city centre. ... For other articles with similar names, see Isan (disambiguation). ... Nakhon Ratchasima (Thai: ), often shortened to Korat or Khorat, is one of the north-eastern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima (Thai: ) is the capital district (Amphoe Mueang) of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, northeastern Thailand. ...

The city is also commonly known as Khorat or Korat (Thai: โคราช), which is a short version of the ancient name Korakapura.^{[citation needed]} It is located at the western edge of the Khorat Plateau and historically marked the boundary between the Lao and Siamese territory. Its geographical location is 14°58.5′N 102°6′ECoordinates: 14°58.5′N 102°6′E. The Khorat Plateau is a highland in the north-east of Thailand, also called Isan. ... For the country formerly called Siam see Thailand SIAM is an acronym for Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

History

From archeological evidence it has been found that there were 2 ancient towns named Sema and Korakapura which currently are in Sung Noen district, 30 km west of present-day Khorat. It was once part of the Khmer empire. In the years of 1656-1688 King Narai moved the city to its current location. The city was attacked by Anouvong, the King of Vientiane, in 1827 in an attempt to halt the growing Siamese control of Laos. Thao Suranaree is a local heroine with a statue in the center of the city; she is credited with having saved the city from Anouvong's army. The old town of Khorat west of the Thao Suranaree monument was designed and built by the French engineer who is believed to be the same one who built Naraimaharaj Palace in Lopburi. Sung Noen (Thai: ) is a district (Amphoe) in western part of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, northeastern Thailand. ... King Narai the Great (Son of Prasat Thong) (Thai: ; 1629 - July 11, 1688) became king of the Ayutthaya kingdom or Siam, todays Thailand, in 1656. ... Anouvong was the last king of Vientiane, ruling 1805-1828. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1827 (MDCCCXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Statue of Thao Suranaree in Khorat city centre. ... Lopburi is a city in Thailand, capital of the Lopburi province. ...

Weather

3 Season : Hot (February - May), Raining (May - October), Cold (October - February)

@==Traffic==@ Nakhon Ratchasima is connected with the northeastern railway line, connecting Bangkok with Ubon Ratchasima and Nong Khai. Also passing the city is Thai highway 2 (Friendship highway). 26km east of the city is the Nakhon Ratchasima Airport. As of 30 November 2006, the airport does not handle passenger traffic, and shipping has not been seen as a major commercial possibility. Passenger service has been attempted many times with financial failure (charges were as low as 99 Baht to fly to Bangkok), authorities are still discussing ways to make the over 400 million Baht investment several years ago a paying venture. Mittraphap Highway in Nong Khai Thanon Mittraphap (ถนนมิตรภาพ) or highway 2 of Thailand (ทางหลวงแผ่นดินหมายเลข 2) runs from Saraburi to Nong Khai. ... Nakhon Ratchasima airport is approxamatly 26 kilometers east of Nakhon Ratchasima city. ...

Major Points of Interest

• Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base was used by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War is located some 8km south of the city.
• Korat Zoo - As of end November 2006, the zoo sported a sign at the entry charging foreigners far more than Thais. This has dissuaded some from visiting. However, the zoo is first-class and worth the visit.
• Thao Suranaree Monument - This is currently under major renovation. Lady Mo statue itself is in place, and vendors providing flowers and incense, etc., are currently nearby in makeshift stalls.
• Wat Salaloi
• His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary, 5th December 2007 Sports Complex is a multi-use stadium in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, that is currently under construction. Once completed in 2007, it will mainly be used mostly for football matches and will host the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2007 Southeast Asian Games. The stadium holds 20,000 people.

Korat has becoming increasingly attractive to foreigners over the last five years, with growing numbers from mostly North America and Europe moving to the province. Still rustic with cheap housing and land prices, the province is yet located only three hours' drive from Bangkok, and as its Gateway to the Northeast moniker suggests, Korat connects the other 18 NE Thailand provinces with the central region by rail and highway. Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base is a base of the Royal Thai Air Force. ... The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... Statue of Thao Suranaree in Khorat city centre. ... His Majesty the Kings 80th Birthday Anniversary, 5th December 2007 Sports Complex (Thai: ) (Formerly 333rd Anniversary Stadium) is a multi-use stadium in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, that is currently under construction. ... The 24th Southeast Asian Games (also known as SEA Games) will be held in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand from December 6 to December 16, 2007. ...

24th SEA Games at Nakhon Ratchasima

On 24 February 2006, northeast Thailand's Nakhon Ratchasima Province authorities met to discuss the 2007 SEA Games schedule, and progress on the province's under-construction US$77 million sports complex. Presided over by governor Somboon Ngamlak, the meeting provided an overview of facilities, and ended with reassurances that facilities would be ready for SEA Games in 2007.

External links

• City of Nakhon Ratchasima Municipality
• 24th Southeast Asian Games Nakhon Ratchasima 2007 Website
• Photo collections from 1966/67

References

1. ^ "http://www.dopa.go.th/"