Uttaradit province

Uttaradit (Thai: อุตรดิตถ์, pronounced [ʔùt.tā.rā.dìt]; Northern Thai:ᩏᨲ᩠ᨲᩁᨯᩥᨲ᩠ᨳ᩺) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (changwat). It lies in upper northern Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from south clockwise) Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, Phrae and Nan. To the east it borders Xaignabouli of Laos. Uttaradit is 488 km north of Bangkok, and 238 km southeast of Chiang Mai.

Uttaradit province
"Uttaradit" in Thai language (top) and
Northern Thai with Tai Tham script (bottom)
Thai name
Thaiอุตรดิตถ์
RTGSUttaradit
Northern Thai name
Northern Thaiᩏᨲ᩠ᨲᩁᨯᩥᨲ᩠ᨳ᩺
(Uttaradit)
Uttaradit
อุตรดิตถ์
ᩏᨲ᩠ᨲᩁᨯᩥᨲ᩠ᨳ᩺
Province
จังหวัดอุตรดิตถ์ · ᨧᩢ᩠ᨦᩉ᩠ᩅᩢᨯᩏᨲ᩠ᨲᩁᨯᩥᨲ᩠ᨳ᩺
Phraya Phichai Dap Hak Monument, in front of Uttaradit City Hall
Phraya Phichai Dap Hak Monument, in front of Uttaradit City Hall
Flag of Uttaradit
Flag
Official seal of Uttaradit
Seal
Map of Thailand highlighting Uttaradit province
Map of Thailand highlighting Uttaradit province
CountryThailand
CapitalUttaradit town
Government
 • GovernorSomwang Puangbangpo
(since 1 October 2022)
 • Thai House DelegationKanok Limtrakul (Pheu Thai)
Saranwut Sarunket (United Thai Nation)
Area
[1]
 • Total7,906 km2 (3,053 sq mi)
 • RankRanked 24th
Population
 (2019)[2]
 • Total453,103
 • RankRanked 60th
 • Density58/km2 (150/sq mi)
  • RankRanked 71st
Human Achievement Index
[3]
 • HAI (2017)0.5845 "average"
Ranked 40th
Time zoneUTC+7 (ICT)
Postal code
53xxx
Calling code055
ISO 3166 codeTH-53
Websitewww.uttaradit.go.th

History

Uttaradit means the "port of the north" or "northern landing", as it was formerly a trade center on the Nan River.[4]

In the Sukhothai era several city states (Mueang) subject to the king were in the area of the modern province. Mueang Fang was in modern-day Mueang Uttaradit district, Mueang Thung Yang in Laplae, and Mueang Ta Chuchok in Tron district.

During the Ayutthaya kingdom, Mueang Phichai was one of the 16 main Mueang of the Thai kingdom. In the reign of King Naresuan, the ruler of Phichai rebelled, joined by the ruler of the Sawankhalok region. Their revolt was suppressed and the inhabitants of both cities were forced to move south to Phitsanulok.

Following the fall of the city of Ayutthaya to the Burmese in 1767, Phichai was the site of several battles against the invaders. The ruler of Phichai succeeded in driving back the Burmese and was awarded the title Phraya Phichai Dap Hak - the "Lord of Pichai with a Broken Sword", as he had broken one of his swords in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the enemy.

In the reign of King Rama III Mueang Phichai controlled several Mueang of northern Siam like Nan or Phrae, and even Luang Prabang and Vientiane. At the point where the Nan river became shallow a port was established. As this town grew in importance as an important trade point, in 1887 it was made a Mueang subordinate of Phichai. 1899 the center of Phichai was moved to this new location, which was renamed to Uttaradit in 1915.[5]

Geography

The province is in the Nan River valley. About 45 kilometers north of the city of Uttaradit is the Queen Sirikit Dam, which created a 250 km2 artificial lake. The Phi Pan Nam Range reaches the northwest of the province.

Most of the province was once covered with teak forests, then the major product of Uttaradit. The largest teak tree in the world is found at the Ton Sak Yai Park in the Luang Prabang Range.[6] The 1,500-year-old tree measures 9.87 m in circumference and 37 m in height. Originally it was 48.5 m high, but it was damaged in a storm. The total forest area is 4,415 km2 (1,705 sq mi) or 55.9 percent of provincial area.[1]

National parks

There are three national parks, along with seven other national parks, make up region 11 (Phitsanulok) of Thailand's protected areas.

Wildlife sanctuaries

There are a total of four wildlife sanctuaries, three of which are in region 11 (Phitsanulok) and Lam Nam Nan Fang Khwa Wildlife Sanctuary is in region 13 (Phrae) of Thailand's protected areas.

Symbols

The provincial seal shows the mondop at the temple Wat Phra Thaen Sila At, in Baan Phra Thaen in the Laplae district. The main item of worship in the temple is a laterite block, which is believed to have been used by Buddha to seek enlightenment. The mondhop is built upon this block.

The seal was first designed in 1940, later a garuda as the symbol of Thailand and the name of the province were added.

The provincial tree is the teak (Tectona grandis). The largest teak tree in the world stands in Sak Yai Forest Park (สักใหญ่). The tree, estimated to be more than 1,500 years old, is 37 meters high and has a circumference of 9.58 meters at its base. Although the upper part of the tree broke off in a storm, the trunk is still alive. Discovered in 1927, the giant teak tree is part of the 35 square kilometer park of mixed deciduous forest.[9]

Administrative divisions
Map of nine districts

Provincial government

The province is divided into nine districts (amphoe). These are further divided into 67 subdistricts (tambon) and 562 villages (muban).

  1. Mueang Uttaradit
  2. Tron
  3. Tha Pla
  4. Nam Pat
  5. Fak Tha
  6. Ban Khok
  1. Phichai
  2. Laplae
  3. Thong Saen Khan

Local government

As of 26 November 2019 there are:[10] one Uttaradit Provincial Administration Organisation (ongkan borihan suan changwat) and 26 municipal (thesaban) areas in the province. Uttaradit has town (thesaban mueang) status. Further 25 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon). The non-municipal areas are administered by 53 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).[2]

Health

Uttaradit's main hospital is Uttaradit Hospital, operated by the Ministry of Public Health.

Economy

Uttaradit is largely an agricultural province. Among its best known crops are two fruits: durian and langsat. A durian festival is held each year around the beginning of June in Laplae District. The province is known for two varieties of durian which lack the usual, and to some people offensive, odour: Longlaplae and Linlaplae, both named after Laplae District. Durian production in Uttaradit province was estimated to be around 20,000 tonnes in 2012. The province has approximately 10,600 acres of durian orchards.[11]

The langsat (ลางสาด) (Lansium parasiticum), for which Uttaradit is famous, and its thick-skinned sibling, longkong (ลองกอง), is a fruit that is similar in taste to the longan.[12] A langsat festival is held each year around the middle to end of September.[13]

Transport
Uttaradit Station

Uttaradit is served by the Northern Line of the State Railway of Thailand. There are two stations in Uttaradit town: Uttaradit railway station, the main station and Sila At railway station, where it is a major centre for Northern Line operations. It does not have an airport. The nearest airport is in Phrae.

Human achievement index 2017
Health Education Employment Income
70 29 73 46
Housing Family Transport Participation
47 15 36 8
Province Uttaradit, with an HAI 2017 value of 0.5845 is "average", occupies place 40 in the ranking.

Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using the Human Achievement Index (HAI), a composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has taken over this task since 2017.[3]

RankClassification
  1 – 15"high"
16 – 30"somewhat high"
31 – 45"average"
45 – 60"somewhat low"
61 – 77"low"
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uttaradit Province.

References
  1. "ตารางที่ 2 พี้นที่ป่าไม้ แยกรายจังหวัด พ.ศ.2562" [Table 2 Forest area Separate province year 2019]. Royal Forest Department (in Thai). 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2021, information, Forest statistics Year 2019, Thailand boundary from Department of Provincial Administration in 2013
  2. รายงานสถิติจำนวนประชากรและบ้านประจำปี พ.ส.2562 [Statistics, population and house statistics for the year 2019]. Registration Office Department of the Interior, Ministry of the Interior. stat.bora.dopa.go.th (in Thai). 31 December 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  3. Human achievement index 2017 by National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), pages 1-40, maps 1-9, retrieved 14 September 2019, ISBN 978-974-9769-33-1
  4. "Uttaradit". Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Retrieved 20 Apr 2015.
  5. ประกาศ เปลี่ยนนามเมืองพิไชย เป็นเมืองอุตรดิฐ (PDF). Royal Gazette (in Thai). 32 (ก): 178. August 22, 1915. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 9, 2008.
  6. ดร.กระมล ทองธรรมชาติ และคณะ, สังคมศึกษา ศาสนาและวัฒนธรรม ม.1, สำนักพิมพ์ อักษรเจริญทัศน์ อจท. จำกัด, 2548, หน้า 24-25
  7. "ข้อมูลพื้นที่อุทยานแห่งชาติ ที่ประกาศในราชกิจจานุบกษา 133 แห่ง" [National Park Area Information published in the 133 Government Gazettes]. Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (in Thai). December 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  8. "ตาราง 5 พื้นที่เขตรักษาพันธุ์สัตว์ป่า พ.ศ. 2562" [Table 5 Wildlife Sanctuary Areas in 2019] (PDF). Department of National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Plant Conservation (in Thai). 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  9. "Sak Yai Forest Park". Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  10. "Number of local government organizations by province". dla.go.th. Department of Local Administration (DLA). 26 November 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019. 73 Uttaradit: 1 PAO, 1 Town mun., 25 Subdistrict mun., 53 SAO.
  11. "Ordourless, seedless durians developed in Uttaradit". Pattayamail.com. Retrieved 2012-06-21.
  12. Ekachai, Sanitsuda (15 September 2018). "Seeing the langsat for the trees". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  13. "Uttaradit Langsat Festival: 16-25 September 2011". Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.

17°37′47″N 100°5′48″E

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