Ubon Ratchathani province
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Capital: | Ubon Ratchathani |
| Area: | 15,744.8 km² |
| Inhabitants: | 1,691,441 (2000) |
| Pop. density: | 107 inh./km² |
| ISO 3166-2: | TH-34 |
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Ubon Ratchathani (often in short Ubon, Thai อุบลราชธานี) is one of the north-eastern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from west clockwise) Sisaket, Yasothon and Amnat Charoen. To the north and east it borders Laos, to the south Cambodia.
Geography
At Khong Chiam the Mun river, the biggest river of the Khorat Plateau, joins the Mekong, which forms the north-eastern boundary of Thailand with Laos. The area where the borders of the three countries Thailand, Laos and Cambodia meet is promoted as the Emerald Triangle, in contrast to the Golden Triangle in the north of Thailand. The Emerald refers to the large intact monsoon forests there.
History
The area was part of the Khmer Empire, until King Ramathibodi of Ayutthaya defeated it and made it part of his kingdom. After the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 several new tribes settled there, including the Kha and Suai. Twenty years later King Rama I offered a noble title to the local leader who could unite the many small settlements into one town. This was accomplished in 1786 with the founding of Ubon Ratchathani by Thao Khamphong, and in 1792 it became a province. It was later incorporated into Nakhon Ratchasima province, and in 1933 it regained its provincial status.
Symbols
| Provincial seal |
The provincial seal shows a Lotus flower in a pond. This refers to the meaning of the name of the province, which translates to Royal city of the lotus flower. Therefore the provincial flower also is the Lotus (Nymphaea lotus). The provincial tree is the Yang-khao (Dipterocarpus alatus). |
Administrative divisions
| Amphoe (districts) | King Amphoe (minor districts) | |
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Miscellaneous:
Ubon Ratchathani province is the main site of Ubon Ratchathani University.