Mukdahan (, ) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') and capital of Mukdahan Province, which became

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

's 73rd province in 1982. In the northeastern region of the country, on the right (west) bank

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth-longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third-longest in Asia with an estimated l ...

, it was formerly a district of Nakhon Phanom Province. The

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of the municipal area was 180,600 in 2010. Mukdahan is 645 km northeast of Bangkok.

Etymology

The city was established at the mouth of Muk Creek () and named ''Mukdahan'' from ''Kaeo Mukdahan'', derived from the following: *''Kaeo'' แก้ว noun or adjective: glass other than sheet glass; a glass, a tumbler; gem-like, precious, exquisite. *''Muk'' มุก noun: mother-of pearl; nacre. *''Da'' ดา verb intransitive: to advance along a wide front *''Han'' หาร verb intransitive or transitive: to divide; to be divided.

History

Prehistoric paintings and other archaeological discoveries show that the area of Mukdahan was the site of ancient communities. The modern history of the city begins late in the Ayutthaya Era (1350–1767). In the years 1767–1770, Prince Kinnari, son of Prince Suriwong, ruler in Ban Luang Phonsim of Savannakhét, established a settlement at the mouth of Muk Creek, across the Mekong from Savannakhét. In the reign of King Taksin, 1768–1782, Prince Kinnari received appointment as ''Phraya Chandara Sri Surat'' with a rank equivalent to

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

. In 1893, Savannakhét District of Mukdahan was ceded to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

.Ho Kaeo Mukdahan Museum Brochure

Climate

Mukdahan has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Aw''). Winters are dry and warm. Temperatures rise until April, which is hot with the average daily maximum at . The

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

season runs from late-April through early-October, with heavy rains and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm.

Second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge

The Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge, spanning the Mekong River to connect Mukdahan with Savannakhet in

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

was completed in December 2006.

Ho Kaeo Mukdahan

Ho Kaeo Mukdahan (), or Mukdahan Tower, is an

observation tower An observation tower is a tower used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and woo ...

65.5 metres in height, constructed in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the king's accession to the throne. *1st Floor—Art and Culture Museum *2nd Floor—History and Culture of eight ethnic tribes of Mukdahan :* Tai Kha () :* Tai Kha Soe () :* Tai Kha Lerng () :*

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan language, Isan/, ; ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pāli ''isāna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provinces in northeastern Thai ...

Peoples () :* Tai Yor () :* Tai Saek () :* Tai Kula () :* Phu Tai () *3rd-5th Floors—Pillar of the tower *6th Floor—360° Observation deck *7th Floor—A

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

Buddha image in the

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

position called ''Phra Buddhanavamingmongkol'' (), and the Buddha image for each day of the week

References

External links

* {{Borders of Thailand Populated places in Mukdahan province Laos–Thailand border crossings Populated places on the Mekong River Cities and towns in Thailand Isan