Pak Thong Chai is a district (amphoe

Amphoe

An amphoe is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Usually translated as district, amphoe make up the provinces, and are analogous to a county seat...

) in the southern part of Nakhon Ratchasima Province

Nakhon Ratchasima Province

Nakhon Ratchasima or , often shortened to Korat or Khorat , is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand...

, northeastern Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

.

History

The area was an important city since the Khmer

Khmer Empire

The Khmer Empire was one of the most powerful empires in Southeast Asia. The empire, which grew out of the former kingdom of Chenla, at times ruled over and/or vassalized parts of modern-day Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, and Malaysia. Its greatest legacy is Angkor, the site of the capital city...

 era, controlled by Mueang

Mueang

Mueang were historical semi-independent city-states or principalities in present-day Thailand, Laos, parts of northern Vietnam and the Shan State of Myanmar. Smaller Mueang were subordinate to more powerful neighboring Mueang, which in turn were subordinate to the central king, as described in...

Phimai

Phimai

Phimai is a township in the Nakhon Ratchasima Province in the northeast of Thailand. The town is located at . As of 2005 the town has a population of 9,768...

. In the reign of King U Thong

Ramathibodi I

Uthong or Ramathibodi I was the first king of the kingdom Ayutthaya , reigning from 1351 to 1369. He was known as Prince U Thong before he ascended to the throne on March 4, 1351...

 of Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya kingdom

Ayutthaya was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Chinese, Vietnamese , Indians, Japanese and Persians, and later the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and French, permitting them to set up villages outside the walls of the...

 it was named Mueang Pak. When King Narai

Narai

Somdet Phra Narai or Somdet Phra Ramathibodi III was the king of Ayutthaya from 1656 to 1688 and arguably the most famous Ayutthayan king. His reign was the most prosperous during the Ayutthaya period and saw the great commercial and diplomatic activities with foreign nations including the...

 the Great built Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima as the northeastern frontier city of Ayutthaya, Mueang Pak was a frontier city of Nakhon Ratchasima, then called Dan Chapo (ด่านจะโปะ). King Taksin

Taksin

Taksin ; was the only King of the Thonburi Kingdom...

 the Great changed the name of the city to be Pak Thong Chai and arranged this area for Lao people from Vientiane

Vientiane

-Geography:Vientiane is situated on a bend of the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.-Climate:Vientiane features a tropical wet and dry climate with a distinct monsoon season and a dry season. Vientiane’s dry season spans from November through March. April marks the...

 kingdom. He promoted Phia Upparacha of Vientiane to be Phraya Wongsa Akkharat (พระยาวงษาอรรคราช), the governor of Pak Thong Chai.

King Chulalongkorn

Chulalongkorn

Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Chulalongkorn Phra Chunla Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama V was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri. He was known to the Siamese of his time as Phra Phuttha Chao Luang . He is considered one of the greatest kings of Siam...

 (Rama V) changed the city status to a district (amphoe

Amphoe

An amphoe is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Usually translated as district, amphoe make up the provinces, and are analogous to a county seat...

) in 1908 as part of the thesaphiban administrative reforms.

Geography

Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) Sung Noen

Amphoe Sung Noen

Sung Noen is a district in western part of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, northeastern Thailand.-History:The area of Sung Noen was the location of two ancient cities, Mueang Sema and Mueang Khorakha Pura . When the Northeastern railway was finished, the community in Ban Sung Noen due to the passing...

, Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima

Amphoe Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima

Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima is one of 32 districts of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Northeastern Thailand. Including the center city of district is City of Nakhon Ratchasima.-Introduction:...

, Chok Chai

Amphoe Chok Chai

Chok Chai is a district in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, northeastern Thailand.-History:The district was originally named Kra Thok . Due to the old name was not smooth, the government renamed to be Chok Chai in 1945...

, Khon Buri

Amphoe Khon Buri

Khon Buri is a district in the southern part of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, northeastern Thailand.-History:Khon Buri in Thai language means the origin of the river, which refers to one of tributaries of the Mun river passing through. In the past it was called Ban Khon Buri...

 and Wang Nam Khiao

Amphoe Wang Nam Khiao

Wang Nam Khiao is a district in the southern part of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, northeastern Thailand.-History:The minor district Wang Nam Khiao was created by separating the four tambon Wang Nam Khiao, Wang Mi, Udom Sap and Raroeng of Pak Thong Chai district on April 1, 1992...

.

Administration

The district is subdivided into 16 subdistricts (tambon

Tambon

Tambon is a local government unit in Thailand. Below district and province , they form the third administrative subdivision level. As of the 2009 there are 7255 tambon, not including the 169 khwaeng of Bangkok, which are set at the same administrative level, thus every district contains 8-10 tambon...

), which are further subdivided into 215 villages (muban

Muban

Muban is the lowest administrative subdivision of Thailand. Usually translated as village, they are the subdivision of tambon. As of 2008, there are 74944 administrative villages in Thailand. As of the 1990 census, the average village consisted of 144 households or 746 persons.A muban does not...

). There are six subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon) - Mueang Pak covering part of tambon Mueang Pak and Thong Chai Nuea, Pak Thong Chai further part of tambon Pak Thong Chai and Takhop covering part of tambon Takhop, Nok Ok, Lam Nang Kaeo and Bo Pla Thong, and Nok Ok, Lam Nang Kaeo and Bo Pla Thong each cover further parts of the same-named tambon.

No.	Name	Thai	Inh. Population A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
1.	Mueang Pak	เมืองปัก	18,515
2.	Takhu	ตะคุ	12,224
3.	Khok Thai	โคกไทย	4,577
4.	Samrong	สำโรง	3,445
5.	Takhop	ตะขบ	14,214
6.	Nok Ok Nok Ok Nok Ok is a subdistrict municipality in Pak Thong Chai District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand.-Geography:Neighboring subdistricts are Mueang Pak, Don, Kaem Sap, Sakae Rat, and Ngio.-History:...	นกออก	6,083
7.	Don	ดอน	4,279
9.	Tum	ตูม	5,476
10.	Ngio	งิ้ว	6,514
11.	Sakae Rat	สะแกราช	8,787
12.	Lam Nang Kaeo	ลำนางแก้ว	5,020
16.	Phu Luang	ภูหลวง	5,384
17.	Thong Chai Nuea	ธงชัยเหนือ	8,362
18.	Suk Kasem	สุขเกษม	4,732
19.	Kasem Sap	เกษมทรัพย์	3,535
20.	Bo Pla Thong	บ่อปลาทอง	4,097

Missing numbers belong to tambon which now form Wang Nam Khiao district.

External links

• amphoe.com (Thai)