# Yasothon province

Yasothon province (Thai: ยโสธร, pronounced), one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (changwat), lies in central northeastern Thailand also called Isan. The province was established by the revolutionary council of Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn, after its Announcement No. 70 which came into force on 3 March 1972.
Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Mukdahan, Amnat Charoen, Ubon Ratchathani, Sisaket, and Roi Et.

## Geography

The northern half of the province consists of plains with low hills; the southern part consists of the river lowlands of the River Chi, with ponds and swamps. Yasothon's total forested area is 358 km$^2$ (138 sq mi) or 8.7% of the province.

### Geology

Yasothon soils (rhodic ferralsols) formed in the Triassic before the uplift of the Khorat Plateau, are relict soils made fertile by field termites through bioturbation.

### National park

There is one national park, along with five other national parks, make up region 9 (Ubon Ratchathani) of Thailand's protected areas.
* Phu Sa Dok Bua National Park, 231 km$^2$ (89 sq mi)$^{:75}$

## History

The province was created on 1 March 1972, when it was split off from Ubon Ratchathani.

## Symbols

The seal of the province shows two mythical lions, called singh, facing the chedi Prathat Anon, in the temple Wat Maha That in the city of Yasothon. In the legendary account of the founding of the city, a lion came out of the forest when the site was chosen; hence the city was called Ban Singh Tha (Thai: บ้านสิงห์ท่า), Home (of) Imposing Lion. At the bottom of the seal is a lotus flower (Nymphaea lotus), as the lotus is both the provincial flower of the province and of Ubon Ratchathani province, of which Yasothon was part until 1972. The provincial tree is Anisoptera costata. The provincial aquatic life is the sheatfish Ompok bimaculatus.

## Administrative divisions
### Provincial government

The province is divided into nine districts (amphoe). The districts are further subdivided into 78 subdistricts (tambon) and 885 villages (muban).
| Mueang Yasothon Sai Mun Kut Chum Kham Khuean Kaeo Pa Tio | Maha Chana Chai Kho Wang Loeng Nok Tha Thai Charoen |

### Local government

As of 26 November 2019 there are: one Yasothon Provincial Administration Organisation (ongkan borihan suan changwat) and 24 municipal (thesaban) areas in the province. Yasothon has town (thesaban mueang) status. Further 23 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon). The non-municipal areas are administered by 63 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).

## Transport

Yasothon city is about 500 km (310 mi) from Bangkok at the intersection of Routes 23 and 202, and the south end of Route 2169. Several bus lines connect the province at frequent intervals to Bangkok's Northern Bus Terminal (Thai: หมอชิดใหม่, RTGS: mo chit mai), as well as all bus terminals in the north and northeast. Ubon Ratchathani province is 100 kilometres east on Route 23.

## Human achievement index 2022

| Health | Education | Employment | Income |
| 50 | 6 | 44 | 54 |
| Housing | Family | Transport | Participation |
| 13 | 36 | 36 | 38 |
| Yasothon, with an HAI 2022 value of 0.6485 is "somewhat high", occupies place 28 in the ranking. ||||
Since 2003, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at the provincial level using the Human Achievement Index (HAI), a composite index covering eight key areas of human development. The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has taken over this task since 2017.
| Rank | Classification |
| 1 - 13 | "high" |
| 14 - 29 | "somewhat high" |
| 30 - 45 | "average" |
| 46 - 61 | "somewhat low" |
| 62 - 77 | "low" |
* Map with provinces and HAI 2022 rankings