Lampang province
Lampang (, ; Northern Thai: ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces ("changwat"), lies in upper northern Thailand. The old name of Lampang was "Khelang Nakhon". Geography. Lampang is in the broad river valley of the Wang River, surrounded by mountains. In Mae Mo District lignite is found and mined in open pits. To the north of the province is the high Doi Luang. Within the province are Chae Son and Doi Khun Tan National Parks in the Khun Tan Range, as well as Tham Pha Thai, Doi Luang National Park, and the Huai Tak Teak Biosphere Reserve in  the Phi Pan Nam Range. The total forest area is or 70 percent of provincial area. History. Lampang is an ancient city of more than 1,300 years. It is mentioned in various legends in 11 different names; namely Kukkudnakhon, Lampakappanakhon, Srinakhonchai, Nakhon Vieng Kok Wua, Vieng Din, Kelang Nakhon, Nakhon Lampang Kam Kelang, Arlampang, Muang Lakorn, and Muang Nakhon Lampang. Lampang was built in 680. According in Yonok historical record, a hermit named Suphrom Ruesi built a town for Prince Anantayot, son of Queen Jamadevi of Haripunchai’s Lamphun. The town was first named Kelang Nakhon and then changed into  Nakhon Lampang. In Yonok Chiang Saen period, Nakhon Lampang was governed by Khmer. It was later colonized by Burma and Chiang Mai in the period of King Thonburi about 250 years ago. Later, Lord Thipchang of Lampang has fought for Lamapng independence and established himself as Phraya Sulavalue Chaisongkram, King of Lampang in 1732. In 1764 Prince Kaewfa, son of Lord Thipchang governed Lampang and was the first ancestor of Na Lampang, Na Lamphun and Na Chiang Mai family. Prince Boonyawat Vongmanit was the last ruler of Lampang. Lampang was announced as a province in Thailand in 1892 in the  reign of King Rama V. Transport. The city is an important highway hub, with a four lane highway link to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, as well as a major highway to Phrae and the eastern Lanna provinces. Lampang is roughly a 1.5 hour bus ride to Chiang Mai. Lampang is a stop for the Chiang Mai-bound train, approximately 10 hours from Bangkok. Lampang Airport is served by Bangkok Airways (three flights daily to Suvarnabhumi Airport) and Nok air (four flights daily to Don Mueang) (Oct 2015). Health. The main hospital of Lampang is Lampang Hospital, operated by the  Ministry of Public Health. Tourism. Lampang province is not visited by many tourists, only about 900,000 per year, most of them passing through. In early 2019, the provincial governor rolled out a program called "Lampang: Dream Destination" to raise the number of visitors to two million within two years. Economy. Lampang is known for the production of ceramic goods and its mining operations. A great deal of ball clay, china stone, and lignite are extracted from the surrounding mountains. There are more than 200 ceramic factories in and around Mueang Lampang District. Most are small- to medium-sized operations producing  novelties (plant pots, dolls), tableware, and building materials (tiles, railings). The largest coal fired power plant in Southeast Asia is in Mae Mo District near the lignite mining area. The plant uses lignite as fuel. The largest concrete plant is also north of Mueang Lampang. This is also powered by lignite. Limestone is another abundant rock mined in Lampang. Agriculturally, the province produces rice and pineapples. Symbols. The provincial seal shows a white rooster inside the entrance to the Phra That Lampang Luang Temple. According to local legend, Buddha visited the province. The god Indra worried that the people would  not wake up by themselves to show respect to Buddha, and therefore woke them by transforming himself into a white rooster. The provincial flower is the Heliconia ("Heliconia sp."), and the provincial tree is the Indian Elm ("Holoptelea integrifolia"). According to the legend, this tree was planted in the temple during Buddha's visit. Administrative divisions. Provincial government. The province is divided into 13 districts ("amphoes"). These are further divided into 100 subdistricts ("tambons") and 855 villages ("mubans"). Local government. As of 26 November 2019 there are: one Lampang Provincial Administration Organisation ("") and 42 municipal ("thesaban") areas in the province . Lampang has city ("thesaban nakhon") status. Khelang Nakhon, Lom Raet and Phichai have town ("thesaban mueang") status. Further 38 subdistrict municipalities ("thesaban tambon"). The non-municipal areas are administered by 60 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO ("ongkan borihan suan tambon"). Human achievement index 2017. 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.