Khon Kaen province
Khon Kaen (, ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces ("changwat") which lies in central northeastern Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north, clockwise) Nong Bua Lamphu, Udon Thani, Kalasin, Maha Sarakham, Buriram, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chaiyaphum, Phetchabun, and Loei. History. The first city of the area was established in 1783 when Rajakruluang settled there with 330 people. King Rama I made Rajakruluang the first governor of the area when establishing tighter connections with the Isan area. The main city was moved six times until in 1879 it reached its present-day location at Nuang Kaw. Khon Kaen was  under the governance of Udon in the early period of Rattanakosin, c. 2450 BCE. The Integrated Opisthorchiasis Control Program, also known as the Lawa Project, an internationally recognized liver fluke control program, has its offices in the Ban Phai and Ban Haet Districts south of Khon Kaen city. In 1789, Thao Pia Mueang Pan has taken children with around 330 families evacuated from Ban Chee Lon to be located at Ban Bueng Bon. King Rama I ordered to raised the status of Ban Bueng Bon to be the city of "Khon Kaen" in 1797. All immigration. In 1896, during the  reign of King Rama V, the government changed the rule of distant districts. By changing to the northern Lao districts to be a Lao Phuan city, Khon Kaen city is under the rule of Udon Thani city or Monthon Udon with Krom Luang Prajak Silapakhom as the governor of the county. Udon Thani center Krom Luang Prajak Silapakhom (Provincial governor of Udon Thani at that time), thought that Khon Kaen political office located at Ban Don Bom not convenient for the government and ordered to moved Khon Kaen city to be located at Ban Thum (Mueang Khon Kaen District at  present) in late 1896. In 1899, Khon Kaen was moved from Ban Thum back to Ban Muang Kao as it was. In 1901, the government has required labor to help build a flood barrier to form a road around the old city marsh to hold water for use in the dry season, because this pond is an important water source for people of Khon Kaen. Later on May 19, 1916, the county system in the country was abolished and the word "city" was changed to "province" instead. Since that time, Khon Kaen has become "Khon Kaen province". Geography. Khon Kaen  occupies part of the Khorat Plateau. The Chi and Phong Rivers flow through the province. The total forest area is or 11.5 percent of provincial area. Culture. Sinxay. The mayor of Khon Kaen in 2005 chose Sinxay to be the new identity of the Khon Kaen and had finials designed representing Sinxay and his two brothers, Siho and Sangthong. The story of Sang Sinxay, one of the masterpieces of Lao literature written by Pang Kham in 1649, during the Lan Xang period. Administrative divisions. Provincial government. The province is divided into 26 districts ("amphoes"). The districts are further divided into  198 subdistricts ("tambons") and 2,139 villages ("mubans"). There are plans to split off the northwestern part of the province to form a new province centered at Phu Wiang. The other districts which will belong to this new province are Nong Ruea, Chum Phae, Si Chomphu, Phu Pha Man, Nong Na Kham, and Wiang Kao. Local government. As of 26 November 2019 there are: one Khon Kaen Provincial Administration Organisation ("") and 84 municipal ("thesaban") areas in the province. Khon Kaen has city ("thesaban nakhon") status. Ban Phai, Ban Thum, Chum Pae, Kranuan, Mueang Phon and Sila have town ("thesaban mueang") status . Further 77 subdistrict municipalities ("thesaban tambon"). The non-municipal areas are administered by 140 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO ("ongkan borihan suan tambon"). Health. Khon Kaen has hospitals operated by both the public and private sectors. Its main hospital operated by the Ministry of Public Health is Khon Kaen Hospital. The province also has a university hospital, Srinagarind Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University. The railway system in Khon Kaen is on both northeastern routes from Bangkok Railway Station. Khon Kaen province's main railway stations was Khon Kaen Railway Station. In 2017, a 60 kilometre dual-track  line will connect Khon Kaen to Nakhon Ratchasima province. It is the first segment of a dual track network that will connect Isan with the Laem Chabang seaport. The city is bisected by Mittraphap Road, also known as "Friendship Highway", or Asian Highway 2 (AH2), the road linking Bangkok to the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. A multi-lane by-pass enables through-traffic to avoid the city centre to the west, and connects to the airport and to the main roads to Kalasin province and Maha Sarakham province in the east, and Udon Thani province in the north. Sport. The  sports teams listed below are based in Khon Kaen. 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.