Loei เลย | |
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 Flag  Seal | |
| Motto(s): City of the sea of mountains, coldest place in Siam, with beautiful flowers of three seasons | |
 Map of Thailand highlighting Loei province | |
| Coordinates:17°29′12″N101°43′10″E / 17.48667°N 101.71944°E /17.48667; 101.71944 | |
| Country | Thailand |
| Capital | Loei |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Chaipote Jaroonpong |
| • PAO President | Chaithawat Niamsiri |
| Area | |
• Total | 10,500 km2 (4,100 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 16th |
| Population (2024)[2] | |
• Total |  632,187 |
| • Rank | 42nd |
| • Density | 60/km2 (200/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 68th |
| Human Achievement Index | |
| • HAI (2022) | 0.6407 "average" Ranked 39th |
| GDP | |
| • Total | baht 53 billion (US$1.8 billion) (2019) |
| Time zone | UTC+7 (ICT) |
| Postal code | 42xxx |
| Calling code | 042 |
| ISO 3166 code | TH-42 |
| Vehicle registration | เลย |
| Website | loei |
Loei (Thai:เลย,pronounced[lɤ̄ːj]), is one of the more sparsely populatedprovinces (changwat) ofThailand. It lies in theIsan region ofupper northeastern Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from east clockwise)Nong Khai,Udon Thani,Nong Bua Lamphu,Khon Kaen,Phetchabun, andPhitsanulok. In the north it bordersXaignabouli andVientiane province ofLaos.
As of 2020[update], the provincial governor is Chaiwat Chuenkosum.[5] The province was allocated 225.6 millionbaht in theFY2019 Thailand budget.[6]
Loei was founded by a Thai tribe from the Kingdom of YonokChiang Saen. Khun Pha Muang founded the village of Dan-kwa, and Bang Klang Hao founded Dan Sai. Drought and disease later led to the villagers move to the site of present-day Loei.[7]
In 1907, KingChulalongkorn (Rama V) created Loei province. The Loei Cultural Centre (ศูนย์วัฒนธรรมจังหวัดเลย) displays Loei's history, religions, and traditions.[8] The province is home to many Lao people who fled the Communist take-over of theKingdom of Laos. The area of the province along the Lao border is used by the Laotians to buy and sell goods with the locals on the Thai side.[9]
The province is mountainous. The seat of provincial government,Loei, is in a fertile basin surrounded by mountains whose summits are covered by fog and abundant varied flora. The best known mountains in the province arePhu Kradueng,Phu Luang, andPhu Ruea. TheLoei River, which flows through the province, is a tributary of theMekong, which forms part of the northern boundary of the province with neighboring Laos.Phu Thap Buek, the highest mountain of thePhetchabun Range, is in the province.[10]The mountain Phu Kradueng is inPhu Kradueng National Park (อุทยานแห่งชาติภูกระดึง).[11]The western part of the province reaches the southern end of theLuang Prabang Range of theThai highlands.[12]The total forested area is 3,382 km2 (1,306 sq mi) or 32.2 percent of the province.[1]
There are four national parks, along with two other national parks, make upregion 8 (Khon Kaen), and Na Yung–Nam Som inregion 10 (Udon Thani) and Phu Hin Rong Klaregion 11 (Phitsanulok) of Thailand's protected areas.
There are three wildlife sanctuaries, two of which are inregion 8 (Khon Kaen), and Phu Khat inregion 11 (Phitsanulok) of Thailand's protected areas.
Loei province is home to several Tai peoples. The indigenous people are theTai Lue, while thePhuan,Tai Dam,Thai, andChinese people make up the rest of the population. The Tai Phuan people came to the province after migrating fromLuang Prabang in Laos.[7]
Theseal of the province shows thestupa atPhra That Si Song Rak, which was built in 1560 by King Maha Chakrapat of theAyutthaya Kingdom and KingSaysettha ofLan Xang as a symbol of friendship between the two kingdoms.[15] Theprovincial tree is theKhasi pine (Pinus kesiya).Altigena lippa thecyprinid fish is the provincial aquatic life.
The provincial slogan is "city of the sea of mountains, coldest place in Siam, with beautiful flowers of three seasons."[16]
Agriculture drives Loei's economy. Macadamia nuts, passion fruit, and Arabica coffee are grown in the highlands; bananas, sesame, and rubber on the plains. Loei is an ecotourism destination due to its natural environment and amalgam of northern and northeastern cultures.[17]
Wang Saphung District is the site of a large open pit gold mine that employs many locals. The locality has been the site of a long-standing dispute as well as physical conflict between the villagers of Ban Na Nong Bong and its environs and Tungkum Limited, a subsidiary ofTongkah Harbour PCL. Tungkum's gold mining operation has been accused in the courts of environmental destruction.[18]
The province is divided into 14 districts (amphoe). The districts are further divided into 89 subdistricts (tambons) and 839 villages (mubans).
As of 26 November 2019 there are:[19] one Loei Provincial Administration Organisation (ongkan borihan suan changwat) and 29 municipal (thesaban) areas in the province. Loei with Wang Saphung have town (thesaban mueang) status. There are a further 27 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon). The non-municipal areas are administered by 71 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations, SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).
Route 201 leads fromChiang Khan in the north on the border withLaos, through Loei, toNon Sa-at nearChum Phae. Route 203 leads west to the vicinity ofPhu Ruea, and then turns south toLom Sak.
Loei is served byLoei Airport.[20]
| Health | Education | Employment | Income |
 |  |  |  |
| 72 | 54 | 30 | 5 |
| Housing | Family | Transport | Participation |
 |  |  | .png) |
| 26 | 32 | 55 | 37 |
| Loei province, with a 2022 HAI value of 0.6407, is "average", occupies place 39 in the ranking. | |||
Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at the provincial level using theHuman achievement index (HAI), a composite index measuring eight key areas of human development. TheNational Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has taken over this task since 2017.[3]
| 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 |
 |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)54 Loei: 1 PAO, 2 Town mun., 27 Subdistrict mun., 71 SAO.
Loei travel guide from WikivoyagePlaces adjacent to Loei province | |
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