Chakungrao (Thai: ชากังราว) Mueang Kluai Khai (city of lady finger bananas)
Motto(s):
กรุพระเครื่อง เมืองคนแกร่ง พระแสงฯ ล้ำค่า ศิลาแลงใหญ่ กล้วยไข่หวาน น้ำมันลานกระบือ เลื่องลือมรดกโลก ("Buddha amulets repository. City of the strong. Precious Phra Saeng swords. Large laterite slabs, Sweet lady finger bananas. Lan Krabue oil. Renowned world heritage.")
Kamphaeng Phet (Thai:กำแพงเพชร,pronounced[kām.pʰɛ̄ːŋpʰét]) is aprovince in uppercentral Thailand. It borders the provinces ofSukhothai to the north;Phitsanulok to the northeast;Phichit to the east;Nakhon Sawan to the south; andTak to the west and northwest, covering over 8,512 square kilometres (3,287 sq mi) and is the fourth-largest provinces in central Thailand. Kamphaeng Phet has thePing River flow through is main river of the province, making river flats make up much of the east of the province, while the west is mountainous which is part ofDawna Range and it covered with plentifully forest. Kamphaeng Phet known its natural environment and has a long history. National and historical parks in the province includeKamphaeng Phet Historical Park,Khlong Lan National Park, andMae Wong National Park.
In Thai or Laokamphaeng means 'wall' andphet (fromSanskritvájra) means 'diamond'. The name means 'wall as hard as diamond'. This wall served as a defensive line to protect the Ayutthaya Kingdom from what is now modern-day Burma. The old name was Khao Kampeng, referring to a 'mountain wall' between the two countries.
The main river is thePing, a major tributary of theChao Phraya River. River flats make up much of the east of the province, while the west is mountainous and covered with forests. The total forest area is 1,997 km2 (771 sq mi) or 23.5 percent of provincial area.[1]
One of the provinces best-known products is bananas, especially thekluai khai, a small, round, sweet banana. Banana festivals are held every year to thank the spirits for the harvest.
Kamphaeng Phet was already a royal city in theSukhothai Kingdom in the 14th century, then known under its old nameChakangrao. It formed an important part of the defence system of the kingdom, as well as of the laterAyutthaya Kingdom.
Theprovincial seal shows the city walls surmounted bydiamonds, since the city name means 'diamond wall' (from the shape of the ramparts of the old city wall). Theprovincial tree is theareca nut palm (Acacia catechu), and the provincial flower the bullet wood (Mimusops elengi). Golden belly barb (Hypsibarbus wetmorei) is provincial fish, since it is a fish found in the Ping river especially in the area of Kamphaeng Phet.[7]
As of 26 November 2019 there are:[8] one Kamphaeng Phet Provincial Administration Organisation (ongkan borihan suan changwat) and 25 municipal (thesaban) areas in the province. Kamphaeng Phet, Pang Makha and Nong Pling have town (thesaban mueang) status. Further 22 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon). The non-municipal areas are administered by 64 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).
Province Kamphaeng Phet, with an HAI 2022 value of 0.6283 is "somewhat low", occupies place 58 in the ranking.
Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using theHuman 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.[3]
Kamphaeng Phet was mentioned incrime fictionSarawat Yai as the backdrop of the whole story. It was adapted into atelevision drama of the same name twice onChannel 7, in 1994 and 2019. In the versions of both television dramas, Kamphaeng Phet was changed to be calledPhra Kamphaeng (พระกำแพง,pronounced[pʰráʔkām.pʰɛ̄ːŋ]).[9][10]
^ab"ข้อมูลสถิติดัชนีความก้าวหน้าของคน ปี 2565 (PDF)" [Human Achievement Index Databook year 2022 (PDF)]. Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) (in Thai). Retrieved12 March 2024, page 18{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
^"ตาราง 5 พื้นที่เขตรักษาพันธุ์สัตว์ป่า พ.ศ. 2562" [Table 5 Wildlife Sanctuary Areas in 2019](PDF). Department of National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Plant Conservation (in Thai). 2019. Retrieved1 November 2022.