Kanchanaburi (Thai: กาญจนบุรี, pronounced [kāːn.t͡ɕā.ná(ʔ).bū.rīː]) is the largest of the western provinces (changwat) of Thailand. The neighboring provinces are (clockwise, from the north) Tak, Uthai Thani, Suphan Buri, Nakhon Pathom, and Ratchaburi. In the west it borders Kayin State, Mon State, and the Tanintharyi Region of Myanmar.

Kanchanaburi กาญจนบุรี
Province
From left to right, top to bottom : Kanchanaburi City Gate, Erawan National Park, Kanchanaburi Road, Burma Railway, Kanchanaburi War Cemetery
Flag Seal
Nickname:  Mueang Kan
Motto(s):  "แคว้นโบราณ ด่านเจดีย์ มณีเมืองกาญจน์ สะพานข้ามแม่น้ำแคว แหล่งแร่น้ำตก" ("Ancient region, Chedi checkpoint, Manee Mueang Kan, Bridge on the River Kwai and Mineral waterfalls")
Map of Thailand highlighting Kanchanaburi province
Country	Thailand
Capital	Kanchanaburi
Government
• Governor	Jirakiat Phumsawat
Area [1]
• Total	19,483 km2 (7,522 sq mi)
• Rank	Ranked 3rd
Population  (2018)[2]
• Total	893,151
• Rank	Ranked 26th
• Density	46/km2 (120/sq mi)
• Rank	Ranked 74th
Time zone	UTC+7 (ICT)
Postal code	71xxx
Calling code	034
ISO 3166 code	TH-71
Vehicle registration	กาญจนบุรี
Website	www.kanchanaburi.go.th

Tourists are attracted by the history of its ancient civilization and the World War II Bridge over the River Kwai, originally spelt "Khwae" but officially changed to Kwai to accommodate the expectations of tourists.

Geography

The province is in the west of Thailand, 129 km from Bangkok, and covers a total area of approximately 19,483 km². It is the country's third largest province, after Nakhon Ratchasima and Chiang Mai. Topographically, it is covered with timber and evergreen forests. The total forest area is 12,002 km² (4,634 sq mi) or 61.9 percent of provincial area.[3] The district covers the source valleys of the rivers Kwae Yai and Kwae Noi ("River Kwai"), which merge at Kanchanaburi city to form the Mae Klong River.

Bong Ti is a transnational border crossing point, which is expected to gain in importance if the planned Dawei deepwater port project goes ahead, along with a highway and a railway line between Bangkok and the port.[4]

Several national parks are in the mountainous forest areas of the Tenasserim Hills of the province: the Erawan, Sai Yok, Khao Laem, Thong Pha Phum, Khuean Srinagarindra, and Chaloem Rattanakosin National Parks. The Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary is on the UNESCO world heritage list.

History

Kanchanaburi appears in the chronicles that Kanchanaburi was a colony of Suphanburi during the Sukhothai period. Until the Ayutthaya period Kanchanaburi is also an important outpost in the war between Thai and Burmese armies. Until the Thonburi period and Rattanakosin period, the original Kanchanaburi city was originally located at Tambon Lat Ya (At the present at Khao Chon Kai Training Camp).

Kanchanaburi was a battlefield during Burmese–Siamese War (1785–1786).

In 1831, King Rama III ordered the construction of the city wall and the fortress at Kanchanaburi, located at Tambon Pak Phraek, which is the place of confluence of the Khwae Yai River and Khwae Noi River. Construction began on March 8, 1831, and completed on May 17, 1832, and has separated from Suphanburi ever since. Later in the reign of King Rama V, when there was a form of government as a county Thesapiban, Kanchanaburi was transferred to Monthon Ratchaburi and later became Kanchanaburi province in 1924.

Not much was historically recorded about Kanchanaburi province before the reign of King Rama I, but some historians believe that the province was of strategic importance during the Ayutthaya period, since it was on the invasion route from Burma. In 1982, many human and elephant skeletons and swords were found in Phanom Thuan district, leading to speculation that this site might even have been the site of the famous battle of King Naresuan against the Burmese crown prince, most commonly assigned to the Don Chedi district in nearby Suphanburi province.

Most foreigners are mainly aware of Kanchanaburi's recent history with the Burma Railway. During Japanese occupation of Thailand in 1942, both allied POWs and Asian labourers were ordered by the Japanese to build a Thailand-Burma railway. Eventually, more than 100,000 people (16,000 allied POWs and 90,000 local Asian labourers) died from horrific working conditions.

Symbols

The seal of the province shows the three stupas on Bantadthong Mountain. They give the name to the mountain pass to Myanmar, called "Three Pagodas Pass".[5]

The provincial flower is the night-flowering jasmine (Nyctanthes arbortristis). The provincial tree is the Moulmein lancewood (Homalium tomentosum).

The provincial slogan is "A province of ancient community, three pagodas pass, precious stones, River Kwae Bridge, minerals and waterfall resources".

Administrative divisions

Provincial government

Kanchanaburi is divided into 13 districts (amphoe). The districts are further divided into 98 subdistricts (tambon) and 887 villages (muban).

Local government

As of 26 November 2019 there are:[6] one Kanchanaburi Provincial Administration Organisation (ongkan borihan suan changwat) and 49 municipal (thesaban) areas in the province. Kanchanaburi and Tha Ruea Phra Thaen have town (thesaban mueang) status. Further 47 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon). The non-municipal areas are administered by 72 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).[2]

Transport

Kanchanaburi's main station is Kanchanaburi Railway Station.

Economy

Mining

In 1918, alluvial sapphire deposits were discovered near Bo Ploi. It was a major source of sapphires in the 1980s and 1990s.[7][8][9]

Kanchanaburi province is the site of Klity Creek,[10] a waterway heavily polluted by the practices of the Lead Concentrate Company. The company was ordered by a Thai court to clean up its environmental damage in 2013. To date (2019) the court ordered clean-up has been halting and ineffectual.[11]

Tourism

Most of the sights in Kanchanaburi itself are directly related to WWII. The museums are dusty and generally not worth it, except for the Thailand-Burma Railway Centre, which gives a good introduction of the Burma Railway and its history. There are also two war cemeteries, the most moving of which is the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery.

National parks

• Erawan National Park is a 550 km² park in western Thailand in the Tenasserim Hills of Kanchanaburi province, Amphoe Si Sawat in tambon Tha Kradan. Founded in 1975, it was Thailand's 12th national park. The major attraction of the park is Erawan Falls, a waterfall named after the erawan, the three-headed white elephant of Hindu mythology. The seven-tiered falls are said to resemble the erawan.[12] There are four caves in the park: Mi, Rua, Wang Bahdan, and Phartat.[13] Rising northeast of the waterfall area there is a breast-shaped hill named Khao Nom Nang.[14]

• Thong Pha Phum National Park is a national park. The park has numerous waterfalls and caves. Chok Kradin waterfall descends 30 metres (100 ft) over a cliff. Another large waterfall is Khao Yai, with three levels. Other park waterfalls include Dip Yai, Bi Teng and Huai Meuang. Khao Noi cave houses Buddha images. Khao Khat viewpoint offers a panoramic view over the park.[15]

• Khao Laem National Park is a park of about 1,500 square kilometers in western Thailand, located in the northern area of the Tenasserim Hills, Kanchanaburi province. It is a part of the Western Forest Complex, a system of protected wilderness in the Dawna-Tenasserim Hills area of western Thailand. The park surrounds the Khao Laem Reservoir in Kanchanaburi province about 340 km northwest of Bangkok. It is cut through by Road 323. The vegetation consists of mixed deciduous, hill evergreen and dry evergreen forest. It is adjacent to the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, which is situated to the northeast of Khao Laem National Park. Large animals of the area include tigers, elephants, gaurs, sambar deer, barking deer and wild boars.[16]
• Sai Yok National Park is a national park in Sai Yok District. The park, home to mountains, waterfalls and caves, is part of the Western Forest Complex protected area. The park's major attractions are its waterfalls, including Sai Yok Yai waterfall which flows into the Khwae Noi river. Sai Yok Yai Lek waterfall lies south of Sai Yok Yai along the Khwae Noi.[15] The park also contains numerous caves, the largest of which is Tham Lawa with a length of 500 metres (1,600 ft). This cave complex consists of five large caverns, each containing large stalactites and stalagmites.[17] Another cave system, Tham Daowadueng, is 100 metres (330 ft) long and was discovered in 1972. Tham Daowadung consists of eight chambers of stalactites and stalagmites.[15]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kanchanaburi Province.

• Kanchanaburi travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Tourist Authority of Thailand
• Website of province (Thai only)
• Kanchanaburi Rajabhat University Main University in Kanchanaburi
• Erawan National Park, Kanchanaburi

На других языках

[de] Kanchanaburi (Provinz)