Sakon Nakhon Province

Sakon Nakhon is one of the northeastern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin, and Udon Thani. The capital is Sakon Nakhon.

Etymology

The word sakon originates from the Sanskrit word sakala (Devanagari: सकल) meaning "entire", "whole", or "total", and the word nakhon from Sanskrit nagara (Devanagari: नगर) meaning "town" or "city". Hence the name of the province literally means "city of cities". In the Khmer language the province would be Sakor Nokor.

Geography

The province is on the Khorat Plateau, not far from the River Mekong. The Nong Han lake, the biggest natural lake of northeast Thailand, near the city of Sakon Nakhon, is a popular resort of the local people. The Phu Phan Mountains delimit the province to the south.