{ "id": "epakyxwbg4", "slug": "changwat-nakhon-sawan", "title": "Changwat Nakhon Sawan", "updated": "2026-10-25", "topic_path": [ { "id": "places", "label": "Places and geography", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/places" }, { "id": "places.administrative", "label": "Administrative and cadastral territories", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/places.administrative" }, { "id": "places.administrative.first", "label": "First-order subdivisions", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/places.administrative.first" }, { "id": "places.administrative.first.asian_provinces_other", "label": "Provinces of South, Southeast Asia, and Oceania", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/places.administrative.first.asian_provinces_other" }, { "id": "places.administrative.first.asian_provinces_other.southeast-asian-first-level-subdivisions", "label": "Southeast Asian first-level subdivisions", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/places.administrative.first.asian_provinces_other.southeast-asian-first-level-subdivisions" }, { "id": "places.administrative.first.asian_provinces_other.southeast-asian-first-level-subdivisions.provinces-of-thailand", "label": "Provinces of Thailand", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/places.administrative.first.asian_provinces_other.southeast-asian-first-level-subdivisions.provinces-of-thailand" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.nodate.places.administrative.first", "label": "Asia (other) · Not dated: First-order subdivisions", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.nodate.places.administrative.first", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.nodate", "label": "Asia (other) · Not dated", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.nodate" }, { "id": "geo.asia.nodate.places", "label": "Places and geography", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.nodate.places" }, { "id": "geo.asia.nodate.places.administrative", "label": "Administrative and cadastral territories", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.nodate.places.administrative" }, { "id": "geo.asia.nodate.places.administrative.first", "label": "First-order subdivisions", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.nodate.places.administrative.first" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Changwat Nakhon Sawan is a province of northern Thailand, about 237 km from Bangkok, where the Ping, Wang, Yom, and Nan rivers join to form the Chao Phraya.", "snippet": "Changwat Nakhon Sawan is a province of northern Thailand, about 237 km from Bangkok, where the Ping, Wang, Yom, and Nan rivers join to form the Chao Phraya.", "node": "places.administrative.first.asian_provinces_other.southeast-asian-first-level-subdivisions.provinces-of-thailand", "markdown": "# Changwat Nakhon Sawan\n\n**Changwat Nakhon Sawan**, or **Nakhon Sawan province**, is one of the 17 provinces of Thailand's Northern Region. Its capital, Nakhon Sawan, was historically called Pak Nam Pho, the \"City of Four Rivers,\" reflecting its position at the head of the Chao Phraya system. Within the province, the Ping, Wang, Yom, and Nan rivers converge to create the Chao Phraya river. Covering 9,597.68 km² and home to 1,040,308 people as of 31 December 2020, it lies about 237 km from Bangkok and is described as the gateway to the North.\n\nIn the official statistical regional specification the province belongs to the Northern Region, one of 17 northern provinces.[2](https://www.nso.go.th/public/e-book/Statistical-Yearbook/SYB-2025/54/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Area and divisions | 9,597.68 km² (1.87% of Thailand), 15 districts, 130 subdistricts, 1,434 villages, 21 municipalities, 121 subdistrict administrative organizations[3](https://catalogapi.nso.go.th/api/doc/department/D10/SD10_04/SD10_04_265_1.pdf) |\n| Population | 1,040,308 people (507,379 male, 532,929 female), density 108 per km², as of 31 December 2020[4](https://nksawan.nso.go.th/statistical-information-service/infographic-interactive/interactive-dashboard/nakhonsawan-one-minute.html) |\n| Location | About 237 km from Bangkok by road and rail; described as the gateway to the North[4](https://nksawan.nso.go.th/statistical-information-service/infographic-interactive/interactive-dashboard/nakhonsawan-one-minute.html) |\n| Economy | Gross provincial product about 117,684 million baht, about 9% of the North's GPP; agriculture contributes 31.3% of GPP (2019 accounts)[4](https://nksawan.nso.go.th/statistical-information-service/infographic-interactive/interactive-dashboard/nakhonsawan-one-minute.html) |\n\n## Geography and rivers\n\nAt the provincial level, a national assessment of Thailand's regions records the same drainage pattern: the Ping, Wang, Yom, and Nan run south across the North and converge within Nakhon Sawan province, where they combine to create the Chao Phraya river.[5](https://inter.nesdc.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MDCR-Thailand-Volume-3-Full-Report-2019.pdf)\n\nThe province's hydrological sites have served local people for hundreds of years as water sources and as routes for transportation, agriculture, and fishery, and many archaeological sites cluster around them.[6](https://pressto.amu.edu.pl/qg/article/view/27817)\n\n## Climate\n\nBecause the city lies in a valley, it records some of the highest overnight lows in the country, often reaching 33 °C in summer and up to 43 °C by day. A climate summary gives an annual mean of 28.4 °C and about 1,261 mm of rain per year.[7](https://climatememory.com/en/climate/thailand/nakhon-sawan)\n\n## Flooding\n\nThe province's physical geography has been and still is affected by flooding several months each year. Research on community resilience in flooded areas of Nakhon Sawan finds that the flood situation has become severe under the combined influence of climate change, monsoon and storms, dam water management across the country, and socio-cultural changes such as road and building construction and the expansion of rice paddies, all of which affect the local economy and quality of life.[8](https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/kjss/article/view/247513)\n\n## Economy\n\nThe provincial economy has a commercial-agriculture structure with agro-processing industry operating within the province. The main crops are rice, sugarcane, cassava, and maize. Gross provincial product was about 117,684 million baht, about 9% of the gross product of the Northern region, and agriculture supplied 31.3% of GPP, the province's main income source and one spread across most of its population; manufacturing (17.2%) and wholesale and retail trade (14.9%) followed. Provincial product per person per year was about 126,679 baht in the 2019 provincial accounts.[4](https://nksawan.nso.go.th/statistical-information-service/infographic-interactive/interactive-dashboard/nakhonsawan-one-minute.html) A later reading of the NESDC provincial accounts puts gross provincial product at 128,697 million baht for 2024, ranking 23 of 73 reporting provinces.[9](https://thaigovdata.com/en/provinces/nakhonsawan)\n\nHouseholds earned an average of about 22,137 baht per month and spent about 16,002 baht, 72.3% of income, with average household debt of about 325,863 baht, in the 2019 household socio-economic survey.[4](https://nksawan.nso.go.th/statistical-information-service/infographic-interactive/interactive-dashboard/nakhonsawan-one-minute.html) The labor force of 530,071 people had an unemployment rate of 1.38% in the fourth quarter of 2020, with most workers in agriculture and fishery (40.3%) and in service and shop and market work (18.1%).[4](https://nksawan.nso.go.th/statistical-information-service/infographic-interactive/interactive-dashboard/nakhonsawan-one-minute.html)\n\nRice remains the dominant crop by area. In the 2024 Statistical Yearbook, Nakhon Sawan recorded 614,485 rai planted, 612,642 rai harvested, 420,030 tons of production, and a yield of 686 kg per rai.[10](https://www.nso.go.th/public/e-book/Statistical-Yearbook/SYB-2024/371/) Development along the Phahonyothin Road corridor has shifted the economy from reliance on agricultural production toward a more diversified base of agriculture, industry, and tourism.[11](https://so05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/hssnsru/article/view/266805)\n\n## Tourism\n\nThe provincial statistical office characterizes Nakhon Sawan as a province with few high-potential tourist sites but many places to stay: in 2018 it had 148 accommodations with 4,618 rooms, received 1,895,960 visitors, and earned about 3,864.15 million baht from tourism.[4](https://nksawan.nso.go.th/statistical-information-service/infographic-interactive/interactive-dashboard/nakhonsawan-one-minute.html) Notable attractions listed include Bueng Boraphet, the source of the [Chao Phraya River](https://www.edgepedia.org/chao-phraya-river), the San Chao Pho Thepharak–Chao Mae Thapthim shrine, and Wat Pa Siriwattanavisutthi.[4](https://nksawan.nso.go.th/statistical-information-service/infographic-interactive/interactive-dashboard/nakhonsawan-one-minute.html) The province's geoheritage sites, particularly the hydrological sites around its rivers, have been mapped as a basis for geotourism development.[6](https://pressto.amu.edu.pl/qg/article/view/27817)\n\n## The riverfront and the city's changing role\n\nWhen water transport dominated, Nakhon Sawan was an important riverside trading town at local, regional, and national levels, because its location linked the central and northern regions, and its riverfront was correspondingly developed. As road and rail transport grew, water travel declined in importance, and the riverfront changed from the town's front face into a neglected backyard. A 1998 [Chulalongkorn University](https://www.edgepedia.org/chulalongkorn-university) master's thesis in urban planning by Rujee Rodcha studied this evolution across seven riverfront zones and proposed development guidelines focused on efficient use of the riverfront, convenient access, and landscape improvements that would reconnect the town with the river.[12](https://digital.car.chula.ac.th/chulaetd/21981/)\n\n## Administration and public services\n\n[Local government](https://www.edgepedia.org/local-government) in the province consists of one city municipality (thesaban nakhon), two town municipalities (thesaban mueang), 18 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon), and 121 subdistrict administrative organizations (SAO).[4](https://nksawan.nso.go.th/statistical-information-service/infographic-interactive/interactive-dashboard/nakhonsawan-one-minute.html) The province has 660 schools and educational institutions: 548 under the Basic Education Commission, 52 private, 15 non-formal education, 11 vocational, 4 higher-education institutions, 20 under the Local Administration Department, and 10 under other agencies.[4](https://nksawan.nso.go.th/statistical-information-service/infographic-interactive/interactive-dashboard/nakhonsawan-one-minute.html) Health infrastructure as of 31 December 2019 comprised 23 hospitals (18 public, including 12 district community hospitals, and 5 private), 189 subdistrict health-promoting hospitals, 368 clinics, 270 physicians, 76 dentists, and 1,603 nurses.[4](https://nksawan.nso.go.th/statistical-information-service/infographic-interactive/interactive-dashboard/nakhonsawan-one-minute.html) Religion is overwhelmingly Buddhist: 99.36% of the population, with 1,002 religious sites in the province in 2019, of which 967 are Buddhist, 31 Christian churches, and 4 mosques.[4](https://nksawan.nso.go.th/statistical-information-service/infographic-interactive/interactive-dashboard/nakhonsawan-one-minute.html)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Nakhon Sawan geography, Germany Geography](https://germanygeography.github.io/thailand-geography/nakhon-sawan-geography/)\n2. [Statistical Yearbook Thailand 2025, regional specification, National Statistical Office](https://www.nso.go.th/public/e-book/Statistical-Yearbook/SYB-2025/54/)\n3. [Statistical Yearbook Thailand 2024, province table, National Statistical Office](https://catalogapi.nso.go.th/api/doc/department/D10/SD10_04/SD10_04_265_1.pdf)\n4. [Nakhon Sawan One Minute, Nakhon Sawan Provincial Statistical Office](https://nksawan.nso.go.th/statistical-information-service/infographic-interactive/interactive-dashboard/nakhonsawan-one-minute.html)\n5. [Multi-dimensional Review of Thailand, OECD/NESDC](https://inter.nesdc.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MDCR-Thailand-Volume-3-Full-Report-2019.pdf)\n6. [Archaeological distribution of geoheritage for geotourism development in Nakhon Sawan Province, Quaestiones Geographicae](https://pressto.amu.edu.pl/qg/article/view/27817)\n7. [Nakhon Sawan climate, normals and trends, ClimateMemory](https://climatememory.com/en/climate/thailand/nakhon-sawan)\n8. [Community resilience for the survival in flooded areas, Nakhon Sawan province, Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences](https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/kjss/article/view/247513)\n9. [Nakhon Sawan province profile, ThaiGovData](https://thaigovdata.com/en/provinces/nakhonsawan)\n10. [Statistical Yearbook Thailand 2024, agriculture and fishery statistics, National Statistical Office](https://www.nso.go.th/public/e-book/Statistical-Yearbook/SYB-2024/371/)\n11. [Pahonyothin Road and the economic history of Nakhon Sawan, Nakhonsawan Rajabhat University Academic Journal](https://so05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/hssnsru/article/view/266805)\n12. [Rujee Rodcha (1998). Development guidelines for river front in Muang Nakhon Sawan, Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations](https://digital.car.chula.ac.th/chulaetd/21981/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Administrative and cadastral territories › First-order subdivisions › Provinces of South, Southeast Asia, and Oceania › Southeast Asian first-level subdivisions › Provinces of Thailand*\n\n*Initially written Oct 20, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/changwat-nakhon-sawan", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/changwat-nakhon-sawan.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Changwat Nakhon Sawan\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/changwat-nakhon-sawan. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Changwat Nakhon Sawan](https://www.edgepedia.org/changwat-nakhon-sawan)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/changwat-nakhon-sawan](https://www.edgepedia.org/changwat-nakhon-sawan). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Changwat Nakhon Sawan\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/changwat-nakhon-sawan. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Changwat Nakhon Sawan is a province of northern Thailand, about 237 km from Bangkok, where the Ping, Wang, Yom, and Nan rivers join to form the Chao Phraya." }