Nonthaburi province


Nonthaburi is one of the central provinces of Thailand, established by the Act Establishing Changwat Samut Prakan, Changwat Nonthaburi, Changwat Samut Sakhon and Changwat Nakhon Nayok, Buddhist Era 2489 (1946), which came into force on 9 May 1946.
Neighboring provinces are Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Bangkok, and Nakhon Pathom. Nonthaburi is the most densely populated province after Bangkok. The Bang Kwang Central Prison is in the province.
WWW Official Site

Geography

The province of Nonthaburi is located on the Chao Phraya River basin in central Thailand. It borders Bangkok to the south and east, the provinces of Pathum Thani and Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya to the north, and Nakhon Pathom to the west. The province is part of the greater Bangkok Metropolitan Region. With an area of, it is the third smallest province in the country by land area.
In most parts the provice is as urbanized as the capital, and the boundary between the two provinces is nearly unrecognizable. There is no forest area in the province.

History

Nonthaburi was declared a city in the middle of the 16th century. It was previously a village named Talat Khwan. During the reign of King Prasat Thong, a canal was dug to create a shortcut for the flow of the Chao Phraya. The river changed its flow into the new canal, which is still the riverbed today. In 1665 King Narai built a fortress, as the shorter river course was giving enemies an easier route to the capital, Ayutthaya. The town was then moved near the fortress.
From 1943 to 1946 the province was incorporated into Bangkok.

Symbols

The provincial seal shows earthenware, a traditional product of Nonthaburi. The provincial tree and flower is the yellow flame tree. Nonthaburi is a province where the Chao Phraya River crosses from north to south, and on the ground, the Chao Phraya giant catfish is the provincial aquatic life.
The provincial slogan translates to "Grand royal mansion, renowned Suan Somdet, Ko Kret's pottery, famous ancient temples, tasty durians, and the beautiful government office". The royal mansion refers to Phra Tamnak Nonthaburi in Mueang Nonthaburi District, the former residence of Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. Princess Mother Srinagarindra Garden is a water garden with a statue of princess Srinagarindra in the Pak Kret District. The provincial administration building once received an award as the most beautiful such building by the Ministry of Interior.

Agriculture

Nonthaburi province is renowned for growing the best durians in the country. Durian has been a well-known fruit in this province for 400 years. The fruit is known as "Durian Non" which means durian from Nonthaburi province. It is also known as the most expensive durian in the world. There are six groups of Nonthaburi durian which are Kop, Luang, Kan Yao, Kampan, Thong Yoi, and miscellaneous. Most durian orchards are near rivers such as the Chao Phraya. This is because the soil next to the river is good for planting which is also good for durian trees. Many durian orchards have disappeared due to flooding and pollution. The price of durian Non depends on its group. Kan Yao is the most expensive, starting from around 10,000 baht up to 20,000 baht for one durian. The Kan Yao itself is not easy to find in normal markets. The main reason for the high price is because it is rare. The recent flood in 2011 cleared out almost all of the durian trees in Nonthaburi, and only a few trees have been newly planted. Also, residential areas are expanding into agricultural areas.

Health

Nonthaburi's main hospital operated by the Ministry of Public Health is Phra Nang Klao Hospital. It is also the location of the largest psychiatric hospital in Thailand- Srithanya Hospital.

Administrative divisions

Provincial government

The province is divided into six districts. The districts are further subdivided into 52 subdistricts and 433 villages.
  1. Mueang Nonthaburi
  2. Bang Kruai
  3. Bang Yai
  4. Bang Bua Thong
  5. Sai Noi
  6. Pak Kret

Local government

As of 8 September 2020 there are: one Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organization - PAO and twenty-two municipal areas in the province. The capital Nonthaburi and Pak Kret have city status. Further ten have town status and ten subdistrict municipalities.
City municipalitiesPeople
1Nonthaburi254,375 2Pak Kret190,272

Town municipalitiesPeople
1Mai Bang Bua Thong54,554 6Bang Kruai44,138
2Bang Bua Thong51,420 7Bang Khu Rat40,070
3Bang Rak Pattana46,766 8Bang Si Mueang32,880
4Phimon Rat46,803 9Sai Ma23,316
5Bang Mae Nang45,97410Bang Krang23,010

Subdistrict mun.People
1Plai Bang45,573 6Bang Yai11,620
2Sao Thong Hin39,315 7Bang Si Thong11,203
3Sala Klang18,582 8Bang Phlap10,417
4Ban Bang Muang17,526 9Bang Muang 5,843
5Bang Len16,05010Sai Noi 2,547

The non-municipal areas are administered by 23 Subdistrict Administrative
Organizations - SAO.
MunicipalitiesCommunities
Nonthaburi93
Bang Si Muang41

Human achievement index 2022

Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using the Human achievement index, a composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and Social Development Board has taken over this task since 2017.
RankClassification
1 - 13"high"
14 - 29"somewhat high"
30 - 45"average"
46 - 61"somewhat low"
62 - 77"low"

Notable people