Nong Khai

Nong Khai (Thai: เทศบาลเมืองหนองคาย; RTGS: thesaban mueang nong khai 'Nong Khai Town' or 'Nong Khai') is a city in northeast Thailand. It is the capital of Nong Khai Province. Nong Khai city is administered as Mueang Nong Khai District.

Nong Khai

หนองคาย
Town
Nong Khai Old City Hall, Nong Khai City
Location in Nong Khai Province
CountryThailand
ProvinceNong Khai Province
Area
 • Total31.15 km2 (12.03 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total46,180
 • Density1,500/km2 (3,800/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+7 (ICT)

Nong Khai lies on the Mekong River, near the site of the first Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge, spanning the river to Laos. The Thai-Lao Friendship bridge was largely funded by a gift to the Lao government from the Australian government.[1] It is the road and railway gateway to the Lao capital, Vientiane, 25 kilometres (16 mi) upriver, on the north bank opposite Thailand's Si Chiang Mai District. Construction of a rail spur to Thanaleng outside Vientiane was begun early-2007 and opened 5 March 2009.[2]

Nong Khai is 626 km (389 mi) north of Bangkok by road[3] and 60 km (37 mi) north of Udon Thani.[4]

History
Nong Khai Aquarium
Phrathat Nong Khai

The Prap Ho Monument before the old city hall (now a museum and cultural center) memorialises the dead of the Haw wars.[5]

Nong Khai has become a popular destination during the Buddhist Lent festival when mysterious balls of light, or Naga fireballs, rise from the Mekong River. The balls resemble an orange sun. They rise out of the river approximately 6–9 meters (20 to 30 feet) and disappear after three to five seconds. Although the fireballs can be seen at other times, most Thais travel to see them during the full moon in October when the incidence of them is considered to be much higher.[6]

Nong Khai's main sight is Sala Keoku (alternatively spelled as Sala Kaew Ku, also known as Wat Khaek), a park of colossal sculptures, some over 20 m tall. The park is the handiwork of the mystic Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, who bought the land in 1978 when he was exiled from his native Laos, where he had built a similar park in Vientiane in the 1950s. Synthesizing Buddhist and Hinduist ideologies, Buddhas, many-armed goddesses, a seven-headed Naga snake, and various human-animal hybrids dominate the site.[7]

Climate
Climate data for Nong Khai (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 37.3
(99.1)		 39.1
(102.4)		 42.8
(109.0)		 43.3
(109.9)		 42.8
(109.0)		 39.5
(103.1)		 37.4
(99.3)		 37.5
(99.5)		 36.2
(97.2)		 36.0
(96.8)		 36.6
(97.9)		 35.8
(96.4)		 43.3
(109.9)
Average high °C (°F) 29.7
(85.5)		 32.1
(89.8)		 34.7
(94.5)		 36.2
(97.2)		 34.2
(93.6)		 33.0
(91.4)		 32.4
(90.3)		 31.9
(89.4)		 31.9
(89.4)		 31.8
(89.2)		 30.6
(87.1)		 28.9
(84.0)		 32.3
(90.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 22.5
(72.5)		 24.9
(76.8)		 27.6
(81.7)		 29.5
(85.1)		 28.6
(83.5)		 28.2
(82.8)		 27.8
(82.0)		 27.5
(81.5)		 27.4
(81.3)		 26.7
(80.1)		 24.6
(76.3)		 22.1
(71.8)		 26.5
(79.7)
Average low °C (°F) 16.8
(62.2)		 19.1
(66.4)		 21.9
(71.4)		 24.3
(75.7)		 24.7
(76.5)		 24.9
(76.8)		 24.7
(76.5)		 24.5
(76.1)		 24.1
(75.4)		 22.9
(73.2)		 19.8
(67.6)		 16.5
(61.7)		 22.0
(71.6)
Record low °C (°F) 8.0
(46.4)		 9.6
(49.3)		 10.2
(50.4)		 17.3
(63.1)		 20.0
(68.0)		 20.9
(69.6)		 19.8
(67.6)		 21.0
(69.8)		 20.5
(68.9)		 14.2
(57.6)		 8.8
(47.8)		 4.9
(40.8)		 4.9
(40.8)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 8.3
(0.33)		 17.3
(0.68)		 39.8
(1.57)		 83.4
(3.28)		 224.9
(8.85)		 262.3
(10.33)		 281.4
(11.08)		 323.2
(12.72)		 257.2
(10.13)		 90.9
(3.58)		 15.2
(0.60)		 4.3
(0.17)		 1,608.2
(63.31)
Average rainy days 1.6 3.1 5.5 8.4 17.1 19.7 20.8 22.4 18.2 9.2 2.3 1.0 129.3
Average relative humidity (%) 69 66 64 67 78 83 84 85 83 78 71 69 75
Mean monthly sunshine hours 257.3 243.0 275.9 204.0 158.1 117.0 120.9 117.8 144.0 198.4 216.0 257.3 2,309.7
Mean daily sunshine hours 8.3 8.6 8.9 6.8 5.1 3.9 3.9 3.8 4.8 6.4 7.2 8.3 6.3
Source 1: Thai Meteorological Department[8]
Source 2: Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department (sun and humidity)[9]

References
  1. Australian Govt Dept of Foreign Trade, 9 February 2008, "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-31. Retrieved 2014-11-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link),
  2. Spooner, Andrew (2009-02-27). "First Train to Laos". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  3. "Distance: Bangkok to Nong Khai". Google Maps. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  4. "Distance: Udon Thani to Nong Khai". Google Maps. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  5. "Prap Ho Monument". Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  6. "The Naga fireballs, Nong Khai". Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  7. "Sala Kaeo Ku or Wat Khaek". Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  8. "Climatological Data for the Period 1981–2010". Thai Meteorological Department. p. 8. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  9. "ปริมาณการใช้น้ำของพืชอ้างอิงโดยวิธีของ Penman Monteith (Reference Crop Evapotranspiration by Penman Monteith)" (PDF) (in Thai). Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department. p. 40. Retrieved 1 August 2016.

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