Surin (province)

The first traces of a person’s stay date back to the Neolithic ^[1] . The first settlers were engaged in gathering and hunting. The oldest known settlements and campsites in Surin appeared in the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age . It is assumed that these prehistoric settlers are the ancestors of the Mons and Khmers ^[2] .

The earliest historical events date back to the period of Dvaravati , the ancient Buddhist state of monks that existed in the 4th - 11th centuries on the territory of modern Thailand . During this period, Buddhism became the dominant religion in the territory of modern Surin.

Later, with the fall of Dvaravati, the lands became part of the Khmer Empire . Surin was important to the Khmers. In the province, numerous ruins of Khmer temples have survived, the most famous of which is the temple complex Prasat Sikhoraphum .

With the fall of the Khmer empire in the 13th century, Surin disappeared from historical chronicles for several centuries until the 18th century , when, according to legend, the head of the Suai people named Chiang Pum presented a white elephant to King Rama I ^[3] . The king, in gratitude for the gift, appointed Chiang Pum as the governor of the province and awarded him the title of Luangsurinphakdi . The governor moved his native village to a new city, called Prathaisaman . In 1786, the name of the city was changed to Surin in honor of its founder ^[3] .

The province is located in the south of the Isan region, about 340 km east of Bangkok . The total area of ​​the province is 8124.1 km² and takes 24th place in terms of area among all regions of the country.

In the north it borders with the provinces of Royet and Mahasarakham , in the east - with the province of Sisaket , in the west - with the province of Buriram , in the south - with the Cambodian province of Oddarmantea .

The province is located on the Korat plateau. In the south of Surin lies the Dangrek mountain range, which also runs the border between Thailand and Cambodia .

In the province there are several relatively large lakes: Ampun , Lamphok and Huaysaneng . In the north of the province lies the channel of the Moon River.

The province includes 17 amphees , which in turn consist of 158 tambons and 2011 mubans .

As of 2015, the provincial population is 1,395,024 people. The population density is 119 people / km². The female population is almost equal to the male ^[4] .

A large number of Khmer ethnicity live in the province. According to the census in 2000, 47.2% of the population spoke Khmer ^[5] . A significant part of the population is also made up of the Suai peoples ^[6] .

The vast majority of the province profess Buddhism (99.72%). Also, a small number of Christians live in the province (0.19%) ^[7] .

There are a large number of Buddhist temples in Surin, attracting a significant number of pilgrims every year.

The province has opened the Surin Airport in 2002.

There is also a rail link to Bangkok and neighboring provinces.

• The official website of the province of Surin (Thai.)
• The official website of the city of Surin (Thai.)