The word chaiya originates from the Sanskrit word jaya meaning 'victory', and the word phum from Sanskrit bhumi meaning 'earth' or 'land'. Hence the name of the province literally means 'land of victory'. The Malay/Indonesian/Sanskrit word jayabumi is equivalent.
Geography
The province is bisected by the Phetchabun mountain range, with the highest elevation in the province at 1,222 m. The east of the province is part of the Khorat Plateau. The total forest area is 3,982 km2 (1,537 sq mi) or 31.4 percent of provincial area.[1]
Tat Ton National Park is in the northwest, featuring some scenic waterfalls and dry dipterocarp forests. The biggest attraction of the Sai Thong National Park in the west is the Sai Thong waterfall, but also some fields of the Siam tulip. Similar fields can be found in the Pa Hin Ngam National Park in the southwest. This park's name ('beautiful rock forest') derives from the strangely shaped rock formations found there. Phu Laenkha National Park covers 200 km2 of forested hills northwest of Chaiyaphum city.
There are a total of three wildlife sanctuaries, of which two along with one other wildlife sanctuary, make up region 7 (Nakhon Ratchasima) and Tabo–Huai Yai in region 11 (Phitsanulok) of Thailand's protected areas.
In 1817 the area was settled by Lao people led by Nai Lae, an official of King Anouvong of Vientiane, which was a tributary state of the Thai monarch. They settled in Baan Nam Khun Nong E Chan in Nakhon Ratchasima province, but soon abandoned it in favor of Ban Luang (today's city of Chaiyaphum). In 1826 Anouvong rebelled against the Thai King Rama III, seeking to gain complete independence. Nai Lae, by then made a chao praya by the Thai monarch, supported the Siamese troops. Chao Phaya Lae was killed defending his city against Anouvong's army, but Anouvong was defeated by Thai forces weeks later and Anouvong taken in chains to Bangkok. King Rama III remembered Chao Phaya Lae for his loyalty and awarded him the title Phraya Phakdi Chumpon. He is still a local hero and his statue has become a symbol of the province.
People
Most people in Chaiyaphum province are ethnically Lao. The first language of most people is the Lao language.
Economy
The principal crops of Chaiyaphum include rice, tapioca, sugar cane, and taro root. Chulabhorn Dam, in Thung Lui Lai Subdistrict, Khon San district is a major source of irrigation water. Due to the severe drought in 2019, the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) is proposing to build three more dams in Chaiyaphum: Wang Saphung Dam in Nong Bua Daeng District, Lam Nam Chee Dam in Ban Khwao District, and Prong Khun Petch Dam in Nong Bua Rawe District. The dams would have a combined capacity of 160 million m3 of water, which could irrigate 127,000 rai of farmland.[7]
As of 26 November 2019 there are:[8] one Chaiyaphum Provincial Administration Organisation (ongkan borihan suan changwat) and 36 municipal (thesaban) areas in the province. Chaiyaphum has town (thesaban mueang) status. Further 35 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon). The non-municipal areas are administered by 106 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).[2]
Human achievement index 2022
Health
Education
Employment
Income
69
57
34
27
Housing
Family
Transport
Participation
3
54
69
41
Province Chaiyphum, with an HAI 2022 value of 0.6318 is "somewhat low", occupies place 50 in the ranking.
Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using the Human achievement index (HAI), a composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has taken over this task since 2017.[3]
^ ab"ตารางที่ 2 พี้นที่ป่าไม้ แยกรายจังหวัด พ.ศ.2562" [Table 2 Forest area Separate province year 2019]. Royal Forest Department (in Thai). 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2021, information, Forest statistics Year 2019, Thailand boundary from Department of Provincial Administration in 2013{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
^ abรายงานสถิติจำนวนประชากรและบ้านประจำปี พ.ส.2562 [Statistics, population and house statistics for the year 2019]. Registration Office Department of the Interior, Ministry of the Interior. stat.bora.dopa.go.th (in Thai). 31 December 2019. Archived from the original on 14 June 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
^ ab"ข้อมูลสถิติดัชนีความก้าวหน้าของคน ปี 2565 (PDF)" [Human Achievement Index Databook year 2022 (PDF)]. Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) (in Thai). Retrieved 12 March 2024, page 24{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
^ abc"ตาราง 5 พื้นที่เขตรักษาพันธุ์สัตว์ป่า พ.ศ. 2562" [Table 5 Wildlife Sanctuary Areas in 2019] (PDF). Department of National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Plant Conservation (in Thai). 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^"Number of local government organizations by province". dla.go.th. Department of Local Administration (DLA). 26 November 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019. 10 Chaiyaphum: 1 PAO, 1 Town mun., 35 Subdistrict mun., 106 SAO.