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ตาก
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Tak
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16,4066
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4th
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486,146
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2000
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49th
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30
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75th
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TH-63
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Chumphon Phonrak
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November 2006
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() is one of the northern
Provinces (''changwat'') of
Thailand . Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise)
Mae Hong Son ,
Chiang Mai ,
Lamphun ,
Lampang ,
Sukhothai ,
Kamphaeng Phet ,
Nakhon Sawan ,
Uthai Thani and
Kanchanaburi . The western edge of province has a long boundary with
Kayin State of
Myanmar (Burma).
The Bhumibol
Dam (named after king
Bhumibol Adulyadej , the old name was ''Yanhee Dam'') stops the
River Ping , one of the two sources of the
Chao Phraya river. The artificial lake created covers an area of 300 km&
2 and is the largest in Thailand. The Taksin Maharat and the Lan Sang
National Parks are also located in the province.
Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary share half of the lake front with Kanchanaburi and
Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary at the border with Uthai Thani and are declared as a World Heritage site.
Tak was a historical kingdom built over 2,000 years ago, even before the
Sukhothai Period . The ancient kingdom had its peak during around the 1st century. By the 5th century the capital of this kingdom was moved south to Lavo (present day
Lopburi Province ). A city named was established by
Cham Thewi (พระนางจามเทวี), princess of Lavo king, around
663 AD. It became part of the
Sukhothai Kingdom through battles by
Ramkhamhaeng The Great and formed the main fortress on the western front. The city was moved further west and renamed '''Mueang Rahang''' when the
Ayuthaya Kingdom was lost to
Burma during
King Maha Thammaracha's reign. The city was moved back to the east of the (Ping?)river during the early
Bangkok Period .
King
Taksin was vice-governor of Tak before the Ayutthaya kingdom fell during the war with Burma. As his name was ''Sin'', he became called ''Tak-Sin'' during his duty in Tak.
Agriculture is a major part of the Tak economy. The province of Tak produces
Rice ,
Corn ,
Vegetable s,
Fruit s,
Beef ,
Tilapia , etc. Industries in Tak include mining,
Granite ,
Jewelry .
Handicraft s and
Myanmar products are also important for trade. For tourism, the Bhumibol Dam in the northern part of Tak is its most popular tourist attraction. Tourism, especially
Ecotourism , in the southern part are seasonal with popular destinations such as
Thi Lo Su Waterfall ,
Thi Lo Le Waterfall ,
Hiking and
White Water Rafting in its various forest reserves. Tak is also famous for its
Loy Krathong festival where (กระทงสาย) consisting of many krathongs are floated in a long line down the river. The Loy Krathong festival is held on the
Ping River in
Amphoe Mueang Tak on Loy Krathong night.
Tak is a key communication and transportation center of the North, with three
Asian Highway s passing through the province.
AH1 enters through the Myanmar-Thai border at
Amphoe Mae Sot ;
AH2 passes through the province from north to south. Also
AH16 terminates at Tak. Tak is located 426
Km from Bangkok. Daily flights were also between Bangkok and Mae Sot by
Phuket Air but now the service has been stopped. The flight takes one and a half hour.
About a quarter of the population belongs to one of Thailand's
Hill Tribe s:
Yao ,
Karen (
Thai ''Gariang''),
Akha (Thai ''Egaw''),
Lahu (Thai ''Musay'')
Hmong (Thai ''Meo'') and
Lisu (Thai ''Lisaw''). The largest tribe in Tak is Karen.
The province is subdivided in 9 districts (''
Amphoe ''). These are further subdivided into 63 subdistricts (''
Tambon '') and 493 villages (''
Muban '').
