Nakhon Pa Mak
Encyclopedia
Nakhon Pa Mak is a rural subdistrict (tambon
) in the Bang Krathum district
of Phitsanulok Province
, Thailand
.
. The third element mak (Thai: หมาก) means betel palm. The name as a whole would be loosely translated as Betel Palm Forest City. Betel Palm are indeed indigenous to the area and inhabitants chew on the betel nuts which contain a natural stimulant, much like chewing tobacco
.
flows through Nakhon Pa Mak at the villages of Ban Sam Ruen
and Bang Kranoi. Nakhon Pa Mak borders Tha Tan
to the northwest, Mae Raka
of Amphoe Wang Thong
to the northeast, Wat Ta Yom
to the east, Phai Lom
to the south, and Bang Krathum
to the west.
), which roughly correspond to the villages within Nakhon Pa Mak. There are 8 villages, several of which occupy more than one muban. Nakhon Pa Mak is administrated by a Tambon administrative organization (TAO). The muban in Nakhon Pa Mak are enumerated as follows:
Nakhon Pa Mak's chief industry is farming, primarily rice
, fish
, cattle
, coconut
s and herb
s. Villagers also grow fresh fruits including banana
s and mango
s. There are 40 retail businesses (stores and restaurants) in Nakhon Pa Mak, and 1 factory which processes sugar cane.
was strictly an elementary school until around 1990, when an additional high school building was added. Prior to 1990, Nakhon Pa Mak children who wished to attend high school were required to utilize private transportation to the nearest high school in Ban Bang Krathum
. There are no other high schools and no colleges or universities in Nakhon Pa Mak. There is also no school bus service.
(pop. 1881), Ban Sam Ruen
(pop. 1340), Ban Bueng Lam (pop. 1050), Ban Dongphayom
(pop. 678), Bang Kranoi (pop. 567), Ban Laemphrathat
(pop. 565), Ban Gao (pop. 299) and Ban Laemkrok (pop. 209). From greatest land area to least, the villages rank as follows: Ban Grong Greng (20.9 km2), Ban Laemphrathat (10.4 km2), Ban Dongphayom (6.2 km2), Ban Bueng Lam (5.9 km2), Ban Sam Ruen (5.4 km2), Ban Bang Kranoi (4.4 km2), Ban Gao (2.8 km2) and Ban Laemkrok (1.8 km2).
All of the temples in Nakhon Pa Mak are of the Theravada
Buddhist denomination.
Tambon
Tambon is a local government unit in Thailand. Below district and province , they form the third administrative subdivision level. As of the 2009 there are 7255 tambon, not including the 169 khwaeng of Bangkok, which are set at the same administrative level, thus every district contains 8-10 tambon...
) in the Bang Krathum district
Amphoe Bang Krathum
-Etymology:The first element bang means village or settlement. The second element krathum means bur-flower tree .-Geography:...
of Phitsanulok Province
Phitsanulok Province
Phitsanulok is a provinces of Thailand, located in the north. Neighboring provinces are Loei, Phetchabun, Phichit, Kamphaeng Phet, Sukhothai, Uttaradit. In the north-east it also has a short border with Xaignabouli of Laos....
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
Etymology
The first element nakhon (Thai: นคร) means town or city. The second element pa (Thai: ป่า) means forestForest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
. The third element mak (Thai: หมาก) means betel palm. The name as a whole would be loosely translated as Betel Palm Forest City. Betel Palm are indeed indigenous to the area and inhabitants chew on the betel nuts which contain a natural stimulant, much like chewing tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
.
Geography
Nakhon Pa Mak primarily consists of flat lowlands situated in the Nan Basin, which is part of the Chao Phraya Watershed. The Wang Thong RiverWang Thong River
The Wang Thong River is a river in Thailand. Its source lies in the Phetchabun Mountains in the Khao Kho District, Thailand.It flows through Thung Salaeng Luang National Park and forms Namtok Sri Dit and Namtok Kaeng Sopha in the Wang Thong District of Phitsanulok Province, and finally flows...
flows through Nakhon Pa Mak at the villages of Ban Sam Ruen
Ban Sam Ruen
Ban Sam Ruen is a village in the Nakhon Pa Mak subdistrict of Amphoe Bang Krathum District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Etymology:The first element ban means village. The second element sam means three...
and Bang Kranoi. Nakhon Pa Mak borders Tha Tan
Tha Tan
Tha Tan is a subdistrict in the Bang Krathum district of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Geography:Tha Tan is the northernmost subdistrict in Bang Krathum, bordering Wang Nam Khu of Amphoe Mueang Phitsanulok to the northwest, Amphoe Wang Thong to the northeast, Nakhon Pa Mak to the south and Bang...
to the northwest, Mae Raka
Mae Raka
Mae Raka is a subdistrict in the Wang Thong District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Geography:Mae Raka lies within the Nan Basin, which is part of the Chao Phraya Watershed.-Administration:...
of Amphoe Wang Thong
Amphoe Wang Thong
Wang Thong is a district of Phitsanulok Province, northern Thailand.-History:The district was established in 1895 in the name Nakhon Pa Mak district after the name of the central tambon, with the district office located at Ban Sam Ruen...
to the northeast, Wat Ta Yom
Wat Ta Yom
Wat Ta Yom is a subdistrict in the Bang Krathum district of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Etymology:The first element wat means temple; the second element ta means eye; the third element yom means weep, hence Weeping Eye Temple.-Geography:Wat Ta Yom is bordered to the north by Nong Phra in...
to the east, Phai Lom
Phai Lom
Phai Lom is a subdistrict in the Bang Krathum district of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Geography:Phai Lom borders Nakhon Pa Mak to the north, Noen Kum to the east, Phichit Province to the south and Bang Krathum to the west....
to the south, and Bang Krathum
Bang Krathum
Bang Krathum is a subdistrict in the Bang Krathum district of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Etymology:The first element bang means village or settlement. The second element krathum means bur-flower tree .-Geography:Bang Krathum's topography consists of flat, fertile lowlands...
to the west.
Administration
The subdistrict is subdivided into 13 smaller divisions called (mubanMuban
Muban is the lowest administrative subdivision of Thailand. Usually translated as village, they are the subdivision of tambon. As of 2008, there are 74944 administrative villages in Thailand. As of the 1990 census, the average village consisted of 144 households or 746 persons.A muban does not...
), which roughly correspond to the villages within Nakhon Pa Mak. There are 8 villages, several of which occupy more than one muban. Nakhon Pa Mak is administrated by a Tambon administrative organization (TAO). The muban in Nakhon Pa Mak are enumerated as follows:
| No. | English | Thai |
| 1 | Ban Bueng Lam | บ้านบึงลำ |
| 2 | Ban Bang Kranoi | บ้านบางกระน้อย |
| 3, 5 & 12 | Ban Sam Ruen Ban Sam Ruen Ban Sam Ruen is a village in the Nakhon Pa Mak subdistrict of Amphoe Bang Krathum District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Etymology:The first element ban means village. The second element sam means three... |
บ้านสามเรือน |
| 4 | Ban Gao | บ้านเก่า |
| 6 - 8 & 13 | Ban Grong Greng Ban Grong Greng Ban Grong Greng is a rural village in the northwest portion of the Nakhon Pa Mak subdistrict of Bang Krathum District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Etymology:The first element ban means village.... |
บ้านโกรงเกรง |
| 9 | Ban Laemphrathat Ban Laemphrathat Ban Laemphrathat is a village in the Nakhon Pa Mak subdistrict of Amphoe Bang Krathum District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Etymology:... |
บ้านแหลมพระธาตุ |
| 10 | Ban Laemkrok | บ้านแหลมครก |
| 11 | Ban Dongphayom Ban Dongphayom Ban Dongphayom is a village in the Nakhon Pa Mak subdistrict of Bang Krathum District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Etymology:The first element ban means home or village.... |
บ้านดงพยอม |
Economy
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s and herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s. Villagers also grow fresh fruits including banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s and mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
s. There are 40 retail businesses (stores and restaurants) in Nakhon Pa Mak, and 1 factory which processes sugar cane.
Education
Nakhon Pa Mak has four elementary schools (Bueng Lam School, Wat Rat Samosom School, Wat Grung See Jayrin School and Wat Laemphrathat School). Wat Rat Samoson School in Ban Sam RuenBan Sam Ruen
Ban Sam Ruen is a village in the Nakhon Pa Mak subdistrict of Amphoe Bang Krathum District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Etymology:The first element ban means village. The second element sam means three...
was strictly an elementary school until around 1990, when an additional high school building was added. Prior to 1990, Nakhon Pa Mak children who wished to attend high school were required to utilize private transportation to the nearest high school in Ban Bang Krathum
Ban Bang Krathum
Ban Bang Krathum is a town in the Bang Krathum Subdistrict of Bang Krathum District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Etymology:The first element ban means village.The second element bang means village or settlement...
. There are no other high schools and no colleges or universities in Nakhon Pa Mak. There is also no school bus service.
Settlements
From most populated to least, the villages of Nakhon Pa Mak are: Ban Grong GrengBan Grong Greng
Ban Grong Greng is a rural village in the northwest portion of the Nakhon Pa Mak subdistrict of Bang Krathum District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Etymology:The first element ban means village....
(pop. 1881), Ban Sam Ruen
Ban Sam Ruen
Ban Sam Ruen is a village in the Nakhon Pa Mak subdistrict of Amphoe Bang Krathum District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Etymology:The first element ban means village. The second element sam means three...
(pop. 1340), Ban Bueng Lam (pop. 1050), Ban Dongphayom
Ban Dongphayom
Ban Dongphayom is a village in the Nakhon Pa Mak subdistrict of Bang Krathum District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Etymology:The first element ban means home or village....
(pop. 678), Bang Kranoi (pop. 567), Ban Laemphrathat
Ban Laemphrathat
Ban Laemphrathat is a village in the Nakhon Pa Mak subdistrict of Amphoe Bang Krathum District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.-Etymology:...
(pop. 565), Ban Gao (pop. 299) and Ban Laemkrok (pop. 209). From greatest land area to least, the villages rank as follows: Ban Grong Greng (20.9 km2), Ban Laemphrathat (10.4 km2), Ban Dongphayom (6.2 km2), Ban Bueng Lam (5.9 km2), Ban Sam Ruen (5.4 km2), Ban Bang Kranoi (4.4 km2), Ban Gao (2.8 km2) and Ban Laemkrok (1.8 km2).
Temples
A complete list of active temples in Nakhon Pa Mak is as follows:- Wat Bunglam in Ban Bueng Lam is used primarily for funeral ceremonies.
- Wat Grung See Jayrin (has a historic chedi)
- Wat Laemphrathat
- Wat Rat Samosom
- Wat See Bun Mayiga Ram (Thai: วัดศรีบุญมายิการาม, Temple of the Renowned Merit of the Noble Lady) in Ban Laemkrok
- Wat Dongphayom
All of the temples in Nakhon Pa Mak are of the Theravada
Theravada
Theravada ; literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching", is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It was founded in India...
Buddhist denomination.
Attractions
- Wat Grung See Jayrin
- Ban Dongphayom Boat Race