Kanchanaburi province

Kanchanaburi (กาญจนบุรี, ) is the largest of the western provinces (changwat) of Thailand. The neighboring provinces are (clockwise, from the north) Tak, Uthai Thani, Suphan Buri, Nakhon Pathom, and Ratchaburi. In the west it borders Kayin State, Mon State, and the Tanintharyi Region of Myanmar.

Tourists are attracted by the history of its ancient civilization and the World War II Bridge over the River Kwai, originally spelt "Khwae" but officially changed to Kwai to accommodate the expectations of tourists.

Geography
The province is in the west of Thailand, 129 km from Bangkok, and covers a total area of approximately 19,483 km2. It is the country's third largest province, after Nakhon Ratchasima and Chiang Mai. Topographically, it is covered with timber and evergreen forests. The total forest area is 12,002 km2 or 61.9 percent of provincial area. The district covers the source valleys of the rivers Kwae Yai and Kwae Noi ("River Kwai"), which merge at Kanchanaburi city to form the Mae Klong River.

Bong Ti is a transnational border crossing point, which is expected to gain in importance if the planned Dawei deepwater port project goes ahead, along with a highway and a railway line between Bangkok and the port.

National parks
There area seven national parks in the mountainous areas of the Tenasserim Hills, along with two other national parks, make up region 3 (Ban Pong) of Thailand's protected areas.
 * Khuean Srinagarindra National Park, 1532 km2
 * Khao Laem National Park, 1497 km2
 * Thong Pha Phum National Park, 1236 km2
 * Lam Khlong Ngu National Park, 673 km2
 * Erawan National Park, 550 km2
 * Sai Yok National Park, 500 km2
 * Chaloem Rattanakosin National park, 59 km2

Wildlife sanctuaries
There are two wildlife sanctuaries, along with one other wildlife sanctuary, make up region 3 (Ban Pong) of Thailand's protected areas.
 * Thung Yai Naresuan West Wildlife Sanctuary, 2130 km2
 * Salak Phra Wildlife Sanctuary, 859 km2

History
Archaeological remains found in Kanchanaburi date back to the 4th century, with evidence of trade with surrounding regions at that time. Very little is known about the historical Khmer influence in Kanchanaburi, but Prasat Muang Sing, one of the country's most well-known Khmer sites, provides evidence of their occupation.

Not much was historically recorded about Kanchanaburi province before the reign of King Rama I, but some historians believe that the province was of strategic importance during the Ayutthaya period, since it was on the invasion route from Burma. In 1982, many human and elephant skeletons and swords were found in Phanom Thuan district, leading to speculation that this site might even have been the site of the famous battle of King Naresuan against the Burmese crown prince, most commonly assigned to the Don Chedi district in nearby Suphanburi province.

Most foreigners are mainly aware of Kanchanaburi's recent history with the Burma Railway. During the Japanese occupation of Thailand in 1942, both allied POWs and Asian labourers were ordered by the Japanese to build a Thailand-Burma railway. Eventually, more than 100,000 people (16,000 allied POWs and 90,000 local Asian labourers) died from horrific working conditions.

Symbols
The seal of the province shows the three stupas on Bantadthong Mountain. They give the name to the mountain pass to Myanmar, called "Three Pagodas Pass".

The provincial flower is the night-flowering jasmine (Nyctanthes arbortristis). The provincial tree is the Moulmein lancewood (Homalium tomentosum). The provincial aquatic animal is the Jullien's golden carp (Probarbus jullieni).

The provincial motto is "The ancient province. The (Three) Pagodas Pass Checkpoint, Gems of Kan, Bridge on the River Kwai. Source of minerals and waterfalls."

Provincial government
Kanchanaburi is divided into 13 districts (amphoe). The districts are further divided into 98 subdistricts (tambon) and 887 villages (muban).

Local government
As of 26 November 2019 there are: one Kanchanaburi Provincial Administration Organisation (ongkan borihan suan changwat) and 49 municipal (thesaban) areas in the province. Kanchanaburi and Tha Ruea Phra Thaen have town (thesaban mueang) status. Further 47 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon). The non-municipal areas are administered by 72 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations – SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).

Transport
Kanchanaburi's main railway station is Kanchanaburi railway station, served by the Southern Line Nam Tok Branch Line (Burma Railway).

Health
Phaholpolpayuhasena Hospital is the main hospital of the province, operated by the MInistry of Public Health.

Mining
In 1918, alluvial sapphire deposits were discovered near Bo Ploi. It was a major source of sapphires in the 1980s and 1990s.

Kanchanaburi province is the site of Klity Creek, a waterway heavily polluted by the practices of the Lead Concentrate Company. The company was ordered by a Thai court to clean up its environmental damage in 2013. To date (2019) the court ordered clean-up has been halting and ineffectual.

Tourism
Most of the sights in Kanchanaburi itself are directly related to World War II. The museums are dusty and generally not worth it, except for the Thailand–Burma Railway Centre, which gives a good introduction of the Burma Railway and its history. There are also two war cemeteries, the most moving of which is the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery.

The War Museum is located near the Thailand–Burma Railway station of Kanchanaburi. Although it is called the War Museum, the museum also houses a historical art gallery with murals and statues of historical figures and events from that region. Moreover, aside from WWII artifacts, there is also a sanctuary for stray cats, a wildlife atrium, a Miss Thailand costume museum, an arhive library from the founder of the museum, the Chansiri family. The museum was inaugurated on May 11, 1987.

National parks



 * Erawan National Park is a 550 km2 park in western Thailand in the Tenasserim Hills of Kanchanaburi province, Amphoe Si Sawat in tambon Tha Kradan. Founded in 1975, it was Thailand's 12th national park. The major attraction of the park is Erawan Falls, a waterfall named after the erawan, the three-headed white elephant of Hindu mythology. The seven-tiered falls are said to resemble the erawan. There are four caves in the park: Mi, Rua, Wang Bahdan, and Phartat. Rising northeast of the waterfall area there is a breast-shaped hill named Khao Nom Nang.


 * Thong Pha Phum National Park is a national park. The park has numerous waterfalls and caves. Chok Kradin waterfall descends 30 m over a cliff. Another large waterfall is Khao Yai, with three levels. Other park waterfalls include Dip Yai, Bi Teng and Huai Meuang. Khao Noi cave houses Buddha images. Khao Khat viewpoint offers a panoramic view over the park.


 * Khao Laem National Park is a park of about 1,500 square kilometers in western Thailand, located in the northern area of the Tenasserim Hills, Kanchanaburi province. It is a part of the Western Forest Complex, a system of protected wilderness in the Dawna–Tenasserim Hills area of western Thailand. The park surrounds the Khao Laem Reservoir in Kanchanaburi province about 340 km northwest of Bangkok. It is cut through by Road 323. The vegetation consists of mixed deciduous, hill evergreen and dry evergreen forest. It is adjacent to the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, which is situated to the northeast of Khao Laem National Park. Large animals of the area include tigers, elephants, gaurs, sambar deer, barking deer and wild boars.
 * Sai Yok National Park is a national park in Sai Yok District. The park, home to mountains, waterfalls and caves, is part of the Western Forest Complex protected area. The park's major attractions are its waterfalls, including Sai Yok Yai waterfall which flows into the Khwae Noi river. Sai Yok Yai Lek waterfall lies south of Sai Yok Yai along the Khwae Noi. The park also contains numerous caves, the largest of which is Tham Lawa with a length of 500 m. This cave complex consists of five large caverns, each containing large stalactites and stalagmites. Another cave system, Tham Daowadueng, is 100 m long and was discovered in 1972. Tham Daowadung consists of eight chambers of stalactites and stalagmites.

Human achievement index 2022
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.

Notable people

 * Boonpong Sirivejjabhandu (1906–1982), merchant
 * Vajirañāṇasaṃvara (1913–2013), 19th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand
 * Prawase Wasi (born 1931), haematologist, political actor and public intellectual
 * Luang Por Dattajivo (born 1940), Buddhist monk
 * Chatchai Plengpanich (born 1960), actor
 * Sontirat Sontijirawong (born 1960), politician
 * Suchao Nuchnum (born 1983), football player
 * Weluree Ditsayabut (born 1992), Miss Universe Thailand 2014