ชมไปกินไป: Sakaeo Flora

Sakaeo

Sa Kaeo (Thai: สระแก้ว, pronounced [sàʔ kɛ̂ːw]) is one of the 76 provinces (changwat) and lies in eastern Thailand about 200 km from Bangkok. Neighboring provinces are (from south clockwise) Chanthaburi, Chachoengsao, Prachinburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Buriram. To the east it borders Banteay Meanchey and Battambang of Cambodia.

The name Sa Kaeo, literally 'crystal pond', refers to two ponds (Sa Kaeo Sa Khwan) containing water thought to be sacred once used for the coronation ceremony. The name of the province originated with this place, now the ponds lie inside a public park next to Mueang Sa Kaeo Municipality Office

The north of the province is covered with the forested mountains of the Sankamphaeng Range and the Dangrek Mountains. The total forest area in 2021 is 1,506 km² (581 sq mi) or 22 percent of provincial area.To the south are the foothills of the Cardamom Mountains, which are mostly deforested.

National parks

edit

There are two national parks, along with two other national parks, make up region 1 (Prachinburi) of Thailand's protected areas. (Visitors in fiscal year 2024)

Pang Sida National Park	844 km² (326 sq mi)	(49,915)
Ta Phraya National Park	594 km² (229 sq mi)	(5,662)

Pang Sida National Park (Thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติปางสีดา, RTGS: Utthayan Haeng Chat Pang Sida, pronounced [ʔùt.tʰā.jāːn hɛ̀ŋ t͡ɕʰâːt pāːŋ sǐː.dāː]) is a national park in the Sankamphaeng Range, covering 527,500 rai ~ 844 square kilometres (326 sq mi)^[1] in the eastern Thai province of Sa Kaeo. It is 28 kilometres north of Sa Kaeo City, the capital of the province. Together with Khao Yai National Park, Thap Lan National Park, Ta Phraya National Park and the Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary, it constitutes a part of the Dong Phayayen–Khao Yai Forest Complex UNESCO World Heritage Site, covering a total of around 6,100 square kilometers. One of the highlights of the park is Pang Sida waterfall.

The park area is also home to many species of butterfly. Within two kilometres of the entrance is a butterfly area where hundreds of butterflies congregate in certain seasons. In the interests of patron safety, as well as conservation, a controlled gate is located just past this area, and visitors are asked to consult at the visitor's centre for a guide to go further afield.

^Gesneriaceae

Gesneriaceae family plants recorded in Sa Kaeo Province, Thailand, include species such as Microchirita purpurea and Aeschynanthus membranifolius. These plants grow in eastern Thailand's limestone and evergreen forest habitats.