Chai Nat Province

Chai Nat is one of the central provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nakhon Sawan, Sing Buri, Suphan Buri, and Uthai Thani. The town of Chai Nat is 188 km north of Bangkok.GeographyChai Nat is on the flat river plain of central Thailand's Chao Phraya River valley. In the south of the province the Chao Phraya Dam (formerly Chai Nat Dam) impounds the Chao Phraya River, both for flood control as well as to divert water into the country's largest irrigation system for the irrigation of rice paddies in the lower river valley. The dam, part of the Greater Chao Phraya Project, was finished in 1957 and was the first dam constructed in Thailand.HistoryChai Nat was first established during the Ayutthaya period and was used as a successful base of operations for confronting the Burmese army. As the Burmese were defeated every time, the area earned the name Chai Nat, "place of victory".SymbolsThe provincial seal shows a dhammachakka and in the background a mountain. It refers to the Dhammachak Buddha image housed in the wihaan of Wat Dhammamoen, built on the slope of a mountain.The provincial tree is the Bael fruit tree (Aegle marmelos), and the provincial flower the Rainbow Shower tree (Cassia javanica).