Chat Trakan district
district in Phitsanulok province, Thailand
Chat Trakan (Thai: ชาติตระการ, pronounced [t͡ɕʰâːt trā.kāːn]) is the northernmost district (amphoe) of Phitsanulok province, lower northern region of Thailand.
History
Mueang Chat Trakan was an ancient city of the same era as Mueang Nakhon Thai. Originally part of Nakhon Thai District, it was made a minor district (king amphoe) on 1 May 1969, consisting of the two tambon Chat Trakan and Pa Daeng. It was upgraded to a full district on 1 April 1974. It was a scene of conflict in the Thai–Laotian Border War (December 1987 – February 1988.)
Geography
Neighboring districts are (from the southeast clockwise) Na Haeo of Loei province, Nakhon Thai, Wang Thong, Wat Bot of Phitsanulok Province, Thong Saen Khan and Nam Pat of Uttaradit province. And to the east it borders Xaignabouli of Laos.
Chat Trakan lies within the Nan Basin, part of the Chao Phraya Watershed. The Khwae Noi River flows through Chat Trakan, as well as the lesser Kap (Thai: ลำน้ำคับ), Phak (Thai: ลำน้ำภาค) and Kleung (Thai: ลำน้ำคลึง) Rivers.
Namtok Chat Trakan National Park is in Chat Trakan District. The northeastern part of the district is in the southernmost prolongation of the Luang Prabang Range mountain area of the Thai highlands.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Chat Trakan district” as district in Phitsanulok province, Thailand. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as district in Phitsanulok province, Thailand. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q475371. Authority coordinates are 17.277, 100.599. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1969, 1974, 1987 and 1988.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Chat Trakan district”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Chat Trakan district primary sources, Chat Trakan district archive and Chat research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Chat Trakan district”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Chat Trakan district” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.