Khon Kaen
city in Khon Kaen province, Thailand
Khon Kaen (Thai: ขอนแก่น, pronounced [kʰɔ̌(ː)n kɛ̀n]) is the capital of Khon Kaen province and the fourth-largest city in Thailand. It is one of the four major cities of Isan, Northeast Thailand, also known as the "big four of Isan", the others being Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Ubon Ratchathani.
The city municipality of Khon Kaen (thesaban nakhon) acts as the governmental seat of the province, as well as the Mueang Khon Kaen district and lies 450 kilometres (280 mi) northeast of Bangkok. Since the late 20th century, urban development has expanded beyond the municipal boundary into neighbouring local government areas, forming a continuous urban area.
Geography and demography
Khon Kaen is on the Khorat Plateau, elevation 187 m, and is the center of the mid-northeastern provincial group of Thailand, according to the Thai government. Its coordinates are 16°26′N 102°50′E. The city municipality has a population of 114,459, while the Mueang Khon Kaen district, forming the city's urban area, has a population of 416,988. Khon Kaen therefore ranks as the fourth-largest city in Thailand after Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Korat.
Location
Khon Kaen is a city in the northeastern region of Thailand. The city is bisected by Mithraphap Road, also known as the "Friendship Highway", or "Highway 2", the road linking Bangkok to the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. Highway 230, a modern, multi-lane by-pass enables through-traffic to avoid the city center to the west, and connects to the airport, the new main bus station (BKS3).
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Khon Kaen” as city in Khon Kaen 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 city in Khon Kaen province, Thailand. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q876526. VIAF identifies the subject as 134993539. The Library of Congress control number is n89284983. Authority coordinates are 16.433, 102.833. 3 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. 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 “Khon Kaen”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Khon Kaen primary sources, Khon Kaen archive and Khon 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 “Khon Kaen”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Khon Kaen” 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.