Contact Admin. It is the country's largest province by area, with a population of about 2. The province is at the west end of the Khorat Plateau , separated from the Chao Phraya river valley by the Phetchabun and Dong Phaya Yen mountain ranges. Two national parks are in the province: Khao Yai in the west and Thap Lan in the south.
Both parks are in the forested mountains of the Sankamphaeng Range , the southern prolongation of the Dong Phaya Yen mountains. Nakhon Ratchasima is a large province on the northeastern plateau and acts as a gateway to other provinces in the northeast.
The province is rich in Khmer culture and has a long history. The area around Khorat was already an important centre in the times of the Khmer empire in the 11th century, as can be seen by the temple ruins in Phimai historical park.
Nakhon Ratchasima Province is one of the provinces where there is still a sizable northern Khmer population.
A new walled-city with a surrounding moat, designated as Nakhon Ratchasima, was built in the 17th century by order of the King Narai , as the easternmost "command post", guarding the kingdom's border. Nakhon Ratchasima has long been the most important political and economic centre in the northeastern region.
