Ubon Ratchathani

History

The city was founded in the late 18th century by Thao Kham Phong (), a descendant of Phra Wo and Phra Ta, who fled the authority of King Siribounyasan of Vientiane into the Kingdom of Siam during the reign of King Taksin the Great, and later took the title "Phra Pathum Wongsa" () as the settlement's first ruler. In 1792, King Rama I formally granted the settlement provincial status, making Ubon Ratchathani the administrative center of the Isan monthon. Ubon Ratchathani grew substantially during World War II, when Japanese forces used the railway to bring in Allied prisoners of war evacuated from work on the Burma Railway near Kanchanaburi. In the city's central Thung Si Mueang Park, former Allied POWs erected the "Monument of Goodness" () in gratitude to local residents who had assisted them during their captivity. During the Vietnam War, the United States Air Force established a major presence at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB) on the outskirts of the city. The 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, flying F-4 Phantom II aircraft, was the host wing from December 1965 into the mid-1970s, and its pilots were credited with numerous aerial victories over North Vietnamese fighters, earning the wing recognition as one of the top-scoring US fighter units of the war. The Royal Australian Air Force also maintained a detachment of CAC Sabre fighters at the base (No. 79 Squadron) from 1962 to 1968, providing air defence for allied aircraft stationed there.

Geography

Ubon Ratchathani City Municipality is the administrative seat of both Ubon Ratchathani Province and Mueang Ubon Ratchathani District. The city sits at an elevation of approximately above sea level. The straight-line distance to Bangkok is approximately , The city occupies the north bank of the Mun River, while the neighbouring town of Warin Chamrap — administratively a separate municipality within Warin Chamrap District — spans the south bank and forms part of the same contiguous urban area. The two are linked by road bridges across the river, with the city centre organised around Thung Si Mueang Park.

Most-observed species

• Common Myna

  Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  69
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  62
• Zebra Dove

  Geopelia striata (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  62
• Green Bee-eater

  Merops orientalis Latham, 1801 · Aves
  61
• Great Myna

  Acridotheres grandis Moore, 1858 · Aves
  59
• Brahminy Kite

  Haliastur indus (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  49
• Ashy Woodswallow

  Artamus fuscus Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  45
• Greater Coucal

  Centropus sinensis (Stephens, 1815) · Aves
  43