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Phetchabun
Phetchabun is a province in lower northern Thailand set in the broad valley of the Pa Sak River, flanked by parallel ridges of the Phetchabun Mountains to east and west. It is notable for Phu Thap Boek, its highest peak, and for the ancient Khmer-era ruins of Si Thep Historical Park.
Phetchabun covers about 12,668 square kilometres and is bordered by Loei and Khon Kaen to the north and east, Chaiyaphum to the southeast, Lopburi and Nakhon Sawan to the south, Phichit and Phitsanulok to the west. The Pa Sak River flows southward through the valley, feeding into the Pasak Cholasit Reservoir. Forest covers about 32.5 percent of the province, and four national parks fall within its boundaries. Phu Thap Boek in the northeast rises to over 1,768 metres and is renowned for its cool misty climate and strawberry farms. Si Thep Historical Park near the southern town of Si Thep contains ruins of an ancient city inhabited from the 6th to 11th centuries CE with Dvaravati and Khmer influences; it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023. The province has a population of around 1 million people.