Maha Sarakham

University town on the Chi River in Thailand's northeastern Isan region, Maha Sarakham has built a reputation as the "Taxila of Isan" — a reference to the ancient Hindu centre of learning — owing to its concentration of colleges and two universities, including Mahasarakham University. The student population gives the downtown area a younger, cosmopolitan energy. The city sits in rice-growing country on the southern Khorat plain, with no airport or railway, so visitors arrive by road or express bus.

• Population51,584
• Nearest water from center0.3 km