Surin 7.12

Surin is a town in Thailand, capital of Surin province, east-north-east of Bangkok. It is the site of the annual Surin Elephant Round-up. In 2000, Surin had a population of 41,582.EtymologyThe first part of the name Sur- originates from the Sanskrit word Sura (Devanagari: सुर) meaning "God" (cf. Asura), and the second part -in(thara) from Sanskrit is "Indra" (Devanagari: इन्द्र). Hence the name of the province literally means Lord Indra.GeographyIn the north of the province is the valley of the Mun river, a tributary of the Mekong. To the south of the province is the Dongrek mountain chain, which also forms the boundary to Cambodia. The central and northern parts of the province are undulating flood plains.ClimateSurin has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw). Winters are dry and warm. Temperatures rise until April, which is hot with the average daily maximum at 35.9°C. The monsoon season runs from late April through early October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm.HistoryPrehistoryThe earliest settlers in this region were hunter-gatherers. The Neolithic, with the introduction of agriculture, dates from 2,500 to 1,500 years BCE. The Bronze Age dates from 1,500-500 BCE, and the Iron Age from 500 BCE to 500 CE. It is in the Iron Age that the first evidence of human settlement emerges in the province, with approximately sixty known Iron Age sites.