# Pakxan

> city

**Wikidata**: [Q1020309](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1020309)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakxan)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/pakxan

## Summary

Pakxan (also spelled Paksan or Paksane) is a city in central Laos and the capital of Bolikhamsai Province. Located at coordinates 18.383°N latitude and 103.667°E longitude, the city sits at an elevation of 153 metres above sea level and serves as both an administrative centre and a border city within Laos. The city is also the seat of Paksane District and is home to a diverse international presence, with Wikipedia articles available in 22 languages.

## Key Facts

- **Official Name**: ປາກຊັນ (Lao script), transliterated as Pāksan
- **Alternative Spellings**: Paksan, Paksane
- **Country**: Laos
- **Administrative Status**: Capital of Bolikhamsai Province
- **District**: Paksane District (the city is also identified as said to be the same as Paksane District)
- **Coordinates**: Latitude 18.383055555556°, Longitude 103.66694444444°
- **Elevation**: 153 metres above sea level
- **Classification**: City, border city, district of Laos
- **Geonames ID**: 1655140
- **GNS Unique Feature ID**: -2666388
- **OpenStreetMap Node ID**: 122511459
- **Freebase ID**: /m/0ds8q2p
- **Who's on First ID**: 890433791
- **Wikipedia Languages**: 22 languages including English, French, German, Russian, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Khmer, and others
- **Sitelink Count**: 25
- **Image**: NR13S, Laos.jpg (Wikimedia Commons)
- **Page Banner**: Paksan_banner.jpg (Wikimedia Commons)
- **Commons Category**: Paksan

## FAQs

**What is Pakxan known for as an administrative centre?**
Pakxan serves as the capital city of Bolikhamsai Province in central Laos, making it a key administrative hub for the region. It is also the seat of Paksane District, functioning as both a provincial capital and a district-level administrative centre.

**Where exactly is Pakxan located geographically?**
Pakxan is situated in central Laos at coordinates 18.383°N latitude and 103.667°E longitude, positioned at an elevation of 153 metres above sea level in Bolikhamsai Province.

**What is the significance of Pakxan being a "border city"?**
As a border city, Pakxan likely serves as an important point of connection between Laos and neighbouring regions, facilitating trade, transportation, and cultural exchange. This classification indicates its strategic importance in regional logistics and cross-border activities.

**How many languages have Wikipedia articles about Pakxan?**
Pakxan has Wikipedia coverage in 22 different languages, including Arabic, Belarusian, Cebuano, German, English, Esperanto, Persian, French, Hebrew, Italian, Georgian, Khmer, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese, War, Georgian (Xmf), and Chinese, reflecting its international relevance.

**What identification codes are used to reference Pakxan in databases?**
Pakxan is catalogued in multiple international databases with specific identifiers: Geonames ID 1655140, GNS Unique Feature ID -2666388, OpenStreetMap Node ID 122511459, Freebase ID /m/0ds8q2p, and Who's on First ID 890433791.

## Why It Matters

Pakxan matters as a provincial capital in central Laos because it serves as a critical administrative, economic, and transportation hub for the Bolikhamsai Province. Its designation as a border city underscores its strategic importance in regional trade routes and cross-border connectivity with neighbouring countries. The city's elevation at 153 metres places it in a transitional zone between Laos's mountainous northern regions and its southern lowlands, making it a key waypoint for transportation networks traversing the country.

The presence of Wikipedia coverage in 22 languages demonstrates that Pakxan has sufficient international relevance to warrant documentation in multiple linguistic contexts—a rarity for smaller regional cities. Its inclusion in major geospatial databases including Geonames, OpenStreetMap, and the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (GNS) confirms its status as a verified, mappable location of interest for researchers, travelers, and mapping applications worldwide.

As the seat of both a provincial government and a district administration, Pakxan plays a direct role in local governance, public service delivery, and regional development planning for hundreds of thousands of residents in the surrounding area.

## Notable For

- Serves as the provincial capital of Bolikhamsai Province, one of Laos's key central provinces
- Classified as both a city and a border city, indicating dual administrative and strategic importance
- Has official Wikipedia coverage in 22 languages, reflecting unusual international documentation for a regional city
- Listed in five major geospatial and knowledge graph databases (Geonames, GNS, OpenStreetMap, Freebase, Who's on First)
- Native name uses Lao script (ປາກຊັນ), preserving local linguistic heritage
- Has dedicated Wikimedia Commons visual assets including a banner image and photography
- Identified as the same entity as Paksane District, indicating administrative consolidation

## Body

### Geography and Location

Pakxan occupies a strategic position in central Laos at coordinates 18.383055555556° north latitude and 103.66694444444° east longitude. The city sits at an elevation of 153 metres above sea level, placing it in a transitional geographical zone between the mountainous northern regions of Laos and the more low-lying southern areas. This elevation profile contributes to the city's accessibility by road and its suitability as a regional transportation hub.

The city is located within Bolikhamsai Province, one of Laos's 17 provinces, and serves as the provincial capital. Additionally, Pakxan is the administrative centre of Paksane District, with the entity being identified as "said to be the same as" Paksane District in authoritative sources, indicating that the city and district share administrative functions or boundaries.

### Administrative Structure

As the capital of Bolikhamsai Province, Pakxan functions as the primary administrative centre for regional governance. The city houses provincial government offices, judicial institutions, and administrative facilities that serve the provincial population. Its dual role as both a provincial capital and district seat creates a layered administrative structure where local and regional governance converge.

The classification of Pakxan as a "border city" suggests it occupies a position near international boundaries or serves as a gateway for cross-border activities, though the precise border relationship would require additional contextual information about neighbouring administrative regions.

### International Identification and Database References

Pakxan is catalogued across multiple international geospatial and knowledge management systems, each providing unique identification codes:

The **Geonames ID 1655140** references the city's entry in the GeoNames geographical database, which contains over 11 million geographical features worldwide. The **GNS Unique Feature ID -2666388** comes from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's Geographic Names Information System, the U.S. authoritative source for geographical naming standards.

The **OpenStreetMap Node ID 122511459** indicates the city's presence in the collaborative mapping project, meaning Pakxan appears as a mapped point of interest in one of the world's largest open-source cartographic databases. The **Freebase ID /m/0ds8q2p** references the city's entry in Google's former open knowledge base, while the **Who's on First ID 890433791** identifies it in the open-source gazetteer maintained by the Mapzen/Spinframe project.

### Digital Presence and Wikimedia Coverage

Pakxan maintains a significant presence across Wikimedia platforms, demonstrating its documentation in global knowledge repositories. The city has Wikipedia articles available in 22 languages, ranging from widely spoken languages (English, French, German, Russian, Chinese, Arabic) to regional languages (Thai, Vietnamese, Khmer) and constructed languages (Esperanto).

The sitelink count of 25 indicates the total number of Wikipedia language editions linking to or containing articles about Pakxan. The city's Wikimedia Commons category ("Paksan") houses visual media, including a banner image (Paksan_banner.jpg) and a photograph (NR13S, Laos.jpg) that provide visual documentation of the location.

The Yale Lux ID (place/ed81d8e7-6df4-4f07-9c2e-a8d2cdba410e) suggests the city's inclusion in Yale University's Place Names project, an academic resource for geographical research.

### Linguistic and Cultural Identity

The native name for the city is written as ປາກຊັນ in Lao script, transliterated as Pāksan. This native naming preserves the city's linguistic heritage within the Lao writing system. Alternative romanizations include "Paksan" and "Paksane," reflecting different transliteration conventions used in English-language documentation.

The city's identity encompasses multiple designations—it is classified as a city, a border city, and a district of Laos—each designation reflecting different aspects of its administrative function, geographical position, and regional classification.

### Geospatial Context

The combination of Pakxan's coordinates (18.383°N, 103.667°E) places it in central-eastern Laos, relatively close to the border with Vietnam to the northeast. The elevation of 153 metres above sea level indicates a relatively flat terrain suitable for agriculture, settlement, and infrastructure development. This elevation is notably lower than the mountainous northern provinces of Laos but higher than the southern lowland regions, positioning Pakxan in a geographically transitional zone.

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
2. GeoNames