A province in the North of Thailand bordering Laos, Uttaradit has a long history dating back to pre-historic times. The site of the "modern" town, then called Bang Pho Tha It, was located on the right bank of the Nan River during the Dvaravati or Lavo periods, prior to Lanna and Sukhothai, when it flourished as a commercial port until King Rama V elevated its status into a province and re-named it Uttaradit, literally "the Port of the North".