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Southern Thailand



 
 
Southern Thailand is a distinct region of Thailand
Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
, connected with the Central
Central Thailand

Central Thailand is a region of Thailand, covering the broad alluvial plain of the Chao Phraya River. It is separated from Isan by the Phetchabun mountains, and another mountain range separates it from Myanmar to the west....
 region by the narrow Kra Isthmus
Kra Isthmus

The Kra Isthmus is the narrow land bridge which connects the Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Asia. The east part of the landbridge belongs to Thailand, while the west part belongs to the Tanintharyi division of Myanmar....
.

hern Thailand is located on the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula

The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a major peninsula located in Southeast Asia. It is also known as the Kra Peninsula and runs approximately north-south through the Kra Isthmus....
, with an area around 70,713 kmē, bounded to the north by Kra Isthmus
Kra Isthmus

The Kra Isthmus is the narrow land bridge which connects the Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Asia. The east part of the landbridge belongs to Thailand, while the west part belongs to the Tanintharyi division of Myanmar....
 as the narrowest part of the peninsula.






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Thailand South
Southern Thailand is a distinct region of Thailand
Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
, connected with the Central
Central Thailand

Central Thailand is a region of Thailand, covering the broad alluvial plain of the Chao Phraya River. It is separated from Isan by the Phetchabun mountains, and another mountain range separates it from Myanmar to the west....
 region by the narrow Kra Isthmus
Kra Isthmus

The Kra Isthmus is the narrow land bridge which connects the Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Asia. The east part of the landbridge belongs to Thailand, while the west part belongs to the Tanintharyi division of Myanmar....
.

Geography

Southern Thailand is located on the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula

The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a major peninsula located in Southeast Asia. It is also known as the Kra Peninsula and runs approximately north-south through the Kra Isthmus....
, with an area around 70,713 kmē, bounded to the north by Kra Isthmus
Kra Isthmus

The Kra Isthmus is the narrow land bridge which connects the Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Asia. The east part of the landbridge belongs to Thailand, while the west part belongs to the Tanintharyi division of Myanmar....
 as the narrowest part of the peninsula. The western part has steeper coasts, while on the east side river plains dominate. The largest river of the south is the Tapi
Tapi River, Thailand

The Tapi river is the longest river in southern Thailand. The river originates at the Khao Luang, and has a wide estuary into the Gulf of Thailand at Bandon Bay near the town of Surat Thani....
 in Surat Thani
Surat Thani Province

Surat Thani is the largest of the Southern Thailand Provinces of Thailand of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh ....
 , which together with the Phum Duang
Phum Duang River

The Phum Duang River is a river in Surat Thani Province, Southern Thailand, the main tributary of the Tapi River, Thailand.The rivers drains an area of 6,125 km? west of the Tapi watershed, mainly the eastern slopes of the Phuket mountain range....
 in Surat Thani
Surat Thani Province

Surat Thani is the largest of the Southern Thailand Provinces of Thailand of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh ....
 drains more than 8,000 kmē, more than 10% of the total area of Southern Thailand. Smaller rivers include the Pattani
Pattani River

Pattani River is a longest river in Southern Thailand, Thailand. It originates in Amphoe Betong, Yala Province and mouths into the Gulf of Thailand at the town Pattani ....
, Saiburi, Krabi
Krabi River

The Krabi River is a river in Southern Thailand, named after the town Krabi. The Krabi river is 5 kilometres long, as it is the main channel within a larger estuary to the Andaman Sea....
 and the Trang. The biggest lake of the south is the Songkhla lake
Songkhla Lake

The Songkhla lake is the largest natural lake of Thailand, located on the Malay peninsula in the southern part of the country. Covering an area of 1,040 square kilometer it borders the provinces of Songkhla Province and Phattalung Province....
 (1,040 kmē altogether), the largest artificial lake is the Chiao Lan (Ratchaprapha dam) with 165 kmē within the Khao Sok
Khao Sok

Khao Sok national park is located in Surat Thani province in Thailand. Its land area is 739 km?, and it includes the Chiao Lan reservoir dammed by the Ratchaprapha dam....
 national park in Surat Thani
Surat Thani Province

Surat Thani is the largest of the Southern Thailand Provinces of Thailand of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh ....
. Surat Thani
Surat Thani Province

Surat Thani is the largest of the Southern Thailand Provinces of Thailand of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh ....
Laoliangphi
Running through the middle of the peninsula are several mountain chains, with the highest elevation at the 1835 m high Khao Luang
Khao Luang

Khao Luang Naional Park is located on the southern peninsula of Thailand in Nakhon Sri Thammarat province. It is named after the tallest mountain in the park which is also the tallest in southern Thailand....
 in the Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. Ranging from the Kra Isthmus till the Phuket island is the Phuket chain
Phuket mountain range

The Phuket mountain range is a mountain range in Thailand.The highest elevation is Khao Lang Kha Tuk with an elevation of 1395 m. As the hills raise directly from the western coast there are no notable rivers west of the ridge....
, which connects to the Tanao Si Mountain Range further north. Almost parallel to the Phuket chain but 100 km to the east is the Nakhon Si Thammarat or Banthat chain
Nakhon Si Thammarat mountain range

The Nakhon Si Thammarat mountain range is a mountain range on the Malay peninsula in southern Thailand, running in north-south direction. The hills begin to the north with the island Ko Pha Ngan in the Gulf of Thailand, and end with the Ko Tarutao archipelago in the Andaman Sea....
, which begins with the Samui island
Ko Samui

Ko Samui island of Surat Thani Province , or often, simply Samui as it is referred to by locals, is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, close to the mainland Surat Thani town....
 Ko Pha Ngan
Ko Pha Ngan

Ko Pha Ngan is an island in the Gulf of Thailand in South East Thailand. It is famous for its full moon party at Haad Rin and as a backpacking destination....
 Ko Tao
Ko Tao

Ko Tao is an island in Thailand located near the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. It covers an area of about 21 km?. Administratively it forms a tambon within the district Ko Pha Ngan of Surat Thani Province....
 in Surat Thani
Surat Thani Province

Surat Thani is the largest of the Southern Thailand Provinces of Thailand of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh ....
 and ends at the Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
n border at the Ko Ta Ru Tao archipelago. The border to Malaysia is formed by the Sankalakhiri range
Sankalakhiri mountain range

The Sankalakhiri mountain range is the natural border between Thailand and Malaysia. Together with the Nakhon Si Thammarat mountain range to the north and the Titiwangsa Mountains to the south it forms the mountainous backbone of the Malay peninsula....
, sometimes subdivided into the Pattani, Taluban and Songkhla chain. At the border to Malaysia begins the Titiwangsa chain
Titiwangsa Mountains

Titiwangsa Mountains is a mountain range that forms the backbone of the Malay Peninsula. The range starts in the north in Southern Thailand, running approximately southeast and ends in the south near Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia....
.

The limestone of the western coast has been eroded into many steep singular hills. Those parts submerged by the rising sea after the last ice age now form the many islands, like the well known Phi Phi Islands
Phi Phi Islands

The Phi Phi Islands are located in Thailand, between the large island of Phuket and the western Andaman Sea coast of the mainland. Phi Phi Don, the larger and principal of the two Phi Phi islands, is located at ....
. Also quite famous is the so-called James Bond Island in the Phang Nga Bay
Phang Nga Bay

Phang Nga Bay is a 400 km? bay in the Andaman Sea between the island of Phuket and the mainland of the Malay peninsula of southern Thailand. Since 1981 a big part of the bay is protected as the Ao Phang Nga National Park....
, which featured in the movie The Man with the Golden Gun
The Man with the Golden Gun (film)

The Man with the Golden Gun is the ninth spy film in the James Bond James Bond , and the second to star Roger Moore as the fictional character Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond ....
.

History

Nakhon Si Thammarat Chedi Phra Baromathat
Borom That Chaiya
The Malay peninsula was settled since prehistoric times. Archeological remains were found in several caves, some used for dwellings, other as burial sites as well. The oldest remains were found in Lang Rongrien cave dating 38,000 to 27,000 years before present, and in the contemporary Moh Khiew cave.

In the first millennium
1st millennium

The first millennium is a period of time that commenced on January 1, 1, and ended on December 31, 1000, of the Julian calendar. This millennium is the beginning of the Anno Domini/Common Era for this calendar as there is no "year zero."...
 Chinese chronicles mention several coastal cities or city-states, however they don't give exact geographical location, so the identification of these cities with the later historical cities is difficult. The most important of these states were Langkasuka
Langkasuka

Langkasuka was an ancient Hinduism Malay people kingdom located in the Malay Peninsula. Another possible source of its name could be the combination of ....
, usually considered a precursor of the Pattani kingdom
Pattani kingdom

Patani is known to have been part of the ancient Srivijayan kingdom. It then covered approximately the area of the modern Thailand provinces of Pattani Province, Yala Province, Narathiwat Province and much of the northern part of modern Malaysia....
; Tambralinga
Tambralinga

Tambralinga was an ancient Malays kingdom located on the Malay Peninsula that at one time came under the influence of Srivijaya. The name had been forgotten until scholars recognized Tambralinga as Nakhon Si Thammarat....
, probably the precursor of the Nakhon Si Thammarat kingdom
Nakhon Si Thammarat kingdom

Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom was one of the major constituent city states of the Siamese kingdoms of Sukhothai kingdom and later Ayutthaya kingdom and controlled a big part of the Malay peninsula....
, or P'an-p'an
Pan Pan

Pan Pan is a lost small Hindu Kingdom believed to have existed around 3rd-7th Century CE., somewhere in Kelantan or Terengganu, Malaysia. Little is known about this kingdom....
 in Phunphin district Surat Thani, probably located at the Bandon Bay
Bandon Bay

Bandon Bay is a bay in the Gulf of Thailand in the Surat Thani Province, extending from the Sui cape in Amphoe Chaiya in the northwest to the Amphoe Kanchanadit to the east....
 Tapi River
Tapi River, Thailand

The Tapi river is the longest river in southern Thailand. The river originates at the Khao Luang, and has a wide estuary into the Gulf of Thailand at Bandon Bay near the town of Surat Thani....
. The cities were highly influenced by Indian culture, and have adopted Brahman
Brahman

Brahman is a concept of Hinduism. Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, Immanence, and transcendence reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe....
 or Buddhist religion. When Srivijaya
Srivijaya

Srivijaya or Sriwijaya was an ancient Malays kingdom on the island of Sumatra, Southeast Asia which influenced much of the Malay Archipelago. The earliest solid proof of its existence dates from the 7th century; a Chinese monk, I-Tsing, wrote that he visited Srivijaya in 671 for 6 months....
 in Chaiya
Chaiya

Chaiya is a district and town in southern Thailand in Surat Thani Province. The town itself has a population of 13,133 , while the whole district has a population of 47,750....
 extended its sphere of influence, those cities became tributary states of Srivijaya.The city Chaiya
Chaiya

Chaiya is a district and town in southern Thailand in Surat Thani Province. The town itself has a population of 13,133 , while the whole district has a population of 47,750....
 in Surat Thani Province
Surat Thani Province

Surat Thani is the largest of the Southern Thailand Provinces of Thailand of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh ....
 contains several ruins from Srivijaya times, and was probably a regional capital of the kingdom. Some Thai historians even claim that it was the capital of the kingdom itself for some time, but this is generally disputed.

After Srivijaya lost its influence, Nakhon Si Thammarat became the dominant kingdom of the area. During the rule of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great
Ramkhamhaeng the Great

Ram Khamhaeng was the third king of the Phra Ruang dynasty, ruling the Sukhothai Kingdom from 1279-1298, during its most prosperous era. He is credited with the creation of the Thai alphabet and the firm establishment of Theravada Buddhism as the state religion of the kingdom....
 of Sukhothai
Sukhothai kingdom

The Sukhothai kingdom was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai , in north central Thailand. It existed from 1238 till 1438. The old capital, now 12 km outside of New Sukhothai in Tambon Mueang Kao, is in ruins and is a Sukhothai historic park....
, Thai influence first reached Nakhon Si Thammarat. According to the Ramkhamhaeng inscription Nakhon was even a tributary state of Sukhothai. During most of the later history Nakhon became a tributary of Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya kingdom

The kingdom of Ayutthaya was a Thai people kingdom that existed from 1351 to 1767. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Han Chinese, Vietnamese , Indo-Aryans, Japanese people and Persians, and later the Portuguese people, Spanish people, Dutch and French people, permitting them to set up villages outside the city wa...
.

The deep south belonged to the Malay sultanates of Pattani
Pattani kingdom

Patani is known to have been part of the ancient Srivijayan kingdom. It then covered approximately the area of the modern Thailand provinces of Pattani Province, Yala Province, Narathiwat Province and much of the northern part of modern Malaysia....
 and Kedah
Kedah

Kedah is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of 9,425 km?, and consists mostly of flat areas growing rice, plus the island of Langkawi....
, while the northernmost part of the peninsula was under direct control of Bangkok.

During the thesaphiban reforms at the end of the 19th century, both Nakhon Si Thammarat as well as Pattani were finally incorporated into the central state. The area was subdivided into 5 monthon
Monthon

A monthon was a country subdivision of Thailand in the beginning of the 20th century. They were created as a part of the thesaphiban administrative system, introduced by Prince Damrong Rajanubhab....
, which were installed to control the city states (mueang
Mueang

Mueang , Muang , Mu?ng or Mong were semi-independent city-states or principalities in present-day Thailand, Laos and the Shan State of Myanmar....
). Minor mueang were merged into larger ones, thus forming the present 14 provinces. With the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909
Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909

The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 or Bangkok Treaty of 1909 was a treaty between the United Kingdom and Thailand signed on March 101909 in Bangkok....
 the boundary to Malaysia was fixed. Kedah came under British control, while Pattani stayed with Siam.

Administration

Thailand South Numbered
Usually the south is identified with the 14 provinces (Nov 1, 2008)
Nr.NameThai
Thai alphabet

The Thai alphabet is used to write the Thai language and other :Category:Languages of Thailands in Thailand. It has forty-four consonants , fifteen vowel symbols that combine into at least twenty-eight vowel forms, and four tone marks ....
AreaInh.
Population

File:Population density.pngIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings....
DensityGPP(THB)(2007)GPP/capita(2007)
1.Chumphon
Chumphon Province

Chumphon is one of the southern Provinces of Thailand of Thailand, at the shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Surat Thani Province and Ranong Province....
?????6,009.00485,71380.8345,58092,192
2.Krabi
Krabi Province

Krabi is one of the southern Provinces of Thailand of Thailand, at the shore of the Andaman Sea.Neighboring provinces are Phang Nga province, Surat Thani province, Nakhon Si Thammarat province and Trang province....
??????4,708.00417,73588.7341,383108,629
3.Nakhon Si Thammarat
Nakhon Si Thammarat Province

Nakhon Si Thammarat is one of the southern Provinces of Thailand of Thailand, at the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Songkhla Province, Phatthalung Province, Trang Province, Krabi Province and Surat Thani Province....
?????????????9,942.501,512,249152.10123,61473,960
4.Narathiwat
Narathiwat Province

Narathiwat is one of the southern Provinces of Thailand of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Yala Province and Pattani Province. To the south it borders the Malaysian state of Kelantan....
????????4,475.00718,724160.6146,46862,625
5.Pattani
Pattani Province

Pattani is one of the southern Provinces of Thailand of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Narathiwat Province, Yala Province and Songkhla Province....
???????1,940.40641,187330.4439,53459,618
6.Phang Nga
Phang Nga Province

Phang Nga is one of the southern Provinces of Thailand of Thailand, on the shore to the Andaman Sea. Neighboring provinces are Ranong province, Surat Thani province and Krabi province....
?????4,170.00250,07959.9729,828114,988
7.Phatthalung
Phatthalung Province

Phatthalung is one of the southern Provinces of Thailand of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Songkhla Province, Satun Province and Trang Province....
??????3,423.50504,470147.3633,25960,677
8.Phuket
Phuket Province

Phuket is one of the southern Provinces of Thailand of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are Phang Nga province and Krabi province, but as Phuket is an island there are no land boundaries....
??????543.00325,586599.6162,055214,621
9.Ranong
Ranong Province

Ranong is one of the southern Provinces of Thailand of Thailand, at the shore to the Andaman Sea. It is the province with the fewest citizens....
?????3,298.00191,74458.1417,30994,640
10.Satun
Satun Province

Satun is one of the southern Provinces of Thailand of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Trang Province, Phatthalung Province and Songkhla Province....
????2,479.00287,866116.1227,21797,614
11.Songkhla
Songkhla Province

Songkhla is the one of the southern Provinces of Thailand of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Satun Province, Phatthalung Province, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Pattani Province and Yala Province....
?????7,393.901,329,635179.69168,611119,620
12.Surat Thani
Surat Thani Province

Surat Thani is the largest of the Southern Thailand Provinces of Thailand of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh ....
????????????12,891.50981,59576.14122,398125,651
13.Trang
Trang Province

Trang is the one of the southern Provinces of Thailand of Thailand, at the western shore of the Malay Peninsula to the Andaman Sea. Neighboring provinces are Krabi Province, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Phatthalung Province and Satun Province....
????4,917.50614,222124.9162,91294,863
14.Yala
Yala Province

Yala is the southernmost Provinces of Thailand of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Songkhla province, Pattani province and Narathiwat province....
????4,521.10474,559104.9739,19884,614


Demography

Southern Thailand has around 8.734 million inhabitants and its population density is around 126 inh/kmē.

'Ten Major Cities in Southern Thailand'
Nr.NameInh.
Population

File:Population density.pngIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings....
Metropolitan
1.Hat Yai
Hat Yai

Hat Yai is a city in southern Thailand near the boundary to Malaysia. Geographical location . With a population of 157,359 in the core city and about 800,000 in the Greater Hat Yai, Hat Yai is the biggest city of the Songkhla Province and the largest metropolitan area in Southern Thailand, and is thus often mistaken as being the capital of...
157,359801,747 in Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area
Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area

The Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area is an urban corridor in Southern Thailand's Songkhla Province between two cities--Hat Yai, the commercial center of the province and the region, and Songkhla, the provincial capital....
 Songkla Province.
2.Surat Thani
Surat Thani Province

Surat Thani is the largest of the Southern Thailand Provinces of Thailand of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh ....
126,280358,000 in Surat Thani Metropolitan Area
3.Nakhon Si Thammarat
Nakhon Si Thammarat

Nakhon Si Thammarat is a town in southern Thailand, capital of the Nakhon Si Thammarat Province and the Amphoe Mueang Nakhon Si Thammarat. It is about 610 km south of Bangkok, on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula....
108,139280,000 in Amphoe Mueang Nakhon Si Thammarat
Amphoe Mueang Nakhon Si Thammarat

Nakhon Si Thammarat is the capital district of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in southern Thailand....
.
4.Phuket75,971325,600 on Phuket Metropolitan Area.
5.Songkhla
Songkhla

Songkhla is a city in the Songkhla Province of southern Thailand, near the border with Malaysia. As of 2006 it had a population of 75,048. The city is a part of Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area....
73,835801,747 in Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area
Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area

The Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area is an urban corridor in Southern Thailand's Songkhla Province between two cities--Hat Yai, the commercial center of the province and the region, and Songkhla, the provincial capital....
.
6.Yala
Yala, Thailand

Yala is a city in the extreme south of Thailand near the Malaysian border, and is administrative capital of Yala Province. The 2005 estimated population was 65,000....
63,640 
7.Trang
Trang

Trang is the Capital of Trang Province, Thailand. The city has a population of 59,637 and covers the whole tambon Thap Thiang of Amphoe Mueang Trang....
61,067 
8.Ko Samui
Ko Samui

Ko Samui island of Surat Thani Province , or often, simply Samui as it is referred to by locals, is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, close to the mainland Surat Thani town....
51,044 Surat Thani Province.
9.Ko Hong43,989801,747 in Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area
Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area

The Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area is an urban corridor in Southern Thailand's Songkhla Province between two cities--Hat Yai, the commercial center of the province and the region, and Songkhla, the provincial capital....
.
10.Pattani
Pattani (town)

Pattani is a town in the far south of Thailand, near the boundary to Malaysia. It is the capital of the Pattani Province. The city has a population of 43,631 ....
43,255 


More : List of metropolitan areas in Thailand by population
List of metropolitan areas in Thailand by population

This is a list of metropolitan areas in Thailand by population....


Economy

Main article GPP of Southern Thailand
GPP of Southern Thailand

GPPGPP of Southern Thailand show in table below.GPP per capitaGPP per capita in 2007, shown in THB...


In 2007, Southern Thailand had the GRP (Gross Regional Product) about 859,325 million Baht (25,274.06 million USD). The regional economic hubs of the region are Hat Yai City
Hat Yai

Hat Yai is a city in southern Thailand near the boundary to Malaysia. Geographical location . With a population of 157,359 in the core city and about 800,000 in the Greater Hat Yai, Hat Yai is the biggest city of the Songkhla Province and the largest metropolitan area in Southern Thailand, and is thus often mistaken as being the capital of...
 for Lower Southern, Surat Thani City
Surat Thani Province

Surat Thani is the largest of the Southern Thailand Provinces of Thailand of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh ....
 for Upper Southern and Phuket City for Westcoast Southern.

Transportation


Southern Thailand is connected with Bangkok, the economic center of Thailand, by railway as well as highway. Also several regional airports are located at the larger towns. The main transportation hub of all southern Thailand is Hat Yai, which developed from a small village to the current city within few decades.

Road

Phetkasem Road is the longest road in Thailand, running from Bangkok along the Kra Isthmus and then at the western coast of the peninsula. From Trang it crosses over to the eastern coast to Hat Yai, and then ends at the Malaysian border.

Two Asian highways run through southern Thailand. Asian highway 2
AH2

The AH2 is a road in the Asian Highway Network running 8230 miles from Denpasar, Indonesia to Khosravi, Iran. The route is as follows:...
 runs mostly parallel to the railroad all the way from Bangkok. It crosses to Malaysia at Sadao
Sadao

Sadao may refer to:...
, and continues on the western part of the peninsula. Asian highway 18
AH18

Asian Highway Route is a highway route included in Asian Highway Network, running from Haadyai in Thailand to Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Route runs along main eastern coastial road in southern Thailand and also along Malaysia Federal Route 3 of Malaysia....
 begins in Hat Yai and runs south along the eastern coast, crossing to Malaysia at Sungai Kolok.

Rail

The southern railway
State Railway of Thailand

The State Railway of Thailand is the state-owned rail operator of Thailand. The network sees around 50 million passengers per annum....
 also connects Bangkok to Hat Yai, and continues from there to Su-ngai Kolok. There are a branch from Ban Thung Phoe Junction to Kirirat Nikhom, two smaller branches of the railway run from Thung Song to Trang and Nakhon Si Thammarat, and from Hat Yai Junction to Malaysia and Singapore.

Air

Southern Thailand has 5 international airports and 6 domestic airports named as follows.
  • Phuket International Airport
    Phuket International Airport

    Phuket International Airport is an airport serving the Phuket Province of Thailand. It is located in the north of Phuket Island, 32 kilometres from the centre of Phuket City....
     (with international service)
  • Hat Yai International Airport
    Hat Yai International Airport

    Hat Yai International Airport is the major southern hub airport in Hat Yai, Thailand. It is under management of Airports of Thailand, PCL. It is also an important gateway for Muslims on their annual pilgrimage to Mecca....
  • Krabi International Airport
    Krabi Airport

    Krabi Airport , is the airport serving Krabi, Thailand - about 7 km from the city center....
  • Surat Thani International Airport
    Surat Thani Airport

    Surat Thani Airport is in Phunphin district, Surat Thani province, Thailand. The airport, which is located 21 km west of Surat Thani, is also the Wing 7 Airforce base....
  • Koh Samui International Airport
    Samui Airport

    Samui Airport , also known as Ko Samui Airport or Koh Samui Airport, is a privately owned airport on the island of Ko Samui in Thailand....
     (with international service)
  • Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport
    Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport

    Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport is an airport serving Nakhon Si Thammarat, a town in the Nakhon Si Thammarat Province of Thailand. Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport is located in Muang district Nakhon Si Thammarat Province away from city of Nakhon Si Thammarat 14 Kilometers....
  • Trang Airport
    Trang Airport

    Trang Airport is located in Tambon Khok Lo, Amphoe Mueang Trang, Trang Province, 7 Kilometre away from city of Trang....
  • Narathiwat Airport
    Narathiwat Airport

    Narathiwat Airport is an airport in Narathiwat Province, Thailand....
  • Chumphon Airport
  • Ranong Airport
    Ranong Airport

    Ranong Airport is an airport serving Ranong, a town in the Ranong Province of Thailand....
  • Pattani Airport


See also

  • South Thailand insurgency
    South Thailand insurgency

    The South Thailand insurgency is a separatist campaign of Islamic terrorism, which is taking place in the predominantly Malay Pattani , made up of the three southernmost provinces of Thailand, with violence increasingly spilling over into other provinces....
  • Yawi language