Southern Thailand

Southern Thailand is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus.

Southern Region

ภาคใต้
Region
From upper-left to lower-right: Sunrise Thailand Ko Samui, Tarutao National Park, Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, Rajjaprabha Dam and Phuket City.
Southern Region in Thailand
Largest cityHat Yai
Provinces
Area
 • Total70,714.4 km2 (27,303.0 sq mi)
Population
 (2018)[1]
 • Total9,454,193
 • Density134/km2 (350/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Southern Thai
LanguageSouthern Thai • Pattani Malay • Satun Malay • Mos • Urak Lawoi' • Moklen • Hokkien etc.

Geography
Khao Sok National Park, Surat Thani

Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around 70,714 km2 (27,303 sq mi), bounded to the north by Kra Isthmus, the narrowest part of the peninsula. The western part has highly steep coasts, while on the east side river plains dominate. The largest river of the south is the Tapi in Surat Thani, which together with the Phum Duang in Surat Thani drains more than 8,000 km2 (3,100 sq mi), more than 10 percent of the total area of southern Thailand. Smaller rivers include the Pattani, Saiburi, Krabi, and the Trang. The biggest lake of the south is Songkhla Lake (1,040 km2 (400 sq mi) altogether). The largest artificial lake is the Chiao Lan (Ratchaprapha Dam), occupying 165 km2 (64 sq mi) of Khao Sok National Park in Surat Thani.

Ko Lao Liang Phi

Running through the middle of the peninsula are several mountain chains, with the highest elevation at Khao Luang, 1,835 m (6,020 ft), in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. Ranging from the Kra Isthmus to Phuket Island is the Phuket chain, which connects to the Tanao Si Mountain Range further north. Almost parallel to the Phuket chain, but 100 km (60 mi) to the east is the Nakhon Si Thammarat or Banthat chain, which begins with Samui Island, Ko Pha Ngan, and Ko Tao in Surat Thani Province and ends at the Malaysian border at the Ko Ta Ru Tao archipelago. The border with Malaysia is formed by the Sankalakhiri range, sometimes sub-divided into the Pattani, Taluban, and Songkhla chain. At the Malaysian border the Titiwangsa chain rises up.

The limestone of the west coast has been eroded into many steep singular hills. The parts submerged by the rising sea after the last ice age now form many islands, like the well-known Phi Phi Islands. Also well known is the so-called James Bond Island in Phang Nga Bay, featured in the movie The Man with the Golden Gun.

The population of the growing region is projected to be 9,156,000 in 2015, up from 8,871,003 in 2010 (census count and adjusted), despite these figures are adjusted for citizens who have left for Bangkok or who have moved to the region from elsewhere, as well as registered permanent residents (residency was problematic in the prior 2000 census), the figure is still misleading. There are still a huge number of migrant or informal workers, temporary workers, and even stateless people, and a large expatriate population which is not included.[2]

Most of Southern Thailand is in Tenasserim-South Thailand semi-evergreen rain forests ecoregion. The Peninsular Malaysian rain forests and Peninsular Malaysian montane rain forests ecoregions extend into southernmost Thailand along the border with Malaysia.[3]

History
Wat Phra Baromathat, Nakhon Si Thammarat, an old and important temple
Pagoda in Srivijaya-style, Chaiya, Surat Thani
Malay Muslim provinces in Southern Thailand and northern Malaysia.

The Malay peninsula has been settled since prehistoric times. Archeological remains were found in several caves, some used for dwellings, others as burial sites. 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 Chinese chronicles mention several coastal cities or city-states. No exact geographical locations were recorded, so the identification of these cities with later settlements is difficult. The most important of these states were Langkasuka, usually considered a precursor of the Pattani Kingdom; Tambralinga, probably the precursor of the Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom, or P'an-p'an in Phunphin district, Surat Thani, probably located at the Bandon Bay Tapi River. The cities were highly influenced by Indian culture, and have adopted Brahman or Buddhist religion. When Srivijaya in Chaiya extended its sphere of influence, those cities became tributary states of Srivijaya. The city Chaiya in Surat Thani Province 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 disputed.

After Srivijaya lost its influence, Nakhon Si Thammarat became the dominant kingdom of the area. During the rule of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great of Sukhothai, Thai influence first reached Nakhon Si Thammarat. According to the Ramkhamhaeng inscription, Nakhon Si THammarat was a tributary state of Sukhothai. During most of later periods, Nakhon became a tributary of Ayutthaya.

The deep south belonged to the Malay sultanates of Pattani and Kedah, while the northernmost part of the peninsula was under the control of Bangkok.

During the Thesaphiban reforms at the end of the 19th century, both Nakhon Si Thammarat and Pattani were incorporated into the central state. The area was subdivided into 5 monthon, which were installed to control the city states (mueang). Minor mueang were merged into larger ones, thus forming the present 14 provinces. With the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 the boundary to Malaysia was fixed. Kedah came under British control, while Pattani stayed with Siam.

Languages
Main article: Southern Thai language
Main article: Kelantan-Pattani Malay
Main article: Thai language

Althrough Central Thai is sole official language in Thailand and also become effective entire Southern Thailand and everybody can communicated, however this language is third largest native language in Southern Thailand roughly four hundred thousand people, it's only native among Chinese community particularly urban area like Hat Yai and Bandon districts.

The main language is Southern Thai (Thai: ภาษาไทยใต้ [pʰaːsǎː tʰajtâːj]), also known as Pak Thai or Dambro (Thai: ภาษาตามโพร [pʰaːsǎː taːmpʰroː]), which is a southwestern Tai language spoken in the 14 changwat of southern Thailand as well as by small Thai communities in the northernmost Malaysian states. It is spoken by roughly five million people. Second largest language by the 1.5 million speakers is Patani Malay, and other ethnic groups such as the local Negritos communities, and other tribal groups subsequencely.

Administrative divisions
Provinces of the south

The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) identities Southern Thailand as 14 provinces.[4]
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) includes for Southern Thailand (east coast) also the two provinces: Prachuap Khiri Khan and Phetchaburi.[5]

# Name Thai Area Pop.[1] Dens. Annual
income		 Poverty
Ratio		 Coastal
region
1  Chumphon ชุมพร 6,009.0 510,963 85 351,672 5.4% East
2  Krabi กระบี่ 4,709.0 473,738 101 372,132 6.4% West
3  Nakhon Si Thammarat นครศรีธรรมราช 9,942.5 1,560,433 157 301,488 8.1% East
4  Narathiwat นราธิวาส 4,475.0 802,474 179 238,680 37.3% East
5  Pattani ปัตตานี 1,940.4 718,077 370 210,156 36.0% East
6  Phang Nga พังงา 4,170.0 268,240 64 346,104 5.1% West
7  Phatthalung พัทลุง 3,424.5 525,044 153 257,736 14.0% East
8  Phuket ภูเก็ต 543.0 410,211 755 378,000 0.5% West
9  Ranong ระนอง 3,298.0 191,868 58 264,420 16.6% West
10  Satun สตูล 2,479.0 321,574 130 278,496 5.8% West
11  Songkhla สงขลา 7,393.9 1,432,628 194 331,920 8.2% East
12  Surat Thani สุราษฎร์ธานี 12,891.5 1,063,501 83 437,592 1.4% East
13  Trang ตรัง 4,917.5 643,116 131 279,708 15.9% West
14  Yala ยะลา 4,521.1 532,326 118 187,008 21.2% East
Average household annual income in 2015 (Thai baht).[6]
Poverty Ratio in 2016.[7]

Demography

Southern Thailand has 9.454 million inhabitants and its population density is 134 per square kilometre (350/sq mi).[1]

Ten major cities of southern Thailand
No. Name Pop. Metropolitan
1Hat Yai159,627397,379 in Hat Yai District.
2Surat Thani130,114177,242 in Mueang Surat Thani District.
3Nakhon Si Thammarat104,948271,330 in Mueang Nakhon Si Thammarat District.
4Phuket78,923238,866 in Mueang Phuket District.
5Ko Samui65,84782,900 in Ko Samui–Ko Pha Ngan.
6Songkhla64,602163,083 in Mueang Songkhla District.
7Yala61,293167,582 in Mueang Yala District.
8Trang59,999156,115 in Mueang Trang District.
9Pattani44,900130,178 in Mueang Pattani District.
10Narathiwat41,572124,049 in Mueang Narathiwat District.

Economy

The bulk of the southern population relies on agriculture for 27 percent of its gross regional product in 2014. It is followed by industry (12 percent), trade (10 percent), transportation (9 percent), tourism (8 percent), and construction and property (7 percent).[8]

Transportation

Southern Thailand is connected with Bangkok by railway as well as highway. Several regional airports are located at the larger towns. The transportation hub of all south Thailand is Hat Yai.

Road

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

Two Asian highways run through Southern Thailand: Asian Highway 2 runs mostly parallel to the railroad all the way from Bangkok. It crosses to Malaysia at Sadao, and continues on the west side of the peninsula. Asian Highway 18 begins in Hat Yai and runs south along the east coast, crossing to Malaysia at Sungai Kolok.

Ko Samui Airport
Ko Samui Airport runway
Hat Yai Airport

Rail

The southern railway connects Bangkok to Hat Yai, and continues from there to Sungai Kolok. There are branches 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 five international airports and six domestic airports. As of 2018 Thailand's transport ministry is constructing the 1.9 billion baht Betong Airport. It is scheduled for completion in 2020.[9]

See also

Notes

Reports (data) from Thai government are "not copyrightable" (Public Domain), Copyright Act 2537 (1994), section 7.

References
  1. "รายงานสถิติจำนวนประชากรและบ้านประจำปี พ.ศ.2561" [Statistics, population and house statistics for the year 2018]. Registration Office Department of the Interior, Ministry of the Interior (in Thai). 31 December 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  2. http://citypopulation.de/Thailand-Cities.html
  3. Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment. Washington, DC: Island Press.
  4. "Revisions to the Gross Regional and Provincial Product 2016 Edition". nesdb.go.th. The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB). July 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2019. page 35 The South
  5. "Weather - Southern-east coast". tmd.go.th. Thai Meteorological Department. 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  6. ดัชนีความก้าวหน้าของคน ปี2560 [Human Achievement Index - HAI year 2017] (PDF). social.nesdb.go.th (Report) (in Thai). National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB). 2017. pp. 149–165. ISBN 978-974-9769-33-1. Retrieved 14 September 2019, sub 5.64-5.77 section: Average household income per month
  7. ดัชนีความก้าวหน้าของคน ปี2560 [Human Achievement Index - HAI year 2017] (PDF). social.nesdb.go.th (Report) (in Thai). National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB). 2017. pp. 149–165. ISBN 978-974-9769-33-1. Retrieved 14 September 2019, sub 5.64-5.77 section: Poverty Ratio
  8. Wangkiat, Paritta (25 August 2017). "Songkhla power plant sit-in an energy wake-up call". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  9. Sritama, Suchat (27 August 2018). "Better days around the bend". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 27 August 2018.

Further reading
  • Suthiwong Pongpaiboon. Southern Thai Cultural Structures and Dynamics Vis-à-vis Development. ISBN 974-9553-75-6.

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