Southern Thailand is a distinct region of Thailand, connected with the Central region by the narrow Kra Isthmus. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Central Thailand is a region of Thailand, covering the broad alluvial plain of the Chao Phraya River. ... The Isthmus of Kra The Kra Isthmus is the narrow landbridge which connects the Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Asia. ...

Geography

Southern Thailand is located on the Malay Peninsula, with an area around 70,713 km², bounded to the north by Kra Isthmus 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, which together with the Phum Duang drains more than 8,000 km², more than 10% of the total area of Southern Thailand. Smaller rivers include the Pattani, Saiburi river and the Trang. The biggest lake of the south is the Songkhla lake (1,040 km² altogether), the largest artificial lake is the Chiao Lan (Ratchaprapha dam) with 165 km² within the Khao Sok national park. The Malay Peninsula (Malay: Semenanjung Tanah Melayu) is a major peninsula located in Southeast Asia. ... The Isthmus of Kra The Kra Isthmus is the narrow landbridge which connects the Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Asia. ... Waterfront in Surat Thani The Tapi (or Tapee) river (Thai: แม่น้ำตาปี) is the biggest river of Southern Thailand. ... The Songkhla lake is the largest natural lake of Thailand, located on the Malay peninsula in the southern part of the country. ... Khao Sok national park is located in Surat Thani province in Thailand. ...

Running through the middle of the peninsula are several mountain chains, with the highest elevation at the 1835 m high Khao Luang in the Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. Ranging from the Kra Isthmus till the Phuket island is the Phuket chain, which connects to the Tanao Si Mountain Range further north. Almost parallel to the Phuket chain but 100km to the east is the Nakhon Si Thammarat or Banthat chain, which begins with the Samui island and ends at the Malaysian border at the Ko Ta Ru Tao archipelago. The border to Malaysia is formed by the San Kala Khiri range, sometimes subdivided into the Pattani, Taluban and Songkhla chain. At the border to Malaysia begins the Titiwangsa chain. Phuket (Thai ภูเก็ต) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Na Thon viewed from the mountain jungle Ko Samui (or Koh Samui, Thai เกาะสมุย) is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, close to the mainland Surat Thani town. ... Titiwangsa mountain range is the end of Himalaya, located in Malaysian peninsula. ...

History

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 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, usually considered a precursor of the Pattani kingdom; Tambralinga, probably the precursor of the Nakhon Si Thammarat kingdom, or P'an-p'an, probably located at the Bandon Bay. The cities were highly influenced by Indian culture, and have adopted Brahman or Buddhist religion. When Srivijaya extended its sphere of influence, those cities became tributary states of Srivijaya. (1st millennium BC – 1st millennium – 2nd millennium – other millennia) Events Beginning of Christianity (30s) and Islam (7th century) London founded by Romans as Londinium Diaspora of the Jews The Olympic Games observed until 393 The Library of Alexandria, largest library in the world, burned Rise and fall of the Roman... Langkasuka (-langkha Sanskrit for resplendent land -sukkha of bliss) was apparently the oldest kingdom on the Malay peninsula. ... The Kingdom of Pattani was a Malay state approximately covering the area of the modern Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. ... Nakhon Si Thammarat (Thai นครศรีธรรมราช) is a town in southern Thailand, capital of the Nakhon Si Thammarat province. ... Bandon Bay (Thai: อ่าวบ้านดอน) is a bay in the Gulf of Thailand in the Surat Thani Province, extending from the Chaiya district in the northwest to the Don Sak district to the east. ... Here the underlined vowels carry the Vedic Sanskrit udātta pitch accent. ... Statues of Buddha such as this, the Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. ... Srivijaya (-sri meaning glitters or radiant, -jaya meaning success or excellence) was an ancient Malay kingdom on the island of Sumatra which influenced much of the Malay Archipelago. ...

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 was even a tributary state of Sukhothai. During most of the later history Nakhon was a tributary of Ayutthaya. Statue of King Ramkhamhaeng Ramkhamhaeng the Great (c. ... The Sukhothai kingdom was a kingdom in the north of Thailand around the city Sukhothai. ... The kingdom of Ayutthaya was a Thai kingdom that existed from the 1350 to 1767. ...

The deep south belonged to the Malay sultanates of Pattani and Kedah. The Kingdom of Pattani was a Malay state approximately covering the area of the modern Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. ... State motto: no State motto Capital Alor Star Royal Capital Anak Bukit Sultan Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Chief Minister Syed Razak Syed Zain Barakbah Area 9,426 km2 Population  - Est year 2000 1 572 107 State anthem Allah Selamatkan Sultan Mahkota Kedah (Jawi:قدح, pop. ...

Administration

Usually the south is identified with the 14 provinces Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

In the most common sense of the word, a population is the collection of people—or organisms of a particular species—living in a given geographic area. ... Geography Chumphon is located on the Isthmus of Kra, the narrow landbridge connecting the Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Thailand. ... Phuket (Thai ภูเก็ต) (formerly known as Tha-Laang or Talang) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Krabi (Thai กระบี่) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, at the shore of the Andaman Sea. ... Ranong (Thai ระนอง) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, at the shore to the Andaman Sea. ... Nakhon Si Thammarat (often in short Nakhon, Thai นครศรีธรรมราช) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, at the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. ... á Satun (Thai สตูล) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Narathiwat (Thai นราธิวาส) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Songkhla (Thai สงขลา) is the one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Pattani (Thai ปัตตานี) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Surat Thani (often in short Surat, Thai สุราษฎร์ธานี) is the largest of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. ... Phang Nga (Thai พังงา) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, on the shore to the Andaman Sea. ... Trang (also Muang Thap Thiang, Thai ตรัง) is the one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, at the western shore of the Andaman Sea. ... Phattalung (Thai พัทลุง) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Yala (Thai ยะลา) is the southernmost province (changwat) of Thailand. ...

Demography

Southern Thailand has around 8.6 millions inhabitant and its population density is around 122 inh/km².

'10 Major City in Southern'

In the most common sense of the word, a population is the collection of people—or organisms of a particular species—living in a given geographic area. ... Hat Yai (also Haad Yai) (Thai หาดใหญ่) is a city in southern Thailand near the boundary to Malaysia. ... Surat Thani (Thai สุราษฎร์ธานี) is a city in southern Thailand. ... Songkhla is both a city and a province in Thailand. ... Phuket (Thai ภูเก็ต) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Yala can refer to several things: Yala National Park, Sri Lanka Yala province, Thailand Amphoe Mueang Yala, capital of the province Yala Yala language, am African language spoken in the Niger-Congo area This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the... Trang (or Mueang Thap Thiang) is the capital of Trang province, Thailand. ... Mueang Pattani is a city in the far south of Thailand, near the boundary to Malaysia. ... Na Thon viewed from the mountain jungle Ko Samui (or Koh Samui, Thai เกาะสมุย) is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, close to the mainland Surat Thani town. ...

Economy

See also

• Pattani separatism
• South Thailand insurgency

Early History Main article: Pattani kingdom According to many historical sources, the ancient Hindu-Malay empire of Langkasuka was centered in Pattani, today’s southern Thailand, which encompasses of modern Malaysia states Kelantan, Terengganu and northern Kedah, as well as modern Thai provinces of Pattani (Patani in Malay) , Yala (Jala... Flag of Pattani Raya, a symbol of Pattani separatism The South Thailand insurgency is a separatist campaign centered in the three southern provinces of Thailand, with violence increasingly spilling over into neighbouring provinces and threatening to extend up to the national capital in Bangkok. ...

References

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