Surat Thani. The total forest area is 17,964 km2 (6,936 sq mi) or 24.3 percent of provincial area.[1]
Running through the middle of the peninsula are several mountain chains, with the highest elevation at
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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] 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.[4]
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
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
Ayutthaya
.
The deep south belonged to the Malay sultanates of
, 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 articles:
Negritos communities, and other tribal groups.[citation needed
]
Although
Bandon
districts; their dialect is very similar to the Krungthep dialect (upper class dialect in Bangkok), seasoned with some Southern Thai loanwords.
Administrative divisions
The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) identities Southern Thailand as 14 provinces.[6]
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) includes for Southern Thailand (east coast) also the two provinces: Prachuap Khiri Khan and Phetchaburi.[7]
Thailand is a Buddhist majority country. About 93.46% in Thailand follow Buddhism.[11] Buddhism is the majority religion in Southern Thailand as well. However, Buddhism makes up only 75.45% in Southern Thailand.[10] Thai people follow Theravada Buddhism. Minority ethnic groups such as Khmer also follow Buddhism. 10 out of 14 provinces in Southern Thailand have Buddhist majorities.
Islam constitutes 24.33% of Southern Thailand even though Islam only constitutes 5.36% of the whole country.[10] Islam is mostly followed by Malay people in Southernmost Thailand. There's also a small Thai Muslim population. Islam is the majority religion in the Malay majority in Yala, Pattani, Naratiwat and Satun provinces near Malaysia known as Southernmost Thailand.
Christianity makes up 0.21% of Southern Thailand population.
Sikhism makes up 0.05% in Southern Thailand. Sikhism is followed by Indian immigrants.[10]
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).[12]
For FY 2018, Southern Thailand Region had a combined economic output of 1,402 trillion baht (US$45.2 billion), or 8.6 percent of Thailand's GDP. Surat Thani province had an economic output of 206.869 billion baht (US$6.67 billion). This equates to a GPP per capita of 182,371 baht (US$5,883), more than double for Yala province, which is fifth and more than three times for Narathiwat province, lowest in the ranking.[13]
Gross Provincial Product (GPP)
Rank
Province
GPP (million baht)
Population (x 1000)
GPP per capita (baht)
1
Surat Thani
206,869
1,134
182,371
2
Chumphon
87,746
498
176,200
3
Songkhla
248,386
1,635
151,918
4
Nakhon Si Thammarat
164,375
1,507
109,050
5
Yala
43,006
468
91,815
6
Pattani
48,549
641
75,697
7
Phatthalung
36,006
492
73,213
8
Narathiwat
44,778
721
62,066
East coast
879,715
7,096
123,973
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Gross Provincial Product (GPP)
Rank
Province
GPP (million baht)
Population (x 1000)
GPP per capita (baht)
1
Phuket
234,028
580
403,534
2
Phang-nga
78,493
250
313,919
3
Krabi
86,684
418
207,415
4
Satun
31,215
290
107,505
5
Ranong
28,014
269
103,966
6
Trang
64,586
630
102,589
West coast
523,020
2,437
214,616
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
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
Sungai Kolok
.
Rail
The
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[update] Thailand's transport ministry is constructing the 1.9 billion
Betong Airport. It is scheduled for completion in 2020.[14]
^ ab"ตารางที่ 2 พี้นที่ป่าไม้ แยกรายจังหวัด พ.ศ.2562" [Table 2 Forest area Separate province year 2019]. Royal Forest Department (in Thai). 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2021, information, Forest statistics Year 2019.
^ abc"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. Archived from the original on 14 June 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
^Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment. Washington, DC: Island Press.
ISBN 978-974-9769-33-1. Retrieved 14 September 2019, sub 5.64-5.77 section: Average household income per month{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link
)
ISBN 978-974-9769-33-1. Retrieved 14 September 2019, sub 5.64-5.77 section: Poverty Ratio{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link