Phra Samut Chedi ( th, พระสมุทรเจดีย์, ) is the westernmost district ('' amphoe'') of Samut Prakan province in central

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

Geography

Neighboring districts are (from the west, clockwise) Bang Khun Thian and Thung Khru of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

, Phra Pradaeng and (across the Chao Phraya River) Mueang Samut Prakan of Samut Prakan Province.

History

The district was created as a minor district (''

king amphoe An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', th, อำเภอ, )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to counti ...

'') on 15 December 1984 by splitting off five ''tambons'' from Mueang district. It was upgraded to a full district on 15 July 1991.

Administration

The district is divided into five sub-districts (''

tambon ''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district ('' amphoe'') and province ('' changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 '' khwaen ...

s''), which are further subdivided into 42 villages ('' mubans''). There are two townships (''

thesaban tambon Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system. The mu ...

s''): Phra Samut Chedi covers ''tambon'' Pak Klong Bang Pla Kot, and Lae Fa Pha covers parts of ''tambons'' Laem Fa Pha and Nai Khlong Bang Pla Kot. There are a further four tambon administrative organizations (TAO), for each ''tambon'' except Pak Klong Bang Pla Kot, which has no non-municipal area.

Environment

The district's coastline has seen severe erosion since the 1990s. Coastal mangrove forests were destroyed then and replaced with shrimp farms. Three to five metres of shoreline has been submerged every year since then, resulting in the loss of 4,000

rai RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

of land to the sea. Thailand lost almost one third of its coastal mangrove forests between 1961 and 2000. According to Thailand's Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, a quarter of the country's shores—about 700 kilometres (500 miles)—are eroding, some "severely".

Places

The district is named after the temple

Phra Samut Chedi 250px, Wat Phra Samut Chedi Wat Phra Samut Chedi ( th, วัดพระสมุทรเจดีย์, ) is an ancient Buddhist temple in Phra Samut Chedi District, Samut Prakan Province, central Thailand. Lined on the Chao Phraya River' ...

, which was built 1827–1828 by King

Buddha Loetla Nabhalai Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai ( th, พระพุทธเลิศหล้านภาลัย, 24 February 1767 – 21 July 1824), personal name Chim ( th, ฉิม), also styled as Rama II, was the second monarch of Siam under the Chakri ...

(Rama II) on an island in the Chao Phraya River—hence its popular name Phra Chedi Klang Nam (' chedi in the middle of the water'). The island is now connected with the left river bank. At the mouth of the Chao Phraya is Chulachomklao Fort, built in 1819 and came into use only once during the Paknam crisis in the same year. The fort is now accessible to visitors. The HTMS ''Maeklong'', a former training ship of the

Royal Thai Navy The Royal Thai Navy ( Abrv: RTN, ทร.; th, กองทัพเรือไทย, ) is the naval warfare force of Thailand. Established in 1906, it was modernised by the Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse (1880–1923) who is known a ...

, is another attraction in the park.

References

External links

amphoe.com

1984 establishments in Thailand {{SamutPrakan-geo-stub