Prachuap Khiri Khan (, ) is a town in western

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. It is the capital of

Prachuap Khiri Khan Province Prachuap Khiri Khan (, ) is one of the western Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It is in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula, some south of Bangkok. Neighboring provinces include Phetchaburi province, Phetchabu ...

and is on the coast close to the narrowest stretch in Thailand, only from the

border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

with

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

at Dan Sing Khon in the

Tenasserim Hills The Tenasserim Hills or Tenasserim Range (, ; , , ; ) is the geographical name of a roughly 1,700 km long mountain chain, part of the Indo-Malayan mountain system in Southeast Asia. Despite their relatively scant altitude these mo ...

. The area has large

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...

and

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

industries, in addition to being popular with Thai tourists. The town is 291 km south of Bangkok by road.

History

Prachuap Khiri Khan is home to a

Royal Thai Air Force The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) (; ) is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913 as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force has engaged in numerous major and minor conflicts. During the ...

base, and was an invasion point for Japanese troops on 8 December 1941, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. A commemoration is held each December to honour the 38 Thai airmen and civilians who died in the fighting against the Japanese 143rd Infantry Regiment in the Battle of Prachuap Khiri Khan. On December 5, 2023, a double-decker bus carrying mostly Thai nationals veered off the road and crashed into a tree, which resulted in 14 deaths and 32 injuries.

Climate

Prachuap Khiri Khan has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Aw''). Seasons are not as distinct as in more northerly parts of Thailand; temperatures are quite similar throughout the year and the dry and wet seasons are not as clearly defined, with appreciable rain falling in all months. However, in general the months from December to April are drier with about in each month, while October and November are the wettest months with over each. The other months, from May to September, have an intermediate level of rainfall around .

Transportation

Prachuap Khiri Khan can be reached from

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, 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 estim ...

by train on the Southern Line from

Bangkok railway station Bangkok (Hua Lamphong) railway station (, ) is a list of railway stations in Thailand, railway station in Pathum Wan district, Pathum Wan, the former central station, central passenger terminal in Bangkok and the former railway hub of Thailand. ...

(Hua Lamphong). The main road, which runs past the city from north to south, is Route 4 (

Phetkasem Road Phet Kasem Road (, , ) or Highway 4 (, ) is one of the four primary highways in Thailand, along with Phahonyothin Road (Highway 1), Mittraphap Road (Highway 2), and Sukhumvit Road (Highway 3). At 1,310.554 km, route 4 is the longest highway ...

). To the north, this road connects to

Phetchaburi Phetchaburi (, ) or Phet Buri () is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of Phetchaburi Province. In Thai, Phetchaburi means "city of diamonds" (''buri'' meaning "city" in Sanskrit). It is approximately 160 km south of ...

Ratchaburi Ratchaburi (, ) or Rajburi, Rat Buri) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in western Thailand, capital of Ratchaburi Province. Ratchaburi town covers the entire ''tambon'' Na Mueang (หน้าเมือง) of Mueang Ratchaburi District. As o ...

Nakhon Pathom Nakhon Pathom (, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in central Thailand, the former capital of Nakhon Pathom province. One of the most important landmarks is the giant Phra Pathommachedi. The city is also home to Thailand's only Bhikkhuni temple W ...

and

; to the south, it connects to

Chumphon Chumphon (, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of the Chumphon Province and Mueang Chumphon District. The city is about 463 kilometers (288 miles) from Bangkok. As of 2018 it had a population of around 33,600. The t ...

Ranong Ranong () is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of the Ranong Province and the Mueang Ranong District. The town covers completely the area of the ''tambon'' Khao Niwet (เขานิเวศน์). As of 2024, it had ...

, Phang Nga,

Krabi Krabi (, ) is the capital of and main town in Krabi Province (''thesaban mueang''), on the west coast of southern Thailand, where the Krabi River flows into Phang Nga Bay. The town lies south of Bangkok, and as of 2020, has a population of 32, ...

, Trang,

Phatthalung Phatthalung (, ) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of Phatthalung Province. The town covers ''tambon ''Tambon'' (, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district (''amphoe'') and province ('' changwat' ...

and the border with

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

near Sadao. Prachuap Khiri Khan is served by Prachuap Airport, at the south end of town.

Industry

Australian company ASC and Thai company Silkline International formed a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

to build three Keka-class patrol boats for the

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

at Silkline's yard at Pak Nam Pran in Prachuap Khiri Khan.

Gallery

File:Province Hall Prachuap Khiri Khan 2.jpg, Provincial Hall File:Manaw Panorama1.jpg,

Ao Manao Ao Manao (, ), meaning " Lime Bay", is a bay in the west side of the Gulf of Thailand. It is five kilometres to the south of Prachuap Khiri Khan in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. Geography The bay lies south of Prachuap Bay. It is open towards th ...

Bay File:Old Province Hall Prachuap Khiri Khan.jpg, Old Provincial Hall File:Prachuap Khiri Khan City Pillar Shrine.jpg, Pillar Shrine File:Prachuap Bay at Dawn.jpg,

Prachuap Bay Prachuap Bay (, , ) is a bay in the west side of the Gulf of Siam or Gulf of Thailand. It lies off Prachuap Khiri Khan town, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. Geography Prachuap Bay lies north of Ao Manao and south of Ao Noi. It is open towards the ...

at dawn

References

External links

* {{Authority control Populated places in Prachuap Khiri Khan province Myanmar–Thailand border crossings Cities and towns in Thailand