Samut Songkhram (
Pronunciation
) is a city in Western Thailand region, the capital of

Samut Songkhram province Samut Songkhram (, ) is one of the central Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from the south clockwise) Phetchaburi province, Phetchaburi, Ratchaburi province, Ratchaburi and Samut Sakhon pr ...

, a route to the south of Thailand. It is from Bangkok and has a population of 25,623 people as of 2023.

Toponymy

The word "samut" originates from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

word "samudra" meaning "ocean", and the word "songkhram" from the Sanskrit "sangrama" meaning "war". Hence the name of the province literally means "war ocean".

Geography

Samut Songkhram is at the mouth of the

Mae Klong The Mae Klong (, , ), sometimes spelled Meklong, is a river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, o ...

River to the

Gulf of Thailand The Gulf of Thailand (), historically known as the Gulf of Siam (), is a shallow inlet adjacent to the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of the Indochinese Peninsula and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. ...

. By means of canals (''

khlong A ''khlong'' (, ), alternatively spelt as ''klong'' () commonly refers to a canal in Thailand. These canals are spawned by the rivers Chao Phraya, Tha Chin, and Mae Klong, along with their tributaries particularly in the low-lying areas of ce ...

'') the water of the river is spread through the province for irrigation. At the coast are many evaporation ponds for producing

sea salt Sea salt is salt that is produced by the evaporation of seawater. It is used as a seasoning in foods, cooking, cosmetics and for preserving food. It is also called bay salt, solar salt, or simply salt. Like mined rock salt, production of sea sal ...

.
The subdistrict is bordered to the north by Ban Prok and Lat Yai subdistricts, Mueang Samut Songkhram district, to the east by Bang Kaeo and Bang Chakreng subdistricts, Mueang Samut Songkhram district, to the south by Bang Chakreng and Laem Yai subdistricts, Mueang Samut Songkhram district, to the west by Laem Yai and Yai Hat subdistricts, Mueang Samut Songkhram district.

History

In the Ayutthaya period the area of Samut Songkhram was known as Suan Nok (Thai สวนนอก, "outer garden") and was administrated by Ratchaburi. During the reign of King

Taksin King Taksin the Great (, , ) or the King of Thonburi (, ; ; Teochew: Dên Chao; 17 April 1734 – 7 April 1782) was the only king of the Thonburi Kingdom that ruled Thailand from 1767 to 1782. He had been an aristocrat in the Ayutthaya Kingdom ...

it became a province. It was the birthplace of Queen

Amarindra Amarindra (, , ; 15 March 1737 – 25 May 1826) was the queen consort of King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I), the founder of the Chakri dynasty. Her birth name was Nak (นาค). She was a daughter of a wealthy Mon from Bang Chang, in Samut ...

King Rama I Phutthayotfa Chulalok (born Thongduang; 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), also known by his regnal name Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (now Thailand) and the first King of Siam from the reigning Chakri dynasty. He asce ...

, who also initiated the name Suan Nok. The birthplace of King

Rama II Phutthaloetla Naphalai (born Chim; 24 February 1767 or 1768 – 21 July 1824), also known by his regnal name Rama II, was the second King of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, ruling from 1809 to 1824. In 1809, Itsarasunthon succeeded his father R ...

in Amphawa district is now a memorial park.
On 29 November 1936 Samut Songkhram town municipality was established, with an area of approximately . and was expanded to a total area of on 10 November 1965.

Economy

Most of the people in the municipality are fisherman or work in the three processed seafood factories.

Transportation

The subdistrict is the intersection of

highway 35 The following highways are numbered 35: The Karakoram Highway (Urdu language, Urdu: شاہراہ قراقرم, ''Śāhirāh-i Qarāquram''), also known as the KKH, National Highway 35 (Urdu language, Urdu: قومی شاہراہ ۳۵), N-35, and ...

eastbound (Bangkok route), highway 35 westbound (Pak Tho district, Ratchaburi province), highway 325 northbound (Bang Phae district, Ratchaburi province).
There is Maeklong Railway a Tha Chalom - Mae Klong train service, starting from Ban Laem station, Tha Chalom subdistrict, Samut Sakhon to Maeklong station, Samut Songkhram (distance ).

Administration

Central government

The administration of Samut Songkhram city is responsible for only Mae Klong subdistrict (''tambon'') with 5,000 rai ~ and 25,623 people, but no villages (''muban'').

Local government

Samut Songkhram town municipality (''

thesaban mueang Thesaban (, , , Pali: desapāla (protector of region) 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'' ...

'') covers the whole Mae Klong subdistrict. There are 14 communities (''chumchon''), although not directly chosen by the local citizens, which provides advice and recommendations to the local administrative organization. Communities of Samut Songkhram

Religion

Most of the people in the municipality are Buddhist. There are six Buddhist tempels and there is a Christian church.

Temples

The following active temples, where

Theravada Buddhism ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' ( anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or '' Dhamma'' in ...

is practised by local residents:

Education

There are the following schools in the city: * Wat Yai Municipality school (comm.1) * Wat Pomkaew Municipality school (comm.5) * Wat Thamnimit Municipality school (comm.8) * Wat Pratum Kanawat Municipality school (comm.13) * Saengwanit Municipality school (comm.14) * Thawaranukul school (comm.3) * Samut Songkhram Municipality school (comm.3) * Prakob Witthaya school (comm.2) * Anuban Samut Songkhram school (comm.4) * Drunanukul school (comm.10) * Kong Li Chian Lin school (comm.14)

Healthcare

There is no health promoting hospital in Mae Klong. But there are Somdej Phra Phuttaloetla Hospital (282 beds) and Mae Klong 2 Hospital (60 beds), as well as 42 private and dental clinics.

Notable people

Chang and Eng Bunker Chang Bunker (จัน บังเกอร์) and Eng Bunker (อิน บังเกอร์) (May 11, 1811 – January 17, 1874) were Siamese (Thai)-American conjoined twins, conjoined twin brothers whose fame propelled the expression " ...

, the original "Siamese twins"

Climate

References

External links

Gallery

{{Gallery , width=120 , height=100 , align=center , File:Mae Klong in Samut Songkhram.jpg ,

Mae Klong River The Mae Klong (, , ), sometimes spelled Meklong, is a river in western Thailand. The river begins in Kanchanaburi Province and flows across Ratchaburi Province and Samut Songkhram Province. Course The origin of the river is in Kanchanaburi to ...

, Samut Songkhram , File:Train_at_Samut_Songkhram_market_on_the_rails.jpg , Maeklong Railway train, Samut Songkhram, File:Chonburi F.C. vd Samut.jpg , Samut Songkhram football field Populated places in Samut Songkhram province