A ''khlong'' ( th,
คลอง, ), alternatively spelt as ''klong'' () commonly refers to a
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface f ...
in
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 ...
. 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
central Thailand
Central Thailand (Central plain) or more specifically Siam (also known as Suvarnabhumi and Dvaravati) is one of the regions of Thailand, covering the broad alluvial plain of the Chao Phraya River. It is separated from northeast Thailand (Isan) ...
. The Thai word ''khlong'' is not limited to artificial canals. Many smaller rivers are referred to as "''khlong''" followed by the name of the stream.
Khlongs in Bangkok
there are 1,682 canals in
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 ...
, totalling 2,604 kilometres in length. Nine canals are primary flood drainage conduits.
In years past, the Thai capital was crisscrossed by khlongs, and so gained the nickname "
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
of the East".
Khlongs were used for transportation, for
floating markets
Floating may refer to:
* a type of dental work performed on horse teeth
* use of an isolation tank
* the guitar-playing technique where chords are sustained rather than scratched
* Floating (play), ''Floating'' (play), by Hugh Hughes
* Floating (p ...
, but also for
sewage disposal. Today, most of the khlongs of Bangkok have been filled in, although the
Thonburi
__NOTOC__
Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which ...
side of Bangkok (covering areas west of the Chao Phraya River) still retains several of its larger khlongs.
Khlong Saen Saep in central Bangkok is a significant thoroughfare in traffic-congested Bangkok's
public transportation network.
Floating markets
Traditional floating markets now exist mainly as tourist attractions. The best-known is the
Damnoen Saduak floating market in
Ratchaburi Province.
References
*
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