Sathing Phra (, ) is a district (''
amphoe
An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', , )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the Provinces of Thailand, provinces, and are analogous to count ...
'') in the northern part of
Songkhla province, southern
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 ...
.
Geography
Neighboring districts are (from the south clockwise):
Singhanakhon of Songkhla Province;
Pak Phayun of
Phatthalung province
Phatthalung (, ) is one of the southern Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla province, Songkhla, Satun province, ...
;
Krasae Sin and
Ranot of Songkhla Province. To the east is 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. ...
.
The western part of the district is at the shore of the Thale Luang, the northern part of the
Songkhla Lake
Songkhla Lake (, , ) is the largest natural lake in Thailand. It is on the Malay Peninsula in the southern part of the country. Covering an area of 1,040 km2 it borders the provinces of Songkhla and Phatthalung. Despite being called a lake, ...
.
History
The ancient
port city
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manche ...
of ''Satingpra'' was one of the most important trading centres of the
Tambralinga
Tambralinga or Ho-ling was an Indianised Malay kingdom located on the Malay Peninsula (in modern-day Southern Thailand), existing at least from the 2nd to 13th centuries CE. It possibly was under the influence of Srivijaya for some time, but l ...
Kingdom. Archaeological digs and investigations conducted toward the end of the 20th century testify to the existence of a fortified
citadel
A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
...
protected by a
moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...
and a quadrangular surrounding wall made of brick. A sophisticated system of canals connected the sea to the Songkhla Lake permitting the circulation of ships. The excavations brought to light artifacts of historical and artistic value. The modern district was originally named ''Chathing Phra''. It was renamed ''Sathing Phra'' in 1961.
Administration
The district is divided into 11 sub-districts (''
tambon
''Tambon'' (, ) 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 ''khwaeng'' of Bangkok, whi ...
s''), which are further subdivided into 79 villages (''
muban
Muban (; , ) is the lowest Administrative divisions of Thailand, administrative sub-division of Thailand. Usually translated as 'village' and sometimes as 'hamlet (place), hamlet', they are a subdivision of a tambon (subdistrict). , there were 74 ...
s''). Sathing Phra is a township (''
thesaban tambon
Thesaban (, , , Pali, 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 ''thesa ...
'') which covers parts of ''tambon'' Cha Thing Phra.
References
Districts of Songkhla province
{{Songkhla-geo-stub