Southern Siam
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Southern Thailand (formerly Southern Siam and
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 ...
) is the southernmost
cultural region In anthropology and geography, a cultural area, cultural region, cultural sphere, or culture area refers to a geography with one relatively homogeneous human activity or complex of activities (culture). Such activities are often associa ...
of
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 ...
, separated from
Central Thailand Central Thailand (Central Plain) (historically also known as Siam or 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) by the Phetchabun Mount ...
by the
Kra Isthmus The Kra Isthmus (, ; ), also called the Isthmus of Kra in Thailand, is the narrowest part of the Malay Peninsula. The western part of the isthmus belongs to Ranong Province and the eastern part to Chumphon Province, both in Southern Thailan ...
.


Geography

Southern Thailand is on the
Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...
, with an area of around , bounded to the north by
Kra Isthmus The Kra Isthmus (, ; ), also called the Isthmus of Kra in Thailand, is the narrowest part of the Malay Peninsula. The western part of the isthmus belongs to Ranong Province and the eastern part to Chumphon Province, both in Southern Thailan ...
, the narrowest part of the peninsula. The western part has highly steep coasts, while on the east side river plains dominate. The largest river in the south is the Tapi, in
Surat Thani Surat Thani (, ) is a city in Amphoe Mueang Surat Thani, Surat Thani Province, southern Thailand. It lies south of Bangkok. It is the capital of Surat Thani Province. The city has a population of 132,040 (2019), and an area of . The city's ...
, which, together with the Phum Duang in
Surat Thani Surat Thani (, ) is a city in Amphoe Mueang Surat Thani, Surat Thani Province, southern Thailand. It lies south of Bangkok. It is the capital of Surat Thani Province. The city has a population of 132,040 (2019), and an area of . The city's ...
, drains more than , more than 10 percent of the total area of southern Thailand. Smaller rivers include the
Pattani Pattani (or Patani in Malay spelling) may refer to: Places Continental Asia * Patani (historical region), a historical region in the Malay peninsula, in Thailand and Malaysia. * Pattani Province, modern province in southern Thailand ** Pattani, ...
, Saiburi,
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, ...
, and the Trang. The largest lake in the south is
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, ...
( altogether). The largest artificial lake is the Chiao Lan (Ratchaprapha Dam), occupying of Khao Sok National Park in
Surat Thani Surat Thani (, ) is a city in Amphoe Mueang Surat Thani, Surat Thani Province, southern Thailand. It lies south of Bangkok. It is the capital of Surat Thani Province. The city has a population of 132,040 (2019), and an area of . The city's ...
. The total forest area is or 24.3 percent of provincial area. Running through the middle of the peninsula are several mountain chains, with the highest elevation at
Khao Luang Khao Luang (, ) is the tallest mountain in southern Thailand. It is in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. Geography The Khao Luang mountain is the highest summit of a massif of several hills with steep slopes. It is part of the Nakhon Si Thammarat ...
, , in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. Ranging from the Kra Isthmus to
Phuket Phuket (; , , or ''Tongkah'') is one of the Southern Thailand, southern Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, List of islands of Thailand, the country's largest island, and another 3 ...
Island is the Phuket chain, which connects to the Tanao Si Mountain Range further north. Almost parallel to the Phuket chain but to the east is the Nakhon Si Thammarat, or Banthat, chain, which begins with Samui Island,
Ko Pha Ngan Ko Pha-ngan (, , ) is an island in the Gulf of Thailand in Surat Thani Province of southern Thailand. Ko Pha-ngan has two sister islands: the larger Ko Samui to the south and the smaller Ko Tao to the north. * Estimated perimeter: (estimated 10 ...
, and
Ko Tao Ko Tao (, , ) is an island in Thailand and is part of the Chumphon Archipelago on the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand. It covers an area of about 21 km2 (8 sq mi). Administratively it is a subdistrict (''tambon'') of Ko Pha-ngan Distr ...
in Surat Thani Province and ends at the
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 ...
n border at the Ko Ta Ru Tao archipelago. The border with Malaysia is formed by the Sankalakhiri range, sometimes sub-divided into the Pattani, Taluban, and Songkhla chain. At the Malaysian border, the Titiwangsa chain rises. The limestone of the west coast has been eroded into many steep singular hills. The parts submerged by the rising sea after the Last Ice Age now form many islands, like the well-known
Phi Phi Islands The Phi Phi Islands (, , ) are an island group in Thailand between the large island of Krabi Province, Krabi and the Straits of Malacca coast of Thailand. The islands are administratively part of Krabi Province. Ko Phi Phi Don (, ) (''ko'' 'isl ...
. Also well known is the so-called ''James Bond Island'' in
Phang Nga Bay Phang Nga Bay (, ) is a bay in the Andaman Sea between the island of Phuket and the mainland of the Kra Isthmus of southern Thailand. Since 1981, an extensive section of the bay has been protected as the Ao Phang Nga National Park. The park i ...
, featured in the movie '' The Man with the Golden Gun''. The population of the growing region is projected to be 9,156,000 in 2015, up from 8,871,003 in 2010 (census count and adjusted). Although those figures are adjusted for citizens who have left for Bangkok or who moved to the region from elsewhere, as well as registered permanent residents (residency was problematic in the prior 2000 census), the figure is still misleading. There are still a huge number of migrant or informal workers, temporary workers and even stateless people and a large expatriate population, which are not included. Most of southern Thailand is in Tenasserim-South Thailand semi-evergreen rain forests
ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...
. The
Peninsular Malaysian rain forests The Peninsular Malaysian rain forests is an ecoregion on the Malay Peninsula and adjacent islands. It is in the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome. Geography The ecoregion covers most of the southern Malay Peninsula in Malay ...
and
Peninsular Malaysian montane rain forests The Peninsular Malaysian montane rain forests is an ecoregion on the Malay Peninsula. It occupies the mountainous spine of the peninsula in Malaysia and southernmost Thailand. It is in the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome. ...
ecoregions extend into southernmost Thailand along the border with Malaysia.


History

The
Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...
has been settled since prehistoric times. Archeological remains were found in several caves, some used for dwellings, others as burial sites. The oldest remains were found in
Lang Rongrien Lang Rongrien () is a rock shelter and Hoabinhian habitation site in the upland region of Krabi province in west-coast southern Thailand. The site is of the Pleistocene, early Holocene archaeological time frame. Excavations at the site began i ...
Cave, dating 38,000 to 27,000 years before present, and in the contemporary Moh Khiew cave. In the
first millennium File:1st millennium montage.png, From top left, clockwise: Depiction of Jesus, the central figure in Christianity; The Colosseum, a landmark of the once-mighty Roman Empire; Kaaba, the Great Mosque of Mecca, the holiest site of Islam; Chess, a ne ...
, Chinese chronicles mention several coastal cities or city-states. No exact geographical locations were recorded and so the identification of these cities with later settlements is difficult. The most important of those states were
Langkasuka Langkasuka was an ancient Malay Hindu-Buddhist kingdom located in the Malay Peninsula (in modern-day Thailand). Langkasuka flourished from the 2nd century to the 15th century as the oldest kingdom in the Malay Peninsula, believed to have been esta ...
, usually considered a precursor of the
Patani Kingdom Patani, or the Sultanate of Patani ( Jawi: كسلطانن ڤطاني) was a Malay sultanate in the historical Pattani Region. It covered approximately the area of the modern Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and part of the Mal ...
;
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 ...
, probably the precursor of the
Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom The Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom ( ), Nagara Sri Dharmarashtra or the Kingdom of Ligor, was one of the major constituent city states ('' mueang'') of the Siamese kingdoms of Sukhothai and later Ayutthaya and controlled a sizeable part of the M ...
, or P'an-p'an in Phunphin district, Surat Thani, probably located at the
Bandon Bay Bandon Bay (, , ) is a bay in the Gulf of Thailand in Surat Thani Province, extending from the Sui cape in Chaiya District in the northwest to Kanchanadit District to the east. The total coastline is about 100 km. The bay is dominated by ...
Tapi River. The cities were highly influenced by Indian culture, and have adopted
Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...
or
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
religion. When
Srivijaya Srivijaya (), also spelled Sri Vijaya, was a Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia) that influenced much of Southeast Asia. Srivijaya was an important ...
in
Chaiya Chaiya (, ) is a former capital district ('' Amphoe mueang'') of Surat Thani province, Southern Thailand. The main town is Talat Chaiya. Geography Neighboring districts are (from the south clockwise): Tha Chang and Kapoe of Ranong province; ...
extended its sphere of influence, those cities became tributary states of Srivijaya. The city
Chaiya Chaiya (, ) is a former capital district ('' Amphoe mueang'') of Surat Thani province, Southern Thailand. The main town is Talat Chaiya. Geography Neighboring districts are (from the south clockwise): Tha Chang and Kapoe of Ranong province; ...
in
Surat Thani Province Surat Thani (, ), often shortened to Surat, is the largest of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It lies on the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means 'city of good people', a title given to the city by King ...
contains several ruins from Srivijaya times, and was probably a regional capital of the kingdom. Some Thai historians even claim that it was the capital of the kingdom itself for some time, but this is disputed. After Srivijaya lost its influence, Nakhon Si Thammarat became the dominant kingdom of the area. During the rule of King
Ramkhamhaeng the Great Ramkhamhaeng (, ) or commonly known as Pho Khun Ramkhamhaeng Maharat (, ) was the third king of the Phra Ruang Dynasty, ruling the Sukhothai Kingdom (a historical kingdom of Thailand) from 1279 to 1298, during its most prosperous era. He is c ...
of Sukhothai, Thai influence first reached Nakhon Si Thammarat. According to the Ramkhamhaeng inscription, Nakhon Si Thammarat was a tributary state of Sukhothai. During most of later periods, Nakhon became a tributary of
Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locall ...
. The deep south belonged to the Malay sultanates of
Pattani Pattani (or Patani in Malay spelling) may refer to: Places Continental Asia * Patani (historical region), a historical region in the Malay peninsula, in Thailand and Malaysia. * Pattani Province, modern province in southern Thailand ** Pattani, ...
and
Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman (دار الأمان; Arabic for 'The Safe Abode') and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of ...
, while the northernmost part of the peninsula was under the control of Bangkok. During the ''Thesaphiban'' reforms at the end of the 19th century, both Nakhon Si Thammarat and Pattani were incorporated into the central state. The area was subdivided into 5 ''
monthon ''Monthon'' (), also known as ''Monthon Thesaphiban'' (; Mṇṯhl Theṣ̄āp̣hibāl; , ), were Administrative divisions of Thailand, administrative subdivisions of Thailand at the beginning of the 20th century. The Thai word ''monthon'' is a tr ...
'', which were installed to control the city states (''
mueang Mueang ( Ahom: 𑜉𑜢𑜤𑜂𑜫; ''mɯ̄ang'', ), Muang ( ''mɯ́ang'', ), Möng ( Tai Nuea: ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ''möeng''; ''móeng'', ), Meng ( zh, c=猛 or 勐) or Mường (Vietnamese) were pre-modern semi-independent city-states or princip ...
''). Minor ''mueang'' were merged into larger ones, thus forming the present 14 provinces. With the
Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 or Bangkok Treaty of 1909 was a treaty between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Siam signed on 10 March 1909, in Bangkok. Ratifications were exchanged in London on 9 July 1909, and the treaty established t ...
the boundary to Malaysia was fixed. Kedah came under British control, while Pattani stayed with Siam.


Languages

The largest native language is
Southern Thai Southern Thailand (formerly Southern Siam and Tambralinga) is the southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand by the Kra Isthmus. Geography Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bo ...
( ), also known as Pak Thai or Dambro ( ), which is a
southwestern Tai The Southwestern Tai or Thai languages are a branch of the Tai languages of Southeast Asia. Its languages include Central Thai (Siamese), Northern Thai (Lanna), Lao (including Isan), Shan and others. Classification The internal classificatio ...
language spoken in the 14 ''changwat'' of southern Thailand as well as by small Thai communities in the northernmost
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 ...
n states. It is spoken natively by roughly five million people and as a second language by the 1.5 million native speakers of Patani Malay, along with other
ethnic groups An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, rel ...
such as the local
Negritos The term ''Negrito'' (; ) refers to several diverse ethnic groups who inhabit isolated parts of Southeast Asia and the Andaman Islands. Populations often described as Negrito include: the Andamanese peoples (including the Great Andamanese, th ...
communities, and other tribal groups. Although Central Thai is the sole official language in Thailand and most people are able to communicate in Central Thai, the language is only the third largest native language in southern Thailand, with roughly four hundred thousand native speakers. In particular, it is native only among the Teochew, Hoklo, Hakka and Cantonese ethnic groups, particularly in their major
ethnic enclaves In sociology, an ethnic enclave is a geographic area with high ethnic concentration, characteristic cultural identity, and economic activity. The term is usually used to refer to either a residential area or a workspace with a high concentration ...
like
Hat Yai Hat Yai (, , also Haad Yai or Had Yai) is a city in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, fifth-largest city in Thailand with a population of 191,696 (2024) in ...
and Bandon districts; their dialect is very similar to the Krungthep dialect (the upper-class dialect of Bangkok) but is seasoned with some Southern Thai loanwords.


Administrative divisions

The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) identities Southern Thailand as 14 provinces.
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) includes for Southern Thailand (east coast) also the two provinces of Prachuap Khiri Khan and Phetchaburi.


Demography

Southern Thailand has 9.454 million inhabitants and its population density is .


Ten major cities


Religion

Thailand is a Buddhist-majority country. About 93.46% in Thailand follow Buddhism. Buddhism is the majority religion in southern Thailand as well but makes up 75.45% of the region's people. The Thai follow Theravada Buddhism. Minority ethnic groups such as Khmer also follow Buddhism, and 10 of the 14 provinces in southern Thailand have Buddhist majorities. Islam constitutes 24.33% of Southern Thailand even though it constitutes only 5.36% of the whole country. Islam is mostly followed by the Malay people in Southernmost Thailand: Yala, Pattani, Naratiwat and Satun provinces, near Malaysia. There is also a small Thai Muslim population. Christianity makes up 0.21% of Southern Thailand's population. Sikhism makes up 0.05% in the region and is practiced by Indian immigrants.


Economy

The bulk of the region's population relies on agriculture for 27 percent of its gross regional product in 2014. It is followed by industry (12 percent), trade (10 percent), transportation (9 percent), tourism (8 percent), and construction and property (7 percent). For FY 2018, Southern Thailand Region had a combined economic output of 1,402 trillion baht (US$45.2 billion), or 8.6 percent of Thailand's GDP. Surat Thani province had an economic output of 206.869 billion baht (US$6.67 billion), which is equal to a GPP per capita of 182,371 baht (US$5,883), more than double for Yala province, which is fifth and more than three times for Narathiwat province, lowest in the ranking.


Transportation

Southern Thailand is connected with Bangkok by railway and highway. Several regional airports are located at the larger towns. The transportation hub of all of southern Thailand is Hat Yai.


Road

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 ...
, the longest road in Thailand, runs from Bangkok along the Kra Isthmus and then along the west coast of the peninsula. From Trang, it crosses over to the east coast to Hat Yai, and ends at the Malaysian border. Two
Asian highway The Asian Highway Network (AH), also known as the Great Asian Highway, is a cooperative project among countries in Asia and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) to improve their connectivity via hig ...
s run through southern Thailand:
Asian Highway 2 Asian Highway 2 (AH2) is a road in the Asian Highway Network running from Denpasar, Indonesia to Merak, and Singapore to Khosravi, Iran. The route is connected to M10 of the Arab Mashreq International Road Network. The route is as follows: I ...
runs mostly parallel to the railroad all the way from Bangkok. It crosses to Malaysia at Sadao, and continues on the west side of the peninsula. Asian Highway 18 begins in Hat Yai and runs south along the east coast, crossing to Malaysia at
Sungai Kolok Sungai Kolok (, ) is a border town and subdistrict on the Malaysia-Thailand Border in Sungai Kolok District, Narathiwat Province, Thailand. It is one of the largest and most prosperous districts in Narathiwat Province. It is also one of the ma ...
.


Rail

The southern railway connects Bangkok to Hat Yai and continues from there to Sungai Kolok. There are branches from Ban Thung Phoe Junction to Kirirat Nikhom. Two smaller branches of the railway run from Thung Song to Trang and Nakhon Si Thammarat and from Hat Yai Junction to Malaysia and Singapore.


Air

Southern Thailand has five international airports and six domestic airports. Thailand's transport ministry is constructing the 1.9 billion
baht The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...
Betong Airport Betong International Airport is in Yarom subdistrict, Betong district, Yala province in southern Thailand. The airport is east of Betong, southeast from Yala city and via the Malaysian border. The airport covers an area of 1.47 million ...
. It is scheduled for completion in 2020. *
Chumphon Airport Chumphon Airport is in Tambon Chum Kho, Amphoe Pathio, Chumphon province in Southern Thailand. The airport is north of downtown Chumphon. Airlines and destinations Overview In 2008 the airport reopened after nine years of closure. The ai ...
*
Hat Yai International Airport Hat Yai International Airport is in Khlong La subdistrict, Khlong Hoi Khong district, Songkhla province in southern Thailand, near the city of Hat Yai. It is under the management of Airports of Thailand, PLC (AOT). It serves more than 3 milli ...
*
Krabi International Airport Krabi International Airport is in Nuea Khlong subdistrict, Nuea Khlong district, Krabi province in southern Thailand. It is about east of downtown Krabi. The airport opened in 1999. In 2017, the airport handled over 4.3 million passengers. ...
* Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport *
Narathiwat Airport Narathiwat Airport is an airport in Khok Khian subdistrict, Mueang Narathiwat district, Narathiwat province in southern Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 19 ...
* Pattani Airport *
Phuket International Airport Phuket International Airport is an international airport serving the island of Phuket and its province in southern Thailand. It is located north of downtown Phuket in the Mai Khao subdistrict of Thalang district. The airport plays a major r ...
*
Ranong Airport Ranong Airport is in Ratchakrut subdistrict, Mueang Ranong district, Ranong province in southern Thailand. Location Ranong airport serves the province of Ranong in the southern part of the country, it is located 500 km from Bangkok. T ...
* Ko Samui International Airport * Surat Thani International Airport *
Trang Airport Trang International Airport is in Tambon Khok Lo, Amphoe Mueang Trang, Trang province in Southern Thailand Southern Thailand (formerly Southern Siam and Tambralinga) is the southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central ...


See also

*
South Thailand insurgency The Southern Thailand Insurgency (; ) is an ongoing conflict centered in southern Thailand. It originated in 1948 as an ethnic and religious separatist insurgency in the historical Malays (ethnic group), Malay Patani (historical region), Patani ...
* Yawi language * OK Betong — ''Thai film set in Southern Thailand''.


References


Further reading

*Suthiwong Pongpaiboon. ''Southern Thai Cultural Structures and Dynamics Vis-à-vis Development''. .


External links

* {{Coord, 8.0592, N, 99.9756, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:TH, display=title . Regions of Thailand