The Trang River () is one of main rivers of
Trang Province
Trang (, ; ), also called ''Mueang Thap Thiang'', is one of the southern Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand, on the west side of the Malay Peninsula facing the Strait of Malacca. Neighboring provinces are (from north clo ...
apart from
Palian River.
The Trang River has two origins, the first one is in
Khao Luang, a summit of
Nakhon Si Thammarat Range,
Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The second one is in
Krabi Province, both courses southward and confluence at Banthat Range in
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, ...
before flowing into Trang Province.
In the province of Trang, it flows through various districts as follows:
Ratsada,
Huai Yot,
Wang Wiset,
Na Yong,
Kantang and the south-east of
Mueang Trang.
The river empties into the
Andaman Sea
The Andaman Sea (historically also known as the Burma Sea) is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by the coastlines of Myanmar and Thailand along the Gulf of Martaban and the west side of the Malay Peninsula, and separated f ...
at Kantang estuary, Kantang District where the location of Kantang Port, total length is with average width . It has important branches including Khlong Chi (คลองชี), Khlong Tha Pradu (คลองท่าประดู่), Khlong Kapang (คลองกะปาง), Khlong Muan (คลองมวน), Khlong Yang Yuan (คลองยางยวน), Khlong Lam Phu Ra (คลองลำภูรา), Khlong Nang Noi (คลองนางน้อย), and Khlong Sawang (คลองสว่าง).
[
The Trang River basin is a narrow area therefore a few suitable area for rice farming. In addition, there are often regular floods between October and December each year.
The Trang River has a wide variety of aquatic life, the most common fish include ]catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...
especially '' Hemibagrus filamentus'' and '' H. nemurus''. A rare species ''Anguilla bicolor bicolor
The Indonesian shortfin eel (''Anguilla bicolor bicolor'') is a subspecies of eel in the genus ''Anguilla'' of the family Anguillidae. It is found throughout the tropical coastal regions of the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific Ocean
Th ...
'' that is hard to find elsewhere, found easily in this river. These freshwater eel
The Anguillidae are a family (biology), family of Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish that contains the freshwater eels. All the extant taxon, extant species and six subspecies in this family are in the genus ''Anguilla'', and are elongated fish of s ...
s migrate from the sea to the fresh water in the river to support themselves until they are mature. They can be used to cook a wide variety of dishes and has been popular with Trang people for a long time.
Moreover, on May 18, 2021, a long female bull shark
The bull shark (''Carcharhinus leucas''), also known as the Zambezi shark (informally zambi) in Africa and Lake Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a species of requiem shark commonly found worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in riv ...
was caught at this river in Mueang Trang District.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 ...
on 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. ...
as well. These are believed to be conditions that existed more than 1,300 years ago. There is theory on the origin of the name "Trang". According to the theory claims the name derives from a Malay word ''Tarangque'' ("dawn", "morning"), it is possible that the Malay merchants who came to trade with 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 ...
or other empires at that time sailed along the river and arrived here at the time of dawn. And that made Trang as the main seaport
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, Manc ...
of 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 ...
on the Andaman coast in ancient times.
The Trang River in the area of Mueang Trang District known as ''Khlong Tha Chin'' or ''Tha Chin River'' (คลองท่าจีน, แม่น้ำท่าจีน; "river of Chinese piers"). It is not related to Tha Chin River in central region in any way, though the two names share a similar-sounding root. Because the sub-districts where the river passes, such as Bang Rak, Thap Thiang are settlement to the Chinese as well as the Tha Chin River in the central region.
Notes
References
*
{{coord, 7.702972, 99.556492, type:landmark_region:TH_dim:2000, display=title
Rivers of Thailand
Geography of Trang province