Samut Prakan province
Samut Prakan, also known as Pak Nam, is located 29 kilometres south of Bangkok, around the area where the Chao Phraya River flows into the Gulf of Thailand. It is a town of the Ayutthaya period. Samut Prakan is home to countless historical and cultural sites. It occupies an area of 1,004 square kilometres and is administratively divided into 5 districts (Amphoes) and 1 sub-district (Ging Amphoe); Amphoe Muang Samut Prakan, Amphoe Phra Pradaeng, Amphoe Bang Phli, Amphoe Bang Bo, Amphoe Phra Sumut Chedi, and Ging Amphoe Bang Sao Thong.
History
The province was created during the Ayutthaya period, with its administrative center located at Prapadaeng. It was the sea port of Siam, and was secured with forts, town moats and town-walls. King Rama II starting the building of the new center at Samut Prakan in 1819, after his predecessor King Taksin had disbanded the town fortification. Altogether six forts were built on both sides of the Chao Phraya river, and on an island in the river the pagoda Phra Samut Chedi was erected. Of the original six forts only two still exist today, Phi Sua Samut and Phra Chulachomklao.
Etymology
In Thai the word samut is from Sanskrit, Samudra means ocean or sea and prakan means fortress.
Geography
Samut Prakan is located at the mouth of the Chao Phraya river to the Gulf of Thailand. Thus the province is also sometimes called Pak Nam (ปากน้ำ), the Thai word for the mouth of a river. The part of the province located on the western side of the river consist mostly of rice and prawn fields as well as mangrove forests, while the east part is the urban center - including industrial factories. It is part of the Bangkok metropolis, the urbanization on both sides of the provincial boundary is identical. The province has a coastline of approximately 47.2 kilometer.
Places
- Bang Pu Nature Reserve, about 12 km east of the town center, has a big bird population. Especially during the winter the Sakdi pier at Bang Pu is very popular for Thai people feeding the wintering seagulls. The park is run jointly by the Royal Thai Army and the Thai WWF, and was officially established at the 72nd birthday of Queen Sirikit in 2004.
- The HTMS Maeklong, a former Royal Thai Navy ship is moored in concrete at Chulachomklao Fort at the mouth of the Chao Phraya in Amphoe Phra Samut Chedi.
- Two major tourist attractions of the province are located in Amphoe Mueang Samut Prakan, the capital district: Mueang Boran or Ancient City, a park that features downscaled replicas of all major historical buildings of Thailand; and the Crocodile Farm.
- Besides being the home of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Amphoe Bang Phli is famous for the annual Lotus Flower (Rap Bua) festival, which usually takes place on the full moon in October.
Symbols
The provincial seal shows the temple Phra Samut Chedi, the most important site of Buddhist worship in the province.
Provincial tree is Thespesia populnea.
The provincial slogan is Marine Battle Fortresses, Chedi in the Water, Crocodile Farm, Exquisite Ancient City, Phra Pradaeng Songkran Festival, Tasty Dried Snakeskin Gourami, Rap Bua Festival, Industrial Estate
Administrative divisions
The province is subdivided into 6 districts (Amphoe). The districts are further subdivided into 50 subdistricts (tambon) and 396 villages (muban). There are one city (thesaban nakhon), three towns (thesaban mueang) and 13 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon). For the national elections the province is divided into 3 voting districts, one eligible for three assemblyman and the other two each for two assemblymen.
- Mueang Samut Prakan
- Bang Bo
- Bang Phli
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- Phra Pradaeng
- Phra Samut Chedi
- Bang Sao Thong
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