Satun General Information

Satun province

Satun is a small province in the south of Thailand that borders Malaysia, facing the Andaman Sea. The province possesses renowned picturesque islands with verdant forests and mountainous land. The majority of the locals are Muslim. It is located 973 kilometres from Bangkok and occupies an area of 2,478 square kilometres with 80 kilometres of coastline.

Most tourists head out to the pristine islands of Tarutao National Park. Its landscape is full of underwater peaks, excellent beaches, calm and peaceful coves, jungle and mangrove swamps. Snorkelling can be found at Lipe island, while neighbour Adnag island is stunning with forest, hills and waterfalls.

Around Satun, there are plenty of interesting sights, including dove farms, forest parks and huge waterfall. Thale Ban National Park is famous for its abundant wildlife, with many waterfalls and caves worth visiting.

Geography

The province is located on the Malay Peninsula, on the shore of the Andaman Sea. It is separated from Songkhla Province by the Nakhon Si Thammarat mountain range, and from Malaysia by the Sankalakhiri mountains.

The Ko Tarutao and Ko Phetra marine national parks are part of the province. Close to the border with Malaysia is the Thale Ban National Park, a big freshwater swamp area.

History

Until 1813 Satun was a district of the Malay state of Kedah, then known as Mukim Setul in Malay. After that it was administrated by a governor sent from Nakhon Si Thammarat. In 1897, Satun became part of Monthon Saiburi (now Kedah), which in 1909 was divided between British Empire and Siam as part of Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909. While most of Kedah became part of the British Empire, Satun was awarded to Siam because the population was largely Siamese. It was then included into Monthon Phuket. In 1933 the monthon system was ended and Satun province became a first-level subdivision of Thailand.

Demographics

Satun is one of the four provinces of Thailand which have a Muslim majority: 67.8% are Muslim and 31.9% are Buddhists. Most of the Muslims have some ethnic-Malay ancestry, though only 9.9% of the population claims to be ethnically Malay. The Malay dialect used in Satun is distinctly different from Pattani Malay and are much closer to the Kedah dialect of Malay, with a significant admixture of Thai influences.

Because Satun belonged to the Kedah Sultanate, which had a strong relationship with Ayutthaya, as well as with Siam of the Chakri dynasty, its population of Malay Muslims commonly intermarries with Thai Buddhists without serious religious hesitation. This custom created a distinct social group known as Samsam, meaning mixed person. Most Samsams, if not all, are Muslims.

Malay Muslims in Satun are substantially assimilated and rarely sympathise with separatism from Thailand, in contrast to the Malay Muslims in Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala.

Symbols

The provincial seal shows Pra Samut Thewaa sitting on a stone in the sea, with the sunset behind. Pra Samut Thewaa is a spirit who guards the sea. The stone his divine vehicle. The sunset symbolizes the Andaman Sea, which lies to the west of the province.

The provincial tree is the Thai Rosewood or Pha-yungklaep (Dalbergia bariensis), and the provincial flower is the Snowy Orchid Tree (Bauhinia acuminata). The province's motto is Peaceful, Clean and Pure Nature.

Administrative divisions

Satun is subdivided into 7 districts (Amphoe). These are further subdivided into 36 subdistricts (tambon) and 277 villages (muban). Satun itself is the only town (thesaban mueang), there are further 5 townships (thesaban tambon). The non-municipal area is administrated by 35 tambon administrative organizations (TAO).

Originally, the province was subdivided into 2 districts - Mambang and Thung Wa - and the minor district (King Amphoe) La-ngu. Due to the decline of pepper production in Thung Wa district, in 1930 the government made Thung Wa a minor district and instead declared La-ngu a district. In 1939 Mambang was renamed to Mueang Satun. Khuan Kalong was split off from Mueang district in 1969, from which in turn Tha Pae was split in 1976 and Manang in 1996. In 1973 Thung Wa regained district status. Khuan Don was established in 1975 by splitting it from Mueang district.