Samut Sakhon province

Province of Thailand From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Samut Sakhon provincemap

Samut Sakhon (Thai: สมุทรสาคร, pronounced [sā.mùt sǎː.kʰɔ̄ːn]) is one of the central provinces (changwat) of Thailand, located along the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. In 2019, it had a population of 584,703,[5] and an area of 872 km²,[6] making it the 33rd most populated province whilst being the 4th smallest. Neighboring provinces are (from the southwest clockwise) Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi, Nakhon Pathom, and Bangkok. Samut Sakhon is part of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region.

Quick Facts สมุทรสาคร, Other transcription(s) ...
Samut Sakhon
สมุทรสาคร
Other transcription(s)
  Teochew龍仔厝 lê̬ng giăn cu (Peng'im)
Thumb
Thumb
Thumb
Thumb
Thumb
Thumb
From top: Phan Thai Norasing Shrine; Salt farming in Samut Sakhon; Red Bridge; Mahachai seafood market; Mahachai–Tha Chalom ferry; Tha Chin River in Krathum Baen at dusk
Thumb
Thumb
Nickname: 
Mahachai (Thai: มหาชัย)
Motto: 
เมืองประมง ดงโรงงาน ลานเกษตร เขตประวัติศาสตร์
("City of fisheries. District of factories. Fields of farming. Historical area.")
Thumb
Map of Thailand highlighting Samut Sakhon province
CountryThailand
CapitalSamut Sakhon
Government
  GovernorNarit Niramaiwong
(since 2024)
  PAO PresidentUdom Kraiwatnussorn
(since 2020)
Area
  Total
872 km2 (337 sq mi)
  RankRanked 73rd
Population
 (2019)[2]
  Total
584,703
  RankRanked 44th
  Density662/km2 (1,710/sq mi)
   RankRanked 6th
Human Achievement Index
  HAI (2022)0.6101 "low"
Ranked 74th
GDP
  Totalbaht 398 billion
(US$13.1 billion) (2019)
Time zoneUTC+7 (ICT)
Postal code
74xxx
Calling code034
ISO 3166 codeTH-74
Websitewww.samutsakhon.go.th
Close

Toponymy

The word samut originates from the Sanskrit word samudra meaning 'ocean', and the word sakhon from Sanskrit sagara meaning 'lake'.

Geography

Samut Sakhon is at the mouth of the Tha Chin River, a distributary of the Chao Phraya River, to the Gulf of Thailand. At the coast are many salt pans used for harvesting sea salt.[6] The total forest area is 42 km2 (16 sq mi) or 4.9 percent of provincial area.[5]

Climate

Samut Sakhon province has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification category Aw). Winters are dry and warm. Temperatures rise until May. The monsoon season runs from May through October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm. Climatological data for the period 1981–2010: Maximum temperature is 39.7 °C (103.5 °F) in April and May and the lowest temperature is 12.0 °C (53.6 °F) in December. The highest average temperature is 35.4 °C (95.7 °F) in April and the minimum average temperature is 22.0 °C (71.6 °F) in December. Mean annual rainfall is 1648 millimeters. The maximum daily rainfall is 248 millimeters in May. Mean rainy days average 130 days per year.[7]

History

The oldest name of the area is Tha Chin ('Chinese pier'), probably referring to the fact that it was a trading port where Chinese junks arrived.[8] In 1548 the city Sakhon Buri was established, and was renamed Mahachai in 1704 after the Khlong Mahachai which was dug then and connected with the Tha Chin River near the town. King Mongkut gave it its current name, but the old name Mahachai is still sometimes used by locals.[9]

It was established by the Act Establishing Changwat Samut Prakan, Changwat Nonthaburi, Changwat Samut Sakhon, and Changwat Nakhon Nayok, Buddhist Era 2489 (1946), which came into force on 9 May 1946.[10]

Economy and environment

Summarize
Perspective

Formerly an agricultural- and fisheries-based province, Samut Sakhon in 2020 has more than 6,000 factories, most of them small, employing fewer than 50 workers, and too small to warrant much attention from Thailand's Pollution Control Department (PCD). Small firms lack the budgets to install the environmental gear that would help protect the environment. As a result, Samut Sakhon is one of the most polluted provinces in the nation.[11]

Soil and water samples from the industrial area of Mueang District were found to be contaminated with high levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium, zinc, copper, and nickel. High levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPS), byproducts of industrial processes, were present in eggs from free-range chickens. An egg tested by researchers was found to have 84 nanograms per kilogram of dioxins and furans, a level 33 times higher than the safety limit observed by the European Union.[11]

The most polluted air in Thailand in 2018 was found to be in Samut Sakhon province.[12] According to the PCD, the level of PM2.5 in the provincial atmosphere in 2019 was unusually high, measuring as high as 195 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3). During the air pollution "season" of 2018–2019, PM2.5 levels exceeded the PCD's safe threshold of 50 μg/m3 for 41 days.[11]

Samut Sakhon is a leading sea salt producer. According to a survey in 2011, 12,572 rai of salt pans were managed by 242 families in Samut Sakhon.[13]

Health

Samut Sakhon Hospital is the main hospital of Samut Sakhon province, operated by the Ministry of Public Health. The ministry also operates a general hospital, Krathum Baen Hospital in Krathum Baen district.

Ban Phaeo is served by Ban Phaeo General Hospital, the only hospital public organisation in Thailand.

Transportation

Samut Sakhon is along the Maeklong Railway, operated by the State Railway of Thailand and is served by Mahachai railway station on the east bank of the Tha Chin River and Ban Laem railway station on the west bank.

Symbols

Thumb
Brand

The provincial seal shows a Chinese junk in front of the coast, with a factory and a smoking chimney in the background. Both refer to the old trading tradition as well as the local industries.

The provincial flag is horizontally divided pink/light blue/pink (1:3:1) the provincial seal in the middle.

The provincial brand is a picture of a white factory, a fishing boat, a fish and blue water and a green leaf.

The provincial tree is commonly called blackboard tree or devil's tree (Alstonia scholaris).

The provincial aquatic animal is the short mackerel (Rastrelliger brachysoma) what with Samut Sakhon is the first province to have short mackerel fishing boat and has the largest amount of this species of fish caught in Thailand.

The provincial slogan is "Fishing city, factory town, agricultural ground, historic site".[14]

Administrative divisions

Summarize
Perspective
Thumb
Map of Samut Sakhon province with districts
Thumb
  City municipalities (thesaban nakhon)
  Town municipalities (thesaban mueang)
  Subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon)

Provincial government

The province is divided into three districts (amphoes). The districts are further subdivided into 40 subdistricts (tambons) and 290 villages (mubans).[15]

  1. Mueang Samut Sakhon
  2. Krathum Baen
  3. Ban Phaeo

Local government

As of 19 December 2019 there are: one Samut Sakhon Provincial Administrative Organization (PAO) (ongkan borihan suan changwat) and fifteen municipal (thesaban) areas in the province. The capital Samut Sakhon and Om Noi have city (thesaban nakhon) status. Two have town (thesaban mueang) status and eleven are subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon).[2]

  City municipalities people      
 1 Samut Sakhon.[16] 67,515   2 Om Noi.[17] 53,978
  Town municipalities people      
 1 Krathum Baen.[18] 27,827   2 Khlong Maduea.[19] 22,265
  Subdistrict mun. people   6 Khok Krabue[20]   9,869
 1 Lak Ha[21] 41,958   7 Khae Rai[22]   8,708
 2 Suan Luang[23] 34,200   8 Don Kai Di[24]   7,881
 3 Na Di 27,733   9 Bang Pla[21]   6,869
 4 Bang Ya Phraek 25,058 10 Kaset Phatthana[21]   5,178
 5 Tha Chin 12,518 11 Ban Phaeo[21]   3,242

The non-municipal areas are administered by 22 Subdistrict Administrative
Organizations (SAO) (ongkan borihan suan tambon).[25]

  Municipality Communities Groups
  Samut Sakhon[26] 32 3
  Om Noi[27] 28 -
  Krathum Baen[28]   9 -
  Khlong Maduea[29] 11 -
  Suan Luang[30] 14 -

Human achievement index 2022

Health Education Employment Income
Thumb Thumb Thumb Thumb
31 59 11 7
Housing Family Transport Participation
Thumb
Thumb
Thumb Thumb
77 9 3 72
Province Samut Sakhon, with an HAI 2022 value of 0.6101 is "low", occupies place 74 in the ranking.

Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using the Human achievement index (HAI), a composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has taken over this task since 2017.[3]

RankClassification
  1 - 13"high"
14 - 29"somewhat high"
30 - 45"average"
46 - 61"somewhat low"
62 - 77"low"

References

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.