Phetchaburi Province

Phetchaburi
เพชรบุรี
statistics
Capital:	Phetchaburi
Telephone code:	032
Surface:	6,225.1 km² 36.
Residents:	993.702 (2012) 58.
Population density :	74 E / km² 65.
ISO 3166-2 :
Governor :
map

Phetchaburi ( Thai : เพชรบุรี , pronounced: [pʰétt͡ɕʰáʔbùʔriː] , colloquially [pʰétbùʔriː] , translated: "Diamond City ") is a province ( Changwat ) in the southern part of central Thailand . The capital of Phetchaburi Province is also called Phetchaburi .

geography

Satellite image

The province is located at the northern end of the Malay Peninsula and about 170 kilometers southwest of the capital Bangkok . The landscape is structured quite differently: to the east lies the coast of the Gulf of Thailand , to the west it rises up into the Tenasserim Mountains , which form the natural border with Myanmar (Burma).

In this field of 3000 is  km² large national park Kaeng Krachan . It takes up about half of the province and is Thailand's largest park. It is mainly covered with rainforest in the mountains along the border with Myanmar, and the Kaeng Krachan Dam is also located here. There are numerous caves in the province. The most impressive is called "Khao Luang" and is located near the provincial capital. The Buddha statues exhibited there are impressively illuminated through a hole in the cave ceiling .

The rest of the province is flat land where rice and fruits are grown.

Adjacent provinces and areas:
north	Ratchaburi and Samut Songkhram
east	Coast to the Gulf of Thailand
south	Prachuap Khiri Khan
west	Land border with Myanmar

Important cities

• Phetchaburi
• Cha-am

climate

The climate is tropical - monsoonal . In 2009 the maximum temperature was 37.2 ° C, the lowest temperature was 19.0 ° C. On 99 days there was precipitation totaling 871.3 mm in the same period  .

economy

Sea salt extraction in Amphoe Ban Laem

Beach in the famous seaside resort of Cha-am

Sugar cane has been grown in the province for centuries. It used to be used to produce cane sugar , but is now also used for the production of eco-fuel.

In 2009, the "Gross Provincial Product" (was GDP ) of the province 55.318 billion baht .

The minimum wage in Phetchaburi Province is 250 baht (around € 5.50; effective April 1, 2012).

Data

The table below shows the share of the economic sectors in the gross provincial product in percent:

Industry	2006	2007	2008	2009
Agriculture	21.2	22.0	23.4	24.7
Mining	02.8	02.9	04.1	03.1
Industry	28.1	26.2	24.6	23.9
Other	47.9	48.9	47.9	48.3

The following land use is documented for the province:

• Forest area: 2,115,132 Rai (3,384.2 km²), 54.4% of the total area
• Agricultural area: 649,459 rai (1039.1 km²), 16.7% of the total area
• Unclassified area: 1,126,120 rai (1801.8 km²), 28.9% of the total area

history

The history of the area goes back to the time of the Mon in the 8th century , but even before that there was an important trading center. In the 11th century it came under the rule of the Khmer Empire of Angkor . The temple ruins of Wat Kamphaeng Laen from the time of Jayavarman VII bear witness to this .

Khao Wang

In the course of the conquests of King Ramkhamhaeng , Phetchaburi came as a vassal to Sukhothai , the first Thai empire, in the 13th century . After Ayutthaya took over , the area remained under Siamese influence. In 1350 it was incorporated into the kingdom with the coronation of King Ramathibodi I.

In the 17th / 18th century there was obviously an artistic center here, as the particularly beautiful paintings in Wat Yai Suvannaram and Wat Kaeo Sutharam show.

King Mongkut (Rama IV.) Had a palace built near the city of Phetchaburi, commonly known as Khao Wang, which is now part of the Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park .

coat of arms

The coat of arms of the province of Phetchaburi shows the palace Khao Wang in the background, in front of it rice fields are arranged between two palm trees . This symbolizes the main products of the province.

The local tree is the jambul tree ( Eugenia cumini ).

The motto of Phetchaburi Province is:

"Khao Wang is a well-known palace in the mountains,
sweet desserts are offered everywhere,
the province of the religiously devoted and excellent artists,
the beautiful sea waves, slowly, sometimes faster."

Attractions

Inside the Tham Khao Luang cave

In the Kaeng Krachan National Park

• In the city of Phetchaburi, see there
• About three kilometers north of the city of Phetchaburi is the stalactite cave Tham Khao Luang . A row of seated Buddha figures and a central Buddha statue are set up in it, which is particularly illuminated by the sun when the lighting conditions are right.
• National parks:
  • The Kaeng Krachan National Park is the 28th national park in Thailand, established in 1981, 2,914.7 km² in size, forms the watershed of the Phetchaburi and Pranburi rivers .

Administrative units

Provincial Administration

The province is divided into 8 districts ( Amphoe ). These are further subdivided into 93 parishes ( tambon ) and 681 villages ( muban ).

No. Amphoe name Thai 1 Amphoe Mueang Phetchaburi อำเภอ เมือง เพชรบุรี 2 Khao Yoi district อำเภอ เขาย้อย 3 Amphoe Nong Ya Plong อำเภอ หนองหญ้าปล้อง 4th Cha-am district อำเภอ ชะอำ 5 Amphoe Tha Yang อำเภอ ท่ายาง 6th Amphoe Ban Lat อำเภอ บ้านลาด 7th Amphoe Ban Laem อำเภอ บ้านแหลม 8th Kaeng Krachan district อำเภอ แก่ง กระจาน

Administrative division of Phetchaburi Province

Local administration

A provincial administrative organization ( บริหาร ส่วน จังหวัด , อบ จ for short , Ongkan Borihan suan Changwat ; English Provincial Administrative Organization , PAO) exists for the entire area of ​​the province .

There are two cities ( เทศบาล เมือง - Thesaban Mueang ) in the province : Petchaburi ( เทศบาล เมือง เพชรบุรี ) and Cha-Am ( เทศบาล เมือง ชะอำ ). There are also 13 small towns ( เทศบาล ตำบล - Thesaban Tambon ).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://stat.bora.dopa.go.th/stat/pk/pk_55.pdf
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Thailand in Figures (2012), p. 129
3. ↑ "Industry" includes: Manufacturing; Electricity, gas and water supply; Construction
4. ^ "Others" include: Wholesale and retail trade; Hotels and restaurants; Transport, storage and communication; Real estate; Education; Health and social work, ...
5. ↑ Department of Provincial Administration : As of 2012 (in Thai)

literature

• Michael Smithies: Early Accounts of Phetchaburi . The Siam Society, Bangkok 1987, ISBN 974-8298-10-8
• Thailand in Figures, Vol.II: Region and Province . 16th edition 2012-2013, Alpha Research Co., Ltd., Nonthaburi, Thailand 2012, ISBN 978-616-7256-12-6

Web links

Commons : Phetchaburi  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Overview map of the Phetchaburi Province (names in English and Thai) [last accessed on November 7, 2013]
• Phetchaburi Province Information - Tourism Authority of Thailand TAT website
• Description of the Kaeng Krachan National Park (in English)

Coordinates: 13 ° 7 '  N , 99 ° 57'  E