Ratchaburi Province

Ratchaburi
ราชบุรี
statistics
Capital:	Ratchaburi
Telephone code:	032
Surface:	5,196.5 km² 43.
Residents:	835.231 (2009) 27.
Population density :	161 E / km² 22.
ISO 3166-2 :
Governor :
map

Shrine with the city pillar ( Lak Müang ) of Ratchaburi

Ratchaburi ( Thai : ราชบุรี , pronounced: [râːtt͡ɕʰáʔbùʔriː] , colloquially Ratburi : [râːtbùʔriː] , translated "royal city") is a province ( Changwat ) in the west of the central region of Thailand . The capital of the province is also called Ratchaburi .

geography

The eastern part of the Ratchaburi province consists of the flat hills, which are traversed by the Mae Nam Mae Klong (Mae Klong River) and at the same time by many small, navigable canals ( khlongs ) .

In the west there is mountainous terrain, which consists of the foothills of the Tenasserim Mountains and which is itself one of the southeastern foothills of the Himalayas . Since the mountains are mostly made of limestone , there are many interesting stalactite caves in the province . Some are inhabited by numerous bats .

Adjacent provinces and areas:
north	Kanchanaburi
east	Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon
south	Samut Songkhram and Phetchaburi
west	Border with Burma

Important rivers

• Mae Nam Mae Klong
• Mae Nam Phachi

climate

The climate is tropical - monsoonal . In 2009 there were 111 days of precipitation (1089.7 mm); the maximum temperature in the same year was 36.2 ° C, the minimum temperature 18.0 ° C.

population

1.1% of the population are hill tribes , mostly Karen , who live on the border with Myanmar . In addition, minorities of the Mon, Lawa , Lao and Khmer live in Ratchaburi.

Economy and Importance

The province lives mainly from tourism , which comes from the relatively close Bangkok and Kanchanaburi .

Ratchaburi is also a center of ceramic factories. This is where the large brown water jugs that can be found all over Thailand and are decorated with a yellow dragon pattern are made. On the roads of the province you can often see trucks loaded until they drop, transporting these jugs across the country.

In 2011, the "Gross Provincial Product" (was GDP ) of the province 130 444 000 000 baht , equivalent to 154,749 baht per inhabitant.

Data

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

Industry	2006	2007	2008
Agriculture	15.1	15.1	16.1
Industry	28.1	27.8	23.2
Other	56.8	57.1	60.7

The industry that contributed the most to the province's economic output in 2011 was manufacturing with 44.766 billion baht, followed by electricity, gas and water supply with 28.689 billion baht, agriculture with 18.751 billion baht, and the wholesale trade. and retail at 10.329 billion baht.

history

Wat Mahathat Ratchaburi from the Lopburi era (Khmer style)

The area was already populated during the Dvaravati period. The provincial capital itself was an important capital in the Mon kingdom . The place is even said to be traced back to the legendary Suvarnabhumi Kingdom , which is said to have existed before Dvaravati. In the 12th century, Ratchaburi was an important provincial center of the Khmer Empire of Angkor .

During the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng in the second half of the 13th century, it became dependent on his kingdom of Sukhothai . After Ramkhamhaeng's death and the decline of Sukhothai's influence, Ratchaburi was one of the western Thai principalities ( Müang ) , the center of which was Suphan Buri . These belonged to the germ cells of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, founded in 1351 .

During the Burmese campaign against Siam , the troops of the Burmese King Alaungpaya took Ratchaburi on their way to Ayutthaya in early 1760. A similar scenario arose in 1765 during the campaign of the Burmese King Hsinbyushin , which ultimately led to the fall of Ayutthaya. Rama I , the founder of the Chakri dynasty that still ruled today, served in the provincial administration of Ratchaburi, where he was deputy governor in the last years of the Ayutthaya period, before he became king. His wife, who later became Queen Amarindra, came from there .

During the reign of King Rama I (r. 1782-1809) a comprehensive tax system was introduced, including for alcohol. Ratchaburi was administered together Samut Songkhram and Kanchanaburi . During a renewed advance of Burmese troops into Siam in 1785 , Ratchaburi was again an important scene. The advance of the invaders on the capital Bangkok was stopped here.

With the introduction of a modern, centralized administrative system during the reign of King Rama V (Chulalongkorns), Ratchaburi became one of five provinces that were combined to form Monthon Ratchaburi, established in 1895 . Phraya Surinthararuchai ( Thet Bunnag ) was the first "Superintendent Commissioner". The provincial administration was initially in the Amphoe Photharam , but in 1898 it was relocated to today's city of Ratchaburi (Tambon Na Mueang, Amphoe Mueang). After the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932, the monthons were abolished and each province was placed directly under the central government.

archeology

• Khok Phlap - archaeological site in the Bang Phae district.
• Khu Bua - probably a main place of the Dvaravati culture

Attractions

Khao Bin cave

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

For attractions in the city of Ratchaburi, see entry in Ratchaburi . Outside of it:

• Khao Bin stalactite caves and Chomphon cave, Amphoe Chom Bueng
• Damnoen Saduak Floating Market - about 2 km outside the village of Damnoen Saduak, where hundreds of vendors sell their goods in boats; it usually is women under their characteristic Ngop protect -Hüten from the sun and sell fruits, vegetables, kitchen appliances and home cooked food.
• the jagged, crater-like soil formations ("mini canyons") of Pong Yup, Amphoe Suan Phueng
• Wat Muang ( Amphoe Ban Pong ) with the Museum of Mon culture
• Wat Khanon ( Amphoe Photharam ) with the Museum of the Nang Yai Shadow Theater
• National parks :
  • Chaloem Phrakiat Thai Prachan National Park (Thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติ เฉลิมพระเกียรติ ไทย ประจัน ) - founded in 2003, area: 384.39 square kilometers, consists mainly of forest area, where rebels of the Communist Party of Thailand fought with government troops in the 1970s .

Symbols

The seal of the province shows the royal insignia sword and sandals on a dispensing bowl (phan) , a reference to the name of the province ("royal city").

The local tree is the pink laburnum tree ( Cassia bakeriana ), the local flower the Wrightia pubescens .

The motto of Ratchaburi Province is:

Beautiful ladies can be found in the Amphoe Potharam,

Kind and calm people are in Ban Pong,

Clay jugs called Ong Mang Korn are the city's fame,

Wat Khanon Monastery is a house for puppet shows,

Beautiful caves attract visitors,

Neglect not the floating market of Damnoen Saduak ,

Let your eyes rest lovingly on the million bats

Catch Yi Sok, the pleasant fish.

Administrative units

Provincial Administration

The province is divided into 10 districts ( Amphoe ) . The districts are further subdivided into 104 communes ( tambon ) and 935 villages ( muban ) .

No. Amphoe name Thai 01 Amphoe Mueang Ratchaburi   อำเภอ เมือง ราชบุรี 02 Chom Bueng district อำเภอ จอมบึง 03 Suan Phueng District อำเภอ สวนผึ้ง 04th Damnoen Saduak district อำเภอ ดำเนินสะดวก 05 Ban Pong district อำเภอ บ้านโป่ง 06th Bang Phae district อำเภอ บางแพ 07th Amphoe Photharam อำเภอ โพธาราม 08th Pak Tho district อำเภอ ปากท่อ 09 Amphoe Wat Phleng อำเภอ วัดเพลง 10 Ban Kha district อำเภอ บ้าน คา

Map of the Amphoe

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 three cities ( เทศบาล เมือง - Thesaban Mueang ) in the province : Ratchaburi ( เทศบาล เมือง ราชบุรี ), Photharam ( เทศบาล เมือง โพธาราม ) and Ban Pong ( เทศบาล เมือง บ้านโป่ง ). There are also 27 small towns ( เทศบาล ตำบล - Thesaban Tambon ).

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Gross Provincial Product at Current Market Prices: Western Provinces, National Economic and Social Development Board, 2011.
2. ↑ Thailand in Figures (2011)
3. ↑ Terwiel (1989), p. 72
4. ^ Tej Bunnag : The provincial administration of Siam, 1892-1915: the Ministry of the Interior under Prince Damrong Rajanubhab . Oxford University Press, Kuala Lumpur; New York 1977, ISBN 0-19-580343-4 .
5. ↑ Department of Provincial Administration : As of 2012 (in Thai)

literature

• Barend Jan Terwiel : Trough Travelers' Eyes: an approach to nineteenth century Thai history . Bangkok: Duang Kamol 1989, ISBN 974-210-455-7 .
• Thailand in Figures . 13. A. Nonthaburi: Alpha Research 2011. ISBN 978-616752603-4 .

Web links

Commons : Ratchaburi Province  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Map of Ratchaburi Province (names in English and Thai) [last accessed July 24, 2015]
• Tourism information about Ratchaburi - Page tourism authority TAT (in English)
• Information on Chaloem Phrakiat Thai Prachan National Park (in English)

Coordinates: 13 ° 32 '  N , 99 ° 49'  E