Samut Sakhon (Province)

Samut Sakhon
สมุทรสาคร
statistics
Capital:	Samut Sakhon
Telephone code:	034
Surface:	872.4 km² 72.
Residents:	484,606 (2009) 54.
Population density :	555 E / km² 4.
ISO 3166-2 :
Governor :
map

Samut Sakhon ( Thai สมุทรสาคร ) is a province ( Changwat ) in the central region of Thailand . It is located on the northern coast of the Gulf of Thailand , immediately southwest of the capital Bangkok, to whose metropolitan region it belongs. Samut Sakhon is one of the most densely populated and one of the economically strongest provinces in Thailand. The capital of the province is also called Samut Sakhon .

geography

Samut Sakhon is located at the mouth of the Mae Nam Tha Chin ( Tha Chin River ) in the Gulf of Thailand. It is only about 28 kilometers from the capital, Bangkok.

Adjacent provinces and areas:
north	Nakhon Pathom
east	Bangkok
south	Coast to the Gulf of Thailand
west	Samut Songkhram and Ratchaburi

climate

The climate is tropical - monsoonal . The number of annual rainy days is 101 with an annual rainfall of about 1064 mm³.

Economy and Importance

The main traditional product is sea ​​salt , which is extracted from extensive fields on the coast. But fishing and the proximity to the capital also contribute to the relative prosperity of the inhabitants.

In 2011, the "Gross Provincial Product" (was GDP ) of the province 315 381 000 000 baht , the fifth highest value among Thailand's provinces. This corresponds to a gross national product per capita of 541,155 baht (17,639 US dollars), the second highest value in a Thai province, ahead of the capital Bangkok, and more than three times the national average.

Data

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

Industry	2006	2007	2008	2009
Agriculture (including fishing)	03.9	03.6	03.6	03.9
Industry	87.2	87.9	87.7	87.4
Other	08.9	08.5	08.7	08.7

By far the industry that contributed the most to the province's economic output in 2011 was manufacturing with 223.938 billion baht. It was followed by wholesaling and retailing with 37.165 billion baht and fishing with 13.850 billion baht.

Land use

The following land use is documented for the province:

• Forest area: 23,803 Rai (38.1 km²), 4.4% of the total area
• Agricultural area: 143,861 rai (230.2 km²), 26.4% of the total area
• Unclassified area: 377,553 rai (604.1 km²), 69.2% of the total area

population

According to the 2000 census data, 99% of the population were Thai citizens. 98.9% were Buddhists, 0.3% Muslim and 0.2% Christian. 0.6% said Burmese or Mon were their first language. 41.3% of the residents were not born in Samut Sakhon, but moved from another province.

traffic

The multi-lane Thanon Phra Ram 2 (Rama II Street, National Road 35), one of Bangkok's main arterial roads, runs through the province of Samut Sakhon . It continues west to the neighboring province of Samut Songkhram before it joins Thanon Phetkasem (National Road 4), which continues to southern Thailand.

Samut Sakhon has not yet been connected to any of the public mass transport systems in the metropolis of Bangkok. In the further future (until 2029) the development by local trains of the "dark red line" of the Thai State Railway (SRT) is planned.

history

Samut Sakhon used to be called Tha Chin ( Thai : ท่า จีน - spoken: [ tâː t͡ɕiːn ]), meaning “Chinese port ”. This probably indicates the fact that Chinese traders traded on their junks here . Chinese came from their homeland on their way to India , the Middle East to Europe in the Gulf of Siam for a stopover.

In 1548 a new city called Sakhon Buri was founded under King Maha Chakrapat to serve as a gathering place for the troops raised in the area.

Known as cruel, King Phrachao Suea ("Tiger King") made a tour of several provinces in 1704 on the royal barge. His favorite helmsman, Norasing, also had to go through the winding canal ( Khlong ) Kok, where he paid taxes and stumbled on a tree hanging over the bank. According to the palace laws, he had forfeited his life. The king wanted to pardon his darling, but Norasing insisted on the execution of the sentence in order to comply with the palace laws. King Sua then built a shrine and dug the new Khlong Mahachai, which ran in a straight line. Sakhon Buri was renamed Mahachai in 1704 after the newly dug canal.

During the reign of King Rama I (r. 1782-1809) a comprehensive tax system was introduced, including for alcohol. Samut Sakhon became Suphan Buri and Nakhon Chaisi . managed.

In April 1842, there were problems between three groups of Chinese who had formed secret societies , each consisting of about 1,000 men. The leaders of these groups were called Khim, Ia and Phiao (Piaw). The Siamese government sent soldiers under the command of Phra Sombat Wanit to arrest the leaders. In fact, Khim and Phiao were initially thrown into dungeon, but Ia was able to flee. He and his people then robbed the houses in the Samut Sakhon and Nakhon Pathom area. They could only be overwhelmed after a major police operation.

Another Phiaw (Piao) of Chinese origin became the leader of a band of robbers after the Phra Khlang ordered the confiscation of all opium in Samut Sakhon from Bangkok . To this end, Chamuen Thiphasena and a group of soldiers went to see Piao, who had previously been a serf and whom he had previously deprived of the opium several times. Piao then joined a Chinese secret society ( triad ) and became one of the leaders, so that he could take up the fight with Chamuen Thiphasena. He then fled to Bangkok, where a large association under Phraya Mahathep was soon sent to Samut Sakhon. About 500 to 600 men reached the city on March 16, 1848 by water, but they could not land because of the low water and were shot at by the robbers. Phraya Mahathep was shot in the stomach and the company returned to Bangkok. On March 18, the Phra Khlang set out with the reinforced troops to take Sakhon Buri and fight the gang. Piao then turned to Ratchaburi to reach English territory to the south. They were caught by the Cambodians and Laotians there, and around 300 robbers died. Their bodies were dismembered and thrown into the river. Piao and several others were caught and taken to Bangkok. In early April, Phraya Mahathep died of his wounds.

King Mongkut (Rama IV.) Then gave the city its current official name, but the inhabitants often still use the old name Mahachai. Later the province was again part of Thonburi , before it was raised again to the status of an independent province in 1946.

Attractions

• Wat Yai Chom Prasat ( วัด ใหญ่ จอม ปราสาท ) - about 400 years old Buddhist temple complex ( Wat ) in Amphoe Mueang. It was registered on September 27, 1936 by the Fine Arts Department as a "National Monument".
• Wat Suthiwat Wararam ( วัด สุทธิ วา ต ว รา ราม ) also Wat Chong Lom ( วัด ช่องลม ) - Buddhist temple with a statue of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) who, during his thesaphiban administrative reform, established the first sanitary district with a Visiting this temple celebrated. Here in the temple today relics of famous Thai meditation masters can be seen, including that of Luang Phu Waen.
• Phanthai Norasing Shrine - a shrine in honor of the unfortunate helmsman who lost his life because he was infected on the bank; the shrine stands today at the Khlong Mahachai after the Khlong Kok, where the accident happened, has become too shallow.
• Wichian Chodok Fortress - built under King Phra Nang Klao (Rama III) , ruins can still be seen today.

coat of arms

The coat of arms of the Samut Sakhon province shows a Chinese junk with a smoking chimney in front of a coastline.

The local tree is the Alstonia scholaris .

The motto of Samut Sakhon Province is:

The city of fishing,
Full of trades of all kinds,
The province of agriculture,
Historical places lie here forever.

administration

Provincial Administration

The province is divided into three districts ( Amphoe ) . These are further subdivided into 40 parishes ( tambon ) and 288 villages ( muban ) .

No. Amphoe Thai 1. Amphoe Mueang Samut Sakhon อำเภอ เมือง สมุทรสาคร 2. Amphoe Krathum Baen อำเภอ กระทุ่มแบน 3. Ban Phaeo district อำเภอ บ้านแพ้ว Administrative division of the province

Thesaban ("cities") in the 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 .

In the province there are two Thesaban Nakhon ( เทศบาล นคร - large cities) Samut Sakhon ( เทศบาลนคร สมุทรสาคร ) and Om Noi ( เทศบาล นคร อ้อม น้อย ) a Thesaban Mueang ( เทศบาล เมือง - city) and nine Thesaban Tambon ( เทศบาล ตำบล - small towns) .

literature

• Barend Jan Terwiel : Trough Travelers' Eyes: an approach to nineteenth century Thai history . Duang Kamol, Bangkok 1989, ISBN 974-210-455-7 .
• Thailand in Figures, Vol.II: Region and Province . 16th edition 2012–2013. Alpha Research, Nonthaburi 2012, ISBN 978-616-7256-12-6

Web links

Commons : Samut Sakhon  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Page of the provincial administration on Wat Yai Chom Prasat ( Memento from May 23, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) (in Thai)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Thailand in Figures (2012), p. 55
2. ↑ "Industry" includes: Manufacturing; Electricity, gas and water supply; Construction
3. ^ "Others" include: Wholesale and retail trade; Hotels and restaurants; Transport, storage and communication; Real estate; Education; Health and social work, ...
4. ^ Gross Provincial Product at Current Market Prices: Bangkok and Vicinities, National Economic and Social Development Board, 2011.
5. ↑ Key indicators of the population and households, Population and Housing Census 1990 and 2000: Samut Sakhon (PDF)
6. ↑ Terwiel (1989), p. 72
7. ↑ Terwiel (1989), p. 78
8. ↑ Terwiel (1989), pp. 78-80
9. ↑ Department of Provincial Administration : As of 2012 (in Thai)

Coordinates: 13 ° 31 '  N , 100 ° 12'  E