Geography of Thailand  

     Thailand is attractive in all seasons. If tourists study the terrain and climate of Thailand in advance, they will be able to experience the wonders of any region they wish. The basic information about Thailand is as follows:

1. Size and location
     In the southeastern part of Asia, Thailand is located below the Tropic of Cancer, between latitude 5° 37' north and 20° 27' north, and between longitude 97° 22' east and 105° 37' east. The total area is 513,115 square kilometers. It has the following borders with neighboring countries:

• North, connected to Myanmar and Laos;
• East, connected to Laos, Cambodia, and the Gulf of Thailand;
• South connected to Malaysia;
• West connected to Myanmar and the Andaman Sea.

2.Topography and weather
     Thailand is not a large country, so the topography and meteorological conditions of the regions are similar, with only minor differences. The division of Thailand in meteorological terms, therefore, considers climate patterns and divides Thailand into five regions, as follows:

1. The North
     It comprises 15 provinces: Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, Phayao, Nan, Phrae, Uttaradit, Sukhothai, Tak, Kamphaeng Phet, Phitsanulok, Phichit, and Phetchabun. Most of the terrain is mountainous, with mountains in the north-south direction alternating with many valleys. There are mountain ranges in Laos in the north, between Thailand and Myanmar, and it is the main source of the Ping River.
     There are the Thongchai Road and Tanintharyi mountain range in the west; the Phantom Pan Nam, the origin of the Wang River and the Yom River, in the central part; the Luang Prabang range in the east, which is the main source of the Nan River. And there is the Phetchabun terrain, a barrier between this region and the northeast formed by Inthanon mountain, the highest peak in Thailand, located in the Chom Thong Mountains, Chiang Mai Province, about 2,565 meters above mean sea level.

2. The Northeast
     It comprises 19 provinces: Nong Khai Loei, Nong Bua Lamphu, Udon Thani, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham, Roi Et, Yasothon, Amnat Charoen, Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Ratchasima, Srimarum, Surin, Srisaket, and Ubon Ratchathani.
     The terrain is a plateau and slopes down to the southeast. Phetchabun Mountain and Dong Phayayen Mountain are in the west, as a barrier between this region and the north and central regions. To the south, there is a bridge between this region and the east and Phanom Dong Rak Mountain, a border between Cambodia, Phetchabun Mountain, and Dong Phayen Mountain, which is from 800 to 1,300 meters high. And Dong Phayen Mountain, which is about 400 meters high, is a barrier to the southwest wind, making the area on the west side of the region, which is behind it, less rainy than the east.

3. The central region
     It comprises 18 provinces: Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Chainat Singburi, Lopburi, Ang Thong, Saraburi, Suphanburi, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Samut Songkhram, and Samut Sakhon.
     Most of the terrain is lowland, sloping down to the south to the Gulf of Thailand. Most of the hills in this region are low, except on the west side near the border with Myanmar. The mountain range is located in the north-south direction, continuing from the north, along the border with Myanmar, and has a height of more than 1,600 meters. The mountain range of Dong Phayen in the east is divided by the northeast.

4. The East
     It comprises eight provinces: Nakhon Nayok, Chachoengsao, Prachinburi, Sa Kaeo, Chonburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi, and Trat. The landscape is both mountainous and flat. In the southeastern part of the region, there is mountainous terrain on the border with Cambodia and mountainous terrain in Chanthaburi, next to it. In the north, there are mountains in Sankamphaeng and Phanom Dongrak, running west-east. This region is divided into the northeastern part, the west, and the south. It is on the seaside, adjacent to the Gulf of Thailand, with many big and small islands.

5. The South
     It is a peninsula flanked by two seas; on the western side is the Andaman Sea, and on the eastern side is the Gulf of Thailand, which is part of the South China Sea. In the upper part of the region, there are hills, which are positioned in the north-south direction continuing from the north, and the central part is on the border with Myanmar. In the lower part of the region, Phuket and Nakhon Si Thammarat have hills that are positioned in the north-south direction.

     The region is divided into two parts: the eastern coastal plain adjacent to the Gulf of Thailand, which has extensive boundaries, and the western coastal plain parallel to the Andaman Sea and the Malacca Strait, which is narrower than the eastern coastal plain. The Sankhalakiri mountain range forms a border with Malaysia to the south.

It is divided into two parts:

• The eastern part of the southern region comprises 10 provinces: Petchburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat.
• The southwest comprises six provinces: Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang, and Satun.

Source: Department of Meteorology,  4353 Sukhumvit Road, Bangna, Bangkok. Tel. 0 2399 4012.

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