Thailand Provinces (original) (raw)

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Updates:

I added 2010 census figures last month, but it turns out that my source was based on 2000 data. (There was no date given within the pdf file. It was a link from a page on the National Statistical Office site, and the text on that page led me to believe it was for 2010.) Now I've revised the data using another source. The census was taken before Bueng Kan was formed, so these sources still consider it part of Nong Khai. I got the population of Bueng Kan from yet another source. Thanks to Andreas H�rstemeier, who keeps track of Thailand's administrative divisions on his blog , for help with this.

Update 6 to "Geopolitical Entities and Codes" is dated 2011-11-30. For Thailand, it assigns a FIPS code to Bueng Kan province. There is also an ISO 3166-2 code, but not announced by newsletter: ISO has started announcing code changes on its Online Browsing Platform.

Update 13 to Geopolitical Entities and Codes (formerly FIPS 10-4) is dated 2013-09-30. All it does in Thailand is fix one misspelling.

Update 10 to Geopolitical Entities and Codes (formerly FIPS 10-4) is dated 2012-12-31. It changes the name used for the Bangkok region, dropping the word "Mahanakhon," which is what distinguishes the long form (formal) name from the short form.

Bueng Kan province was split from Nong Khai province on 2011-03-23. Its creation was approved by the Ministry of the Interior on 2010-05-06, and by the cabinet on 2010-08-03. Bueng Kan comprises the districts of Bueng Kan, Bueng Khong Long, Bung Khla, Pak Khat, Phon Charoen, Seka, Si Wilai, and So Phisai, which had a total population of 385,053 in the 2000 census, and a total area of 4,305 km.�.

International standard ISO 3166-2 was published on December 15, 1998. It superseded ISO/DIS 3166-2 (draft international standard). For Thailand, the draft standard showed 72 provinces and one municipality, each with a two-digit code. The final standard shows 75 provinces, one metropolitan administration (same as the municipality), and one special administrative city, named Phatthaya. They still have two-digit codes, with one exception (Phatthaya's code is S), but the codes are almost all changed. The new codes are shown in the table below.

The three new provinces listed in the final standard were created in 1993. Phatthaya is not listed by the National Statistical Office in the tables of census results by provinces. It is included in Chon Buri province.

Country overview:

At the beginning of the 20th century, Siam was an independent country, but the British and French had "spheres of influence": the British in the west and south, the French in the east. Part of the French sphere was transferred to French Indo-China in 1907. In 1909, part of the British sphere became unfederated states of Malaya. On 1939-06-24 Siam proclaimed that its English name was to be Thailand. During World War II, Thailand annexed some of the territory back from Indo-China, but was forced to return it at the end of the war.

Other names of country:

1. Danish: Thailand, Siam (obsolete)
2. Dutch: Thailand, Koninkrijk Thailand (formal)
3. English: Kingdom of Thailand (formal), Siam (obsolete)
4. Finnish: Thaimaa
5. French: Tha�lande f
6. German: Thailand n
7. Icelandic: Ta�land
8. Italian: Thailandia f, Tailandia
9. Norwegian: Thailand, Kongeriket Thailand (formal)
10. Portuguese: Tail�ndia, Reino m da Tail�ndia f (formal), Si�o m (obsolete)
11. Russian: Королевство Таиланд (formal)
12. Spanish: Tailandia, Reino m de Tailandia f (formal)
13. Swedish: Thailand
14. Turkish: Tayland Krallığı (formal)
15. Thai: Muang Thai (formal), Prathes Thai (formal)

Origin of name:

Land of the Thais (an ethnic name meaning free people)

Primary subdivisions:

Thailand is divided into 76 changwat (provinces) and one maha nakhon (municipality).

Postal codes:

Thailand uses five-digit postal codes. The first two digits of the postal code are the same as the province ISO code, except for ISO codes 11-19. For those provinces, subtract 1 from the ISO code to get the first two digits of the postal code. Bangkok and Samut Prakan both have postal codes beginning with 10.

Further subdivisions:

See the Districts of Thailand page.

The provinces are divided into amphoes (or amphurs: districts) and king amphoes (subdistricts). These are in turn subdivided into tambons (communes), which are further subdivided into moobans (villages). Above the provinces, there are regions (as shown above). In the early part of the 20th century, there were groupings of provinces called monthons (administrative circles).

Territorial extent:

1. Chon Buri includes Ko Si Chang, Ko Khram, Ko Pai, and other islands.
2. Krabi includes Ko Lanta (actually two islands, Ko Lanta Yai and Ko Lanta Noi, constituting one district); and Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Le, and other islands.
3. Phuket consists of one large island, Ko Phuket; and numerous smaller islands, such as Ko Yao Yai, Ko Yao Noi, Ko Sire, and Ko Kaeo Pitsadan.
4. Phangnga includes Ko Phra Thong, Ko Kho Kao, and other islands.
5. Ranong includes Ko Phayam, Ko Chang, and other islands.
6. Satun includes Ko Tarutao; the Butong Group, containing Ladang, Rawi, Tanga, and Bitsi; Ko Khao Yai, Ko Bulon Lae, Ko Laoling, and other small islands.
7. Songkhla includes Ko Yo, Ko Nu and Ko Maeo islands.
8. Surat Thani includes the islands Ko Samui, Ko Phangan, Ko Tao, Ko Nangyuan, Ko Ang Thong, etc.
9. Trang includes Ko Libong, Ko Muk, and other small islands.
10. Trat includes Ko Chang, Ko Kut, Ko Mak, and adjacent islands.

The UN LOCODE page for Thailand lists locations in the country, some of them with their latitudes and longitudes, some with their ISO 3166-2 codes for their subdivisions. This information can be put together to approximate the territorial extent of subdivisions.

Origins of names:

1. Bangkok: region of plum-olive trees, also known as Krung Thep: city of angels; Phra Nakhon: lord city
2. Buri Ram: city of pleasantness
3. Chai Nat: place of victory
4. Phatthalung: town of the hollow hill
5. Phuket: Malayan bukit: hill
6. Sukhothai: dawn of happiness
7. Surat Thani: city of the good people

Change history:

1. 1912-06: Isan province split into Roi Et and Ubon Ratchathani.
2. 1915: Thailand had 83 provinces. There were some merges between then and 1950.
3. ~1959: Kalasin province split from Maha Sarakham.
4. 1972: Phra Nakhon and Thon Buri provinces merged to form Bangkok Metropolis (Krung Thep Mahanakhon).
5. 1972-10-01: Yasothon province split from Ubon Ratchathani.
6. 1977-08-28: Phayao province split from Chiang Rai.
7. 1981: Name of Prathum Thani province changed to Pathum Thani.
8. 1982-09: Mukdahan province split from Nakhon Phanom (FIPS code TH21 before the split).
9. 1993: Amnat Charoen province split from Ubon Ratchathani (former FIPS TH71); Nong Bua Lam Phu split from Udon Thani (TH19); Sa Kaeo split from Prachin Buri (TH45).
10. 2011-03-23: Bueng Kan province split from Nong Khai (former HASC code TH.NK).

Other names of subdivisions:

Although names have to be transliterated from the Thai alphabet, they have become fairly standardized by now. Some names often appear as one word, especially Buriram and Sisaket. In older sources, Nakhon often appears as Nakhorn. The following list shows some typical variants, as well as some odd ones.

1. Chachoengsao: Chaxerngsao, Pad Rew, Paed Riu, Petrieu, Shajeun Dhrao (variant)
2. Chanthaburi: Chantaburi, Muang Chan (variant)
3. Kamphaeng Phet: Gampheang Phet, Kambhengbhej (variant)
4. Kanchanaburi: Kan Buri, Park Prag (variant)
5. Bangkok Metropolis: Krung Thep, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, Phra Nakhon-Thonburi (variant)
6. Lamphun: Hariphunchai, Lampoon (variant)
7. Nakhon Ratchasima: Khorat, Nagara Rajasima, Nakaun Rachasima (variant)
8. Nakhon Si Thammarat: Nagara Sridharmaraj, Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Nakhornsrithamrat, Nakornsrithamaraj (variant)
9. Phetchaburi: Bejraburi, Petchburi, Phet Buri, Tetchburit (variant)
10. Phitsanulok: Bisnulok, Phisanulauk, Phitsnulok, Pitsanuloke (variant)
11. Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya: Ayudhya, Ayutthaya, Phranakhornsri-ayuthaya (variant)
12. Prachuap Khiri Khan: Korh Luxk, Prachuab Girikhand, Prachuapkirikhan, Prachut Khirikhan (variant)
13. Samut Prakan: Pak Nam, Samudh Prakarn, Samudraprakar, Samut Phrakhan (variant)
14. Samut Sakhon: Krokkrak Maha Chai, Mahachai, Samudrasagara (variant)
15. Samut Songkhram: Mae Klong, Samudrasonggram (variant)
16. Si Sa Ket: Khukhan, Khukhandh, Srisaket (variant)
17. Sukhothai: Sawankhalokt, Sukhotai, Sukothai, Svargalok (variant)
18. Trang: Tab Tiang (variant)

Population history:

Figures for Bangkok Metropolis represent only Phra Nakhon before 1980.

Sources:

1. [1] The 2010 Population and Housing Census: Whole Kingdom. National Statistical Office, 2012. Table 1: Population by sex, household by type of household, changwat and area.