Samut Prakan province

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="right"\n! colspan="2" align=center bgcolor="#DEFFAD"|Statistics\n|-\n||Capital:||Samut Prakan\n|-\n||Area:||valign=top|1,004.1 km²
Ranked 70th\n|-\n||Inhabitants:||valign=top|1.028.401 (2000)
Ranked 18th\n|-\n||Pop. density:||valign=top|1024 inh./km²
Ranked 3rd\n|-\n||ISO 3166-2:||TH-11\n|-\n!colspan="2" align=center bgcolor="#DEFFAD"|Map\n|-\n|colspan="2" align=center|\n|}\nSamut Prakan (Thai สมุทรปราการ) is one of the central provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are in the west and north Bangkok and Chachoengsao to the east. The new Suvarnabhumi Airport is currently under construction in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan province.

Table of contents

1 Geography 2 History 3 Symbols 4 Administrative divisions 5 External links

Geography

\nSamut Prakan is located at the mouth of the Chao Phraya river to the Gulf of Thailand. Thus the province is also sometimes called Pak Nam (ปากน้ำ)by the Thai word for the mouth of a river. The part of the province located on the western side of the river consist mostly of rice and prawn fields as well as mangrove forests, while the east part is the urban center - including industrial factories. It is part of the Bangkok metropolis, the urbanization on both sides of the provincial boundary is identical.

History

\nThe province was created during the Ayutthaya period, with its administrative center located at Prapadaeng. It was the sea port of Siam, and was secured with forts, town moats and town-walls. King Rama II starting the building of the new center at Samut Prakan in 1819, after his predecessor King Taksin had disbanded the town fortification. Altogether six forts were built on both sides of the Chao Phraya river, and on an island in the river the pagoda Phra Samut Chedi was erected. Of the original six forts only two still exist today, Phi Sua Samut and Phra Chulachomklao. By the way, the word, Samut prakan means rampart of shore.

Symbols

\n{|\n|- valign=top\n||\n||The provincial seal shows the temple Phra Samut Chedi, the most important site of Buddhist worship in the province. Provincial tree is Thespesia populnea .\n|}\n

Administrative divisions

\n\nThe province is subdivided into 5 districts (Amphoe) and one minor districts (King Amphoe). The districts are further subdivided into 50 communes (tambon) and 396 villages.\n{|\n!|Amphoe\n!|\n!|King Amphoe\n|---valign=top\n||\n#Mueang Samut Prakan\n#Bang Bo\n#Bang Phli\n||\n

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4. Phra Pradaeng\n
5. Phra Samut Chedi\n

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6. Bang Sao Thong\n

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External links

\n*Province page from the Tourist Authority of Thailand\n*Golden Jubilee Network province guide\n*paknam.com - created by Sriwittayapaknam School\n*Official site of the province (Thai only) \n