Yala province

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="right"\n! colspan="2" align=center bgcolor="#DEFFAD"|Statistics\n|-\n||Capital:||Yala\n|-\n||Area:||valign=top|4,521.1 km²
Ranked 48th\n|-\n||Inhabitants:||valign=top|415,537 (2000)
Ranked 59th\n|-\n||Pop. density:||valign=top|92 inh./km²
Ranked 47th\n|-\n||ISO 3166-2:||TH-95\n|-\n!colspan="2" align=center bgcolor="#DEFFAD"|Map\n|-\n|colspan="2" align=center|\n|} Yala (Thai ยะลา)\nis the southernmost province (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north-west clockwise) Songkhla, Pattani and Narathiwat. The southern part borders Malaysia. In Malay Language, the province is somethimes written as Jolor.

Table of contents

1 Geography 2 History 3 Demographics 4 Symbols 5 Administrative divisions 6 External links

Geography

\nYala is located on the Malay Peninsula.

History

\nHistorically Yala used to be part of Pattani, a semi-independent Malay kingdom, but part of the Thai kingdoms of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya. After Ayutthaya fell in 1767, Pattani gained full independence, but under King Rama I it became part of Thailand again. In 1909, it was annexed by the Kingdom of Siam as part of a treaty negotiated with the British Empire. Along with Narathiwat, Yala was originally part of Pattani, but they were split off and became provinces of their own. There is a separatist movement in Yala, which occasionally prompts violence. After being dormant for several years it erupted again in 2004.

Demographics

\nYala is one of the four provinces of Thailand where the majority of the population are Muslim, making up 68.9% of the population. Also 66.1% of the population are Malay.

Symbols

\n{|\n| valign=top|\n| valign=top|The provincial seal shows a miner with simple mining tools including hoes, crowbars, and baskets. Yala was originally a mining town with tin and tungsten ores. The provincial tree is the Red Saraca (Saraca declinata), and the provincial flower is the Bullet Wood (Mimusops elengi).\n|}\n

Administrative divisions

\nYala is subdivided into 7 districts (Amphoe) and one minor district (King Amphoe)), which are further subdivided into 56 communes (tambon) and 341 villages (mubaan).\n{|\n!|Amphoe\n!|\n!|King Amphoe\n|--\n| valign=top|\n#Mueang Yala\n#Betong\n#Bannang Sata\n#Than To\n| valign=top|\n

\n
5. Yaha\n
6. Raman\n
7. Kabang\n

\n| valign=top|\n#Krong Pinang\n|}

External links

\n*Province page from the Tourist Authority of Thailand\n*Golden Jubilee Network province guide \n