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58-591: Lined on the Chao Phraya River 's bank in the area of Pak Khlong Bang Pla Ko Sub-district, near Phisuea Samut Fortress and Chulachomklao Fort , which was built to protect the mouth of the Chao Phraya River and played an important role during the " Paknam Incident " (July 1893) in the King Rama V 's reign. The most striking feature of the temple is "Phra Samut Chedi", the chedi (stūpa) of

116-549: A major change from the 13th century during the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 13th and 14th centuries and the Ayutthaya Kingdom that succeeded it when rice growing intensified with the introduction of floating rice , a much faster-growing strain of rice from Bengal . The southern swamps meanwhile changed radically from the 18th century when King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke moved the capital of Siam to Bangkok, and

174-529: A pipeline leak resulted in an oil slick that went on to coat a beach on the nearby Ka Samet island. In late January 2022, a leak in the pipeline operated by the Star Petroleum Refining Public Company Ltd caused a spill of 20 to 50 tonnes across 47 km of water, with some oil reaching the coast of Rayong province 20 km away. The gulf's many coral reefs have made it attractive to divers. The tropical warmth of

232-578: A process of canalisation and cultivation began, especially as Thailand began to export rice from 1855. The Tha Chin River is the major distributary of the Chao Phraya River. The expanse of the Chao Phraya and Tha Chin Rivers and their distributaries, starting at the point at which the distributaries diverge, together with the land amid the triangle formed by the outermost and innermost distributary, form

290-532: A relic of the original landscape. As so much has been cleared or altered the potential for creating large protected areas to preserve original habitat no longer exists. However much wildlife does remain in the rice fields and steps may be taken to preserve these as urban and industrial development on the plains is ongoing and the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand has very little control or planning over this. Particular threats come from

348-576: Is "Gulf of Siam", Teluk Siam or in Jawi script : تلوق سيم ‎ , and in Khmer : ឈូងសមុទ្រសៀម , Chhoung Samut Siem . In Thai, the gulf is historically known as Ao Sayam ( Thai : อ่าวสยาม ). In Vietnamese it is known as Vịnh Thái Lan . It is generally identified with the Great Gulf ( Latin : Magnus Sinus ) known to Greek , Roman , Arab , Persian , and Renaissance cartographers before

406-542: Is a shallow inlet in the southwestern South China Sea , bounded between the southwestern shores of the Indochinese Peninsula and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula . It is around 800 km (500 mi) in length and up to 560 km (350 mi) in width, and has a surface area of 320,000 km (120,000 sq mi). The gulf is surrounded on the north, west and southwest by

464-491: Is at a single location that covers less than 10 km (4 sq mi). The endangered dwarf loach , another species bred in large numbers for the aquarium trade, has been extirpated from most of its range in Chao Phraya. The critically endangered Siamese tigerfish has been entirely exirpated from Chao Phraya and Mae Klong, but small populations remain in the Mekong basin. Many other species that either are prominent in

522-523: Is considered one of the oldest and most well-known temples in Samut Prakan. Its stūpa is regarded as a symbol or landmark of the province, inside contains the Buddha's relics , image of Buddha's posture of Phra Ham Samut (pacifying the ocean) and Buddha image, Phra Chai Wat. On the 5th day of the waning moon of the 11th month of every year (around October), there will be a stūpa worship ceremony. This

580-463: Is the biggest temple fair in Samut Prakan and the one greatest traditions in the province. 13°36′01″N 100°35′12″E  /  13.600165°N 100.58678°E  / 13.600165; 100.58678 Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand , with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into

638-595: The Ayutthaya period. Several shortcut canals were constructed to bypass large loops in the river, shortening the trip from the capital city to the sea. The course of the river has since changed to follow many of these canals. Provinces along the Chao Phraya include, from north to south, Nakhon Sawan Province , Uthai Thani Province , Chai Nat Province , Sing Buri Province , Ang Thong Province , Ayutthaya Province , Pathum Thani Province , Nonthaburi Province , Bangkok , and Samut Prakan Province . These cities are among

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696-845: The Bay of Bangkok , and to a lesser degree the Tapi River flowing into Bandon Bay in the southwest of the gulf. The International Hydrographic Organization defines the southern limit of the gulf as "[a] line running from the Western extreme of Cambodia or Camau Point (8°36'N) to the Northern extreme of the point on the East side of the estuary of the Kelantan River ( 6°14′N 102°15′E  /  6.233°N 102.250°E  / 6.233; 102.250 )". The seabed morphology in

754-763: The Gulf of Thailand . On many old European maps, the river is named the Mae Nam (แม่น้ำ), the Thai word for "river" (literally, "motherly water"). Irish surveyor and cartographer James McCarthy , F.R.G.S. , who served as Director-General of the Siamese Government Surveys prior to establishment of the Royal Thai Survey Department , wrote in his account, " Mae Nam is a generic term, mae signifying "mother" and Nam "water," and

812-504: The IUCN ), but Cryptophaea saukra is critically endangered and Caliphaea angka is endangered . There are few areas of wetland protected as national parks, but these are mostly very small. The Chao Phraya basin is home to around 280 species of fish, including about 30 endemics . By far the most diverse family is Cyprinidae with 108 species. The mainstream of the Chao Phraya River has about 190 native fish species. In general,

870-592: The Ping River (with its principal confluent, the Wang River ), and the Tha Chin River . Each of these tributaries (and the Chao Phraya itself) is augmented by minor tributaries referred to as khwae . All of the tributaries, including the lesser khwae, form an extensive tree-like pattern, with branches flowing through nearly every province in central and northern Thailand . None of the tributaries of

928-509: The colonial-era practice of naming regions based on the prevalent local political entities at the time. "Siam" itself is an exonym , believed to have origins in the Sanskrit word "Syama," which means "dark" or "brown," referring to the skin tone of the region's inhabitants. The term "Siam" was used internationally until 1939, when the country officially changed its name to Thailand. Following this renaming, "Gulf of Thailand" gradually became

986-702: The confluence of the Ping and Nan rivers at Nakhon Sawan (also called Pak Nam Pho) in Nakhon Sawan province . After this, it flows south for 372 kilometres (231 mi) from the central plains to Bangkok and the Gulf of Thailand . In Chai Nat , the river then splits into the main course and the Tha Chin River , which then flows parallel to the main river and exits in the Gulf of Thailand about 35 kilometres (22 mi) west of Bangkok in Samut Sakhon . In

1044-463: The water quality of major rivers flowing into the upper Gulf of Thailand has seriously deteriorated, and the lower Chao Phraya contains bacteria and nutrient pollution from phosphates , phosphorus , and nitrogen . Nutrient pollution causes algae to grow faster than ecosystems can handle, harming water quality, food resources for aquatic animals, and marine habitats. It also decreases the oxygen that fish need to survive. PCD rated water quality at

1102-577: The Chao Phraya delta . The many distributaries of the Chao Phraya delta are interconnected by canals that serve both for irrigation and for transportation. The lowland areas of the Chao Phraya watershed in central Thailand have been designated as the Chao Phraya freshwater swamp forests , a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregion , an area about 400 km (249 mi) north to south and 180 km (112 mi) wide. The original swamp forests have almost entirely been removed as

1160-736: The Chao Phraya extend beyond the nation's borders. The Nan and the Yom River flow nearly parallel from Phitsanulok to Chumsaeng in the north of Nakhon Sawan Province. The Wang River enters the Ping River near Sam Ngao district in Tak Province . When measured from the most commonly accepted source, which is the confluence of the Ping and Nan River in Nakhon Sawan, the river measures 372 km (231 mi). However, when measured from

1218-639: The Chao Phraya is a major transportation artery for a network of river buses, cross-river ferries, and water taxis ("longtails"). More than 15 boat lines operate on the rivers and canals of the city, including commuter lines . The principal tributaries of the Chao Phraya River are the Pa Sak River , the Sakae Krang River , the Nan River (along with its principal confluent the Yom River ),

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1276-977: The aquarium trade or important food fish are native to the Chao Phraya basin, such as the climbing perch , blue panchax , Asian bumblebee catfish , giant snakehead , striped snakehead , walking catfish , banded loach , several Yasuhikotakia loaches, tinfoil barb , Siamese algae eater , silver barb , pearl danio , rainbow shark , Hampala barb , black sharkminnow , Leptobarbus rubripinna , long pectoral-fin minnow , bonylip barb , Jullien's golden carp , blackline rasbora , scissortail rasbora , Tor tambroides , finescale tigerfish , marble goby , Chinese algae eater , giant featherback , clown featherback , giant gourami , several Trichopodus gouramis, iridescent shark , several Pangasius , Belodontichthys truncatus , several Phalacronotus sheatfish, several Wallago catfish, largescale archerfish , smallscale archerfish , and wrestling halfbeak . The Thai Pollution Control Department (PCD) reports that

1334-620: The aquatic fauna of Chao Phraya and Mae Klong show clear similarities, and they are sometimes combined in a single ecoregion with 328 fish species. Despite their similarities, there are also differences between the aquatic fauna of Chao Phraya and Mae Klong; the latter (but not the former) is home to a few taxa otherwise only known in major Burmese rivers: the Irrawaddy , Salween , and Tenasserim . The aquatic fauna in Chao Phraya–Mae Klong also show clear similarities with that of

1392-459: The central depression of the gulf is characterised by the presence of elongated mounds and ridges arranged parallel to the axis of the basin . This morphology, widespread within the gulf in water depths exceeding 50 m, covers an area of tens of thousands of square kilometres. It reflects an interaction between sediment dewatering and the erosional activity of the present-day bottom currents . The sediment dewatering and fluid seepage result in

1450-407: The coast of Chonburi Province showed high levels of microplastics , leading the authors to warn that, "Health risks are possible when people consume these contaminated marine organisms, particularly shellfish." Thailand's Pollution Control Department (PCD) estimates that plastic waste in the country is increasing at an annual rate of 12 percent, or around two million tonnes per year. In 2013,

1508-688: The coastlines of Thailand , on the northeast by Cambodia and the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam , and opens to the South China Sea in the southeast. The modern Thai name of the gulf is Ao Thai ( Thai : อ่าวไทย , [ʔàːw tʰāj] , 'Thai Gulf') and "Gulf of Thailand" has been adopted as the official name of the body by the International Hydrographic Organization . Its name in Malay

1566-419: The conversion of rice paddies to large-scale production of prawns by pumping in seawater, and the use of pesticides to eliminate the introduced snail, Pomacea canaliculata , which damages rice plants. There are populations of threatened birds, including colonies of breeding water birds such as the world's largest populations of the near-threatened Asian openbill ( Anastomus oscitans ), and other birds such as

1624-432: The critically endangered giant barb (wild populations have been extirpated from Chao Phraya, but remain elsewhere), critically endangered giant pangasius , and endangered giant freshwater stingray . The critically endangered red-tailed black shark , a small colourful cyprinid that is endemic to Chao Phraya, is commonly seen in the aquarium trade where it is bred in large numbers, but the only remaining wild population

1682-473: The divide roughly corresponds to a long section of the political border of the country today. Southern portions of the divide's boundary correspond less to the nation's political border, because isolation in this area was prevented by the ease of transportation along the lowlands surrounding the Gulf of Thailand, allowing a unified Thai civilisation to extend beyond the watershed without issue. The slightly higher northern plains have been farmed for centuries and saw

1740-636: The earliest civilizations in the south east Asia, most notably the ancient Mon kingdom and the civilization of Dvaravati from the 7th century to the 11th century, the river played a crucial role in the Lavo kingdom that existed on its left bank in the Upper Chao Phraya valley, Chao Phraya maintained its role in the kingdoms that succeeded the Lavo kingdom, forming the bases of the Ayodhaya kingdom, that

1798-613: The endemic, critically endangered populations of cetaceans ( Eden's whales , newly described Omura's whales , Chinese white dolphins , and Irrawaddy dolphins showing unique feeding behaviors), and dugongs . It was first classified by Müller in 1776 as Trichechus dugon . Five species of the sea turtles have been found in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman sea coast, including olive ridley turtles, green turtles, hawksbill turtles, loggerhead turtles, and leatherback turtles. The area between Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam

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1856-731: The epithet Chao P'ia signifies that it is the chief river in the kingdom of Siam." Herbert Warington Smyth , who served as Director of the Department of Mines in Siam from 1891 to 1896, refers to it in his book first published in 1898 as "the Mae Nam Chao Phraya". In the English-language media in Thailand, the name Chao Phraya River is often translated as river of kings . On the basins of Chao Phraya River rose

1914-730: The erosion is attributable to the clearing of mangrove forests to make way for shrimp farms. In February 2017, a 10 kilometer-long patch of plastic refuse was found floating off Chumphon Province . Thailand is among the world's worst plastic polluters. More than half of "land-based plastic waste leakage" into the sea originates from just five countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Thai Marine and Coastal Resources Department has noted that at least 300 sea animals on average—60 per cent of which are whales and dolphins—die from eating plastic fishing gear and trash each year. Filter feeding invertebrates tested off

1972-480: The fish species known from the Chao Phraya–Mae Klong, only about 50 are absent from the Mekong. There has been extensive habitat destruction (pollution, dams , and drainage for irrigation ) in the Chao Phraya basin and overfishing also presents a problem. Within mainland Southeast Asia , the only freshwater region with similar high levels of threat is the lower Mekong. It has been estimated that only around 30 native fish species still are able to reproduce in

2030-419: The formation of numerous small pits and pockmarks . The long-term erosion imposed by currents of stable orientation modifies pockmarks into long runnels and depressions, and ultimately leads to the formation of the large fields of elongated mounds and ridges, as well as the residual outliers of un-eroded mud and clay sheets. The larger islands in the gulf include: There are 75,590 rai of coral reef in

2088-522: The gulf is defined by a line from Cape Bai Bung in southern Vietnam (just south of the mouth of the Mekong River ) to the town of Tumpat and Pengkalan Chepa on the Malaysian coast. The gulf is relatively shallow: its mean depth is 58 metres (190 ft) and the maximum depth is only 85 metres (279 ft). This makes water exchange slow, and the strong water inflow from the rivers reduces

2146-647: The gulf, of which five percent are considered to be in fertile condition. In 2010 severe coral bleaching occurred at most reef sites in the country. Bleaching of reefs in the Andaman Sea was more severe and extensive than that in the Gulf of Thailand. In 2016, coral bleaching was detected at Ko Thalu and Ko Lueam in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province for the first time. Scientists have determined that bleaching starts when seawater temperature rises beyond 30 °C for more than three weeks. Given

2204-426: The influx of Portuguese explorers removed the phantom Dragon Tail peninsula from European world maps in the 16th century. The Gulf of Thailand , historically known as the Gulf of Siam , derives its name from the historical kingdom of Siam , the former name of modern-day Thailand. The term "Gulf of Siam" was widely used in Western cartography and geographical references up until the mid-20th century, reflecting

2262-550: The level of salinity in the gulf (3.05–3.25 percent) and enriches the sediments . Only at greater depths does water with a higher salinity (3.4 percent) flow into the gulf from the South China Sea . It fills the central depression below a depth of 50 metres (160 ft). The main rivers which empty into the gulf are the Chao Phraya, including its distributary Tha Chin River , the Mae Klong , and Bang Pakong rivers at

2320-583: The longest source, which is the origin point of the Nan River in the Luang Prabang Range , the river measures 1,112 km (691 mi). The expanse of the Chao Phraya River and its tributaries, i.e., the Chao Phraya river system, together with the land upon which falling rain drains into these bodies of water, form the Chao Phraya watershed . The Chao Phraya watershed is the largest watershed in Thailand, covering approximately 35 percent of

2378-635: The low alluvial plain which begins below the Chao Phraya Dam , there are many small canals ( khlong ) which split off from the main river. The khlongs are used for the irrigation of the region's rice paddies. The rough coordinates of the river are 13 N, 100 E. This area has a wet monsoon climate, with over 1,400 millimetres (55 in) of rainfall per year. Temperatures range from 24 to 33 °C (75 to 91 °F) in Bangkok. The lower Chao Phraya underwent several human-made modifications during

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2436-440: The mainstream of the Chao Phraya River. The catfish Platytropius siamensis is endemic to Chao Phraya and Bang Pakong , but has not been recorded since the 1970s and is considered extinct . Recent records of the near-endemic cyprinid Balantiocheilos ambusticauda are also lacking and it is possibly extinct. Three of the largest freshwater fish in the world are native to the river, but these are all seriously threatened:

2494-549: The middle Mekong (the lower Mekong fauna more closely resembles that of the eastern Malay Peninsula ). It is believed that the upper Mekong was connected to Chao Phraya (rather than present-day lower Mekong) until the Quaternary , which explains the similarities in their river faunas. This included the Nan River basin, a tributary of the Chao Phraya, which is home to a number of taxa (for example, Ambastaia nigrolineata and Sectoria ) otherwise only known from Mekong. Of

2552-432: The more commonly used term, especially in official contexts, although "Gulf of Siam" is still occasionally used. The Gulf of Thailand is bordered by Cambodia , Thailand , Malaysia , and Vietnam . It occupies a seabed area of 304,000 km from 6° N to 13°30' N latitude and 99°E to 104° E longitude. The northern tip of the gulf is the Bay of Bangkok at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River . The southern boundary of

2610-652: The most historically significant and densely populated settlements of Thailand due to their access to the waterway. Major bridges cross the Chao Phraya in Bangkok: the Rama VI railroad bridge; Phra Pin-klao near the Grand Palace ; Rama VIII , a single tower asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge; Rama IX , a semi-symmetric cable-stayed bridge; and Mega Bridge , on the Industrial Ring Road. In Bangkok,

2668-513: The mouth of Chao Phraya at Bangkok's Bang Khun Thian District as "very poor", worse than in 2014, and their findings indicated large amounts of wastewater were discharged into the river from households, industry, and agriculture. In addition, 4,000 metric tons of plastic flows down the river into the Gulf of Thailand every year. To counter this, Thailand's Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) signed an agreement with The Ocean Cleanup organization to deploy an Interceptor Original, one of

2726-572: The much-hunted Schomburgk's deer . Today we can only guess at the original habitat and wildlife by comparing it with neighbouring countries. It is believed that the area would have consisted of freshwater swamps inland and salty mangroves on the coast and the river estuaries. The swamp would have been covered in Phragmites marsh grasses. Today there is a small area of this remaining in Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park ,

2784-574: The nation's land, and draining an area of 157,924 square kilometres (60,975 sq mi). The watershed is divided into the following basins: To the west, the central plain of Thailand is drained by the Mae Klong and the east by the Bang Pakong River . They are not part of the Chao Praya system. The landscape of the river basins is a very wide, flat, well-watered plain continuously refreshed with soil and sediment brought down by

2842-495: The organization's solar-powered, automated systems, in the river. Since 19 February 2024, an interceptor of the latest third generation has been deployed for testing purposes. 13°32′25″N 100°35′23″E  /  13.54028°N 100.58972°E  / 13.54028; 100.58972 Gulf of Thailand The Gulf of Thailand ( Thai : อ่าวไทย ), historically known as the Gulf Gulf of Siam ( Thai : อ่าวสยาม ),

2900-516: The plain has been converted to rice paddies, other agriculture, and urban areas like Bangkok. Much of the wildlife that once inhabited these plains has disappeared, including a large number of fish in the river systems, birds such as vultures, the Oriental darter ( Anhinga melanogaster ), white-eyed river martin ( Pseudochelidon sirintarae ), the sarus crane ( Grus antigone ) and animals such as tigers , Asian elephants , Javan rhinoceroses , and

2958-497: The prolonged period of temperatures up to 32 °C at Ko Thalu in Prachuap Khiri Khan, five to ten percent of corals in the area are already bleached. Coastal water monitoring results in 2015 from 202 sampling locations, collected twice annually, indicate that no Thai coastal waters were found to be in excellent condition. Sixteen percent of coastal water was of good quality, 72 percent was of fair quality, 9 percent

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3016-497: The rivers. The lower central plain from the delta north to Ang Thong Province is a flat, low area with an average of two metres above sea level. Further north and into the plains of the Ping and the Nan the elevation is over 20 m. Then the mountains that are the natural boundary of the Chao Praya watershed form a divide , which has, to some degree, historically isolated Thailand from other Southeast Asian civilisations. In northern Thailand

3074-525: The same name and also the origin of the district where it is located. It was built since the King Rama II 's reign but was completed during the subsequent reign, King Rama III in the early Rattanakosin period (18th century). The stūpa was once settled on an island surrounded by the waterway before the water level decreased that it later connected to the mainland. Hence the name "Phra Samut Chedi", which means "ocean stūpa temple". Wat Phra Samut Chedi

3132-696: The water attracts many tourists. Some of the most important tourist destinations in the Gulf of Thailand are the islands of Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan in Surat Thani Province , Pattaya in Chonburi Province , Cha-am in Phetchaburi Province , Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province , and Ko Samet in Rayong Province . In recent years, the bay has become known for its whale watching activities, targeting

3190-440: The wintering black kite ( Milvus migrans ). Endemic mammals that remain are the limestone rat ( Niviventer hinpoon ), Neill's long-tailed giant rat ( Leopoldamys neilli ), and the near-endemic Thailand roundleaf bat ( Hipposideros halophyllus ). The Chao Phraya basin is home to about half a dozen endemic dragonflies and damselflies . The conservation status of most of these in unclear (they are rated as data deficient by

3248-537: Was later incorporated into the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 14th century, which itself was precursor of modern Thailand (known formerly as Siam), the river became very significant after the establishment of Rattanakosin (Bangkok) in 1782 on its east bank, the location of Bangkok on the east bank of Chao Phraya River ensured protection to Siamese kingdom from the Burmese invasions coming from the West. The Chao Phraya begins at

3306-703: Was of poor quality and 3 percent was of very poor quality. The quality of all coastal waters exhibited similar percentages — most were of fair quality — except for the Inner Gulf of Thailand, where the coastal water was poor to very poor. In comparison to coastal water quality as measured in 2014, water quality has deteriorated. Some gulf waters off Chachoengsao Province , Samut Sakhon Province , Samut Prakan Province , Bangkok, Rayong Province , Chonburi Province , Phetchaburi Province , Prachuap Khiri Khan Province , and Surat Thani Province were judged to have coastal waters in "poor" or "very poor" condition. Songkhla

3364-503: Was the only province on the gulf with coastal water rated "good" quality. Of Thailand's total marine catch, 41 percent is caught in the Gulf of Thailand and 19 percent in the Andaman Sea . Forty percent is caught in waters outside Thailand's EEZ . Thailand has 1,660 kilometres of coastline bordering the gulf. "Severe erosion", more than five metres of coastline loss per year, afflicts 670 kilometres of that total. At least some of

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