(Redirected from Songkhla province)
'Songkhla' () is the one of the southern
provinces (''changwat'') of
Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from east clockwise)
Satun,
Phatthalung,
Nakhon Si Thammarat,
Pattani and
Yala. To the south it borders
Kedah and
Perlis of
Malaysia.
The name derives from its original
Malay name Singgora (''city of
lions''). This refers to a lion-shaped mountain near the city of Songkhla.
In contrast to most other provinces, the capital Songkhla is not the largest city in the province. The much newer city of
Hat Yai, with a population of 194,000, is twice as big as Songkhla. This often leads to the misconception that Hat Yai is the provincial capital.
Both cities are part of
Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area.
Geography
The province is located on the
Malay Peninsula, on the coast of the
Gulf of Thailand. The highest elevation is the Khao Mai Kaeo at 821 meters.
In the north of the province is
Songkhla lake, the biggest natural lake in Thailand. This shallow lake covers an area of 1,040 km², and has a south-north extent of 78 kilometers. At its mouth on the Gulf of Thailand near the city of Songkhla, the water becomes brackish. A small population of
Irrawaddy Dolphins live in the lake, but are in danger of extinction due to being accidentally caught in the nets of the local fishing industry.
Two national parks are located in the province.
San Kala Khiri covers 214 km² of mountain highlands at the Thai-Malay border;
Khao Nam Khang, also located at the boundary mountains, includes shelters of Chinese Communists guerilla until the
1980s.
History
Songkhla, or in its correct Malay form Singgora, was the seat of an old Malay Kingdom with heavy
Srivijayan influence. In ancient times (200 AD - 1400 AD), Songkhla formed the northern extremity of the Malay Kingdom of
Langkasuka. The city-state then became a tributary of
Nakhon Si Thammarat, suffering damage during several attempts to gain independence. Since the 18th century, Songkla has been firmly under Thai suzerainty.
The Na Songkhla family's residence, now used as the Songkhla National Museum
In the
18th century many Chinese immigrants, especially from
Guangdong and
Fujian, came to the province. Quickly rising to economic wealth, one of them won the bidding for the major
tax farm of the province in
1769, establishing the ''Na Songkhla'' (i.e. 'from Songkla') family as the most wealthy and influential. In
1777 the family also gained political power, when the old governor was dismissed and ''Luang'' Inthakhiri (Yiang, Chinese name Wu Rang (呉譲)) became the new governor. In
1786 the old governor started an uprising, which was however put down after four months. The post was inherited in the family and held by 8 of his descendends until
1901, when ''Phraya'' Wichiankhiri (Chom) was honorably retired as part of the administrative reforms of Prince
Damrong Rajanubhab. The family's former home is now used as the Songkhla National Museum.
In
1909, Songkla was formally annexed by Siam as part of
Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 negotiated with the
British Empire. Songkla was the scene of heavy fighting when the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Thailand on 8 December 1941.
Songkhla was not initially affected by the recent outbreak of
Pattani Separatism, which began in 2004. However, three bombs exploded during the
2005 Songkhla bombings on
April 3,
2005 creating concern that violence might spread into this province as well.
Demographics
About a third of the population are
Muslim, most of which are of
Malay ancestry. The
Thais and
Chinese make up the remainder.
Symbols
 Provincial seal | The provincial seal shows a conch shell on a tray with glass decorations. The origin of the conch shell is unclear, but the most widely adopted interpretation is that it was a decoration on the jacket of the Prince of Songkhla.The provincial tree is the ''Sa-dao-thiam'' (''Azadirachta excelsa''). |
Administrative divisions
Map of Amphoe
Songkhla is subdivided into 16 districts (''
Amphoe''), which are further subdivided into 127 communes (''
tambon'') and 987 villages (''
muban''). The districts of Chana (''Chenok'' in
Malay), Thepa (''Tiba''), and Saba Yoi (''Sebayu'') were detached from
Pattani and transferred to Songkhla in recent times by the Thai government.
External links
★
Province page from the Tourist Authority of Thailand
★
Website of the province
★
Songkhla provincial map, coat of arms and postal stamp
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