Chumphon province
Chumphon is a southern province of Thailand on the Gulf of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are Prachuap Khiri Khan, Surat Thani, and Ranong. To the west it borders the Burmese province of Tanintharyi.
Geography
Chumphon is on the Isthmus of Kra, the narrow land bridge connecting the Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Thailand. To the west are the hills of the Phuket mountain range and its northern continuation, the Tenasserim Hills. The east is coastal plain abutting the Gulf of Thailand. The main river is the Lang Suan River, which originates in Phato District. With a coastline and 44 islands, the Chumphon Archipelago, Chumphon has waterfalls, peaceful beaches, green forests, mangroves, and rivers. The total forest area is or 21.5 percent of provincial area. Chumphon is regarded as part of "Gateway to the South".National parks
There are two national parks, along with nine other national parks, make up region 4 (Surat Thani) of Thailand's protected areas.Wildlife sanctuaries
There are four wildlife sanctuaries, along with three other wildlife sanctuaries, make up region 4 (Surat Thani) of Thailand's protected areas.| Location protected areas of Chumphon | ||||||||||||
HistoryThe southern part of the province was originally a separate province named Lang Suan. It was incorporated into Chumphon in 1932.In November 1989 Typhoon Gay hit the province hard: 529 people were killed, 160,000 became homeless, and of farm land was destroyed. Gay is the only tropical storm on record that reached Thailand with typhoon wind strength. Chumphon province is one of several clandestine way stations on the trafficking trail of Burmese and Rohingyas from nearby Burma being moved south. Chumphon borders the Burmese province of Tanintharyi. ToponymyThere are two different theories on the origin of the name "Chumphon". According to one, it originates from Chumnumphon which derives from the fact that Chumphon was a frontier city. Another theory claims the name derives from a local tree named Maduea Chumphon, abundant in the province.SymbolsThe provincial seal shows a fortune-bringing thevada on a lotus-pedestal, flanked by two ficus trees. In the background a fort and two watchtowers are visible, a reference to the former camp where courageous warriors from the province gathered before going into battle against the enemy.The provincial flower is the Indian shot, and the finger banana is another provincial symbol. Spanner barb is the provincial fish. Administrative divisionsProvincial governmentChumphon is divided into eight districts, 70 sub-districts, 736 villages.Local governmentAs of 26 November 2019 there are: one Chumphon Provincial Administration Organisation and 27 municipal areas in the province. Chumphon and Lang Suan have town status. Further 25 subdistrict municipalities. The non-municipal areas are administered by 51 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO.EconomyThe coffee-growing valley of Ban Panwal in Tha Sae District includes 178,283 rai of robusta coffee plantations. It produces more than 24 million tonnes a year. Chumphon province contributes 60 percent of Thailand's total coffee production. Local brands include Thamsing, ST Chumphon, and Khao Tha-Lu Chumporn.Besides, Chumphon is considered as the province with the second largest durian growing area in the country, after Chanthaburi. Based on 2017 data, Chumphon has an area of 164,099 rai of durian, with a yield of approximately 128,894 tons, create income for the province of not less than 6,000 million baht a year. There are more farmers grow durian every year. In addition to durian, Chumphon is also famous for its lady finger bananas and cavendish bananas. They are registered as GI products. The cavendish banana products are exported to Japan as much as 20 tons a week. Chumphon is considered the province with the most GI products in the south, with a total of five products. Human achievement index 2022Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using the Human achievement index, a composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and Social Development Board has taken over this task since 2017.
TransportationAirChumphon Airport is north of Chumphon city in Pathio District. It has direct daily flights to Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport. Flights from Bangkok are around 60 minutes.Nok Air and Thai AirAsia operates flights between Bangkok and Chumphon Airport. The airport has transit agents for onward travel to Chumphon and the islands of the Gulf of Thailand including Ko Tao, Ko Pha Ngan, and Ko Samui. RailChumphon Railway Station is a main station of Chumphon, it is south of Bangkok Railway Station. Chumphon is also the location of 26 other railway stations and railway halts. Lang Suan Railway Station in area of Lang Suan District is the last stop of the Southern Railway that starts from Thon Buri Railway Station.RoadChumphon is south of Bangkok by Petchkasem Road via Pathom Phon Intersection before entering the Chumphon city, takes about 7 hours to travel. Can travel to here by bus from both Southern Bus and Northern Bus Terminals.TourismIn the first 11 months of 2015, Chumphon arrivals grew by 17 percent to 1.86 million and tourism revenue by 21 percent to 7.55 billion baht. Average hotel occupancy rose to 65 percent from 53 percent in 2014. Arrivals are expected to grow by 17 percent in 2016.BeachesChumphon has a long coastline.
Notable personalities
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