Trang province
Trang, also called Mueang Thap Thiang, is one of the southern provinces of Thailand, on the west side of the Malay Peninsula facing the Strait of Malacca. Neighboring provinces are Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, and Satun.
Trang was formerly a port involved in foreign trade. It was the first place where rubber was planted in Thailand. Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi brought rubber saplings from Malaya and planted them here in 1899, and rubber is now an important export of the country. The Trang River flows through the province from its origin in the Khao Luang mountain range, and the Palian River flows from the Banthat mountains. The province of Trang has an area of approximately 5,000 square km and 199 km of Strait of Malacca shoreline.
History
Trang was an important seaport in southern Thailand. Legend says that ships always arrived in the morning, which led to the town's name. "Trang" derives from the Malay word for light or dawn. But in another explanation it says that it comes from Sanskrit which means wave or gallop. In addition, the landscape of Trang is characterized by mounds interspersed with plains that look like waves. Thus, the provincial seal features sea waves and a lighthouse bridge.The province was once a part of the Srivijaya empire, an ancient Hindu-Buddhist Melayu Kingdom and the Malay Sultanate of Kedah until 1810.
According to cultural records Trang was one of 12 satellite towns that existed about 900 years ago, but it was during the reign of King Rama II in 1811 that Trang got its first governor. The first Westerner to arrive in Trang was Captain James Low, who came in 1824 to negotiate commercial benefits.
The original town was in Khuanthani. In 1893, the governor, Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi, also known as Khaw Sim Bee na Ranong, decided to make Trang an important seaport and relocated the town to Kantang district on the Trang River delta. It was moved again to its present location 26 km inland in 1916 by King Rama VI because of repeated flooding.
Trang was the first area of Thailand where rubber trees were planted, brought there by governor Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi from British Malaya in 1899.
Symbols
The seal of the province shows a lighthouse bridge above a sea of waves. The lighthouse bridge refers to Trang as a seaport trading with foreign countries.The provincial symbolic flower and tree is the green ebony. The plant was imported from Australia by the same governor who imported the rubber tree, and it quickly got the name "si trang" by the citizens.
Trang's streams and waterfalls are habitat to the lambchop rasbora, the minnow that are popularly kept as ornamental fish, Some of the population is the wild caught, and on the ground, this species of fish is the provincial aquatic life.
The provincial slogan เมืองพระยารัษฏา ชาวประชาใจกว้าง ถิ่นกำเนิดยางพารา เด่นสง่าดอกศรีตรัง ปะการังใต้ทะเล เสน่ห์หาดทรายงาม น้ำตกสวยตระการตา translates as "Phraya Rasda's town, generous people, delicious roast pork, the first city where para rubber was planted, the Si Trang provincial flower, underwater coral reefs, scenic beaches and waterfalls."
Geography
The province is on the coast of the Strait of Malacca, and contains 46 islands together with the mainland area. There are only few plains, and most of the area is hills. The Khao Luang and the Banthat mountain range are the sources of the two main rivers of the province, the Trang River and the Palian River.The southern coast of the province is protected in the Mu Ko Phetra National Park. The estuary of the Trang River together with the Hat Chao Mai Marine National Park and Ko Libong Non-hunting Area are also registered Ramsar wetlands. The total forest area is or 23.1 percent of provincial area.
National parks
There are a total of three national parks, two of which, along with eighteen other national parks, make up region 5 (Nakhon Si Thammarat) and Khao Pu–Khao Ya is in region 6 (Songkhla) of Thailand's protected areas..Wildlife sanctuary
There are two wildlife sanctuaries in region 6 (Songkhla), of which one is in Trang province.Khao Banthat Wildlife Sanctuary
Non-hunting areas
There are a total of nine non-hunting areas in region 5 (Nakhon Si Thammarat), of which three are in Trang province.| Location protected areas of Trang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Administrative divisionsProvincial governmentTrang is divided into 10 districts. These are further divided into 87 subdistricts and 697 villages.
Local governmentAs of 26 November 2019 there are: one Trang Provincial Administration Organisation and 22 municipal areas in the province. Trang has city status and Kantang has town status. Further there are 20 subdistrict municipalities. The non-municipal areas are administered by 77 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO.TransportationAir: Trang Airport is 7 km from Trang town centre. It is served by Thailand AirAsia, Thai Lion Air, and Nok Air, with flights to Bangkok.Rail: Trang is one of the southern destinations offering trains to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal. Starting from Thung Song Junction railway station in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, this southwestern route has three stations: Huai Yot railway station at Huai Yot District, Trang railway station and ends at Kantang railway station at Kantang railway station. Road: Major roads to and from Trang are:
Boats to islands: Trang has four piers for boats to the islands: Pak Meng Pier, Ban Chao Mai Pier, Klong Son Pier, and Kuan Thung Kuu Pier. PopulationTrang Province is ethnically and culturally diverse. The province is home to Southern Siamese, Thai Muslims, Peranakans, Thai Chinese, and Sea People. Each group has its own traditions, in terms of costumes, cuisines, religions, and more.The majority of the population in Trang Province is Buddhist, followed by Muslims at 18.5 percent and Christianity at 1.5 percent. There are 129 temples, 65 monasteries, 87 mosques, 10 Christian churches, 19 shrines and monasteries in Trang. EducationSecondary schools:
Events and festivals
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