Samut Songkhram Province

[Braveheart]

Samut Songkhram (Thai สมุทรสงคราม) is one of the central provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Local people call Samut Songkhram as Mae Klong. The province is the smallest of all Thai provinces areawise. Chang and Eng Bunker, the first Siamese twin were born here.

 

Samut Songkhram is located at the mouth of the Mae Klong river to the Gulf of Thailand. With several canals (khlong) the water of the river is spread through the province for irrigation. At the coast are many lakes for producing sea salt. The sandbar Don Hoi Lot at the mouth of the river is famous for its endemic shell population of Solen regularis.

 

In the Ayutthaya period the area of Samut Songkhram was known as Suan Nok (Thai สวนนอก, Outer garden) and was administrated by Ratchaburi. During the reign of King Taksin it was made a province. It was the birth place of Queen Amarindra of King Rama I, who also initiated the name Suan Nok. The birth place of King Rama II in Amphawa district is now a Memorial Park.

 

The provincial seal shows a drum swimming on a river. The Thai word for drum is klong, thus refers to the Mae Klong river, as well as the old name of the province, Mae Klong. On both sides of the river coconut trees are displayed as one of the main product of the province.

Provincial tree is Casuarina equisetifolia.

 

The province is subdivided into 3 districts (Amphoe). The districts are further subdivided into 38 communes (tambon) and 284 villages (muban). There is one town (thesaban mueang) and three townships (thesaban tambon).

 

Extracted from Wikipedia: Samut Songkhram Province