The South of Thailand

The South Region of Thailand
The South region of Thailand has a total area of 70,715.20 sq. km. and is comprised of 14 provinces which are as follows:

Provinces of South Thailand	No.	Province	Area (sq. km.)	Pop. as of 1997
	1	Chumphon	6,009.01	448,087
	2	Krabi	4,708.51	344,610
	3	Nakhorn Sri Thammarat	9,942.50	1,511,857
	4	Narathiwat	4,475.43	646,871
	5	Pattani	1,940.36	590,735
	6	Phang Nga	4,170.90	229,704
	7	Phattalung	1,940.36	498,805
	8	Phuket	543.03	221,835
	9	Ranong	3,298.05	151,868
	10	Satun	2,478.98	253,177
	11	Songkhla	7,39.89	1,191,233
	12	Surat Thani	12,891.47	861,233
	13	Trang	4917.52	576,060
	14	Yala	4,521.08	418,790

Geography and Climate
Mountains and rivers: The South has 3 significant mountain ranges and 4 significant rivers:

Mountains, Rivers and Lakes of South Thailand	Mountain Ranges		Rivers and Lakes
	No. (Red)	Mountain Range	No. (Purple)	River or Lake
	1	Nakhorn Sri Thammarat	1	Khirirat River
	2	Phuket	2	Tani River
	3	San Kalakhiri	3	Tapi River
			4	Songkhla Lake

Plains: Virtually all of the South's plains are along the coast and rivers run through them.
Influences on Climate: The South's climate is influenced by the southwest monsoon and northwest monsoon winds and sea breezes, as well as depression storms. The Phuket and Nakhorn Sri Thammarat mountain ranges block the southwest monsoon winds and thus the south and west of the region (especially Ranong Province) are one of the rainiest parts of Thailand.
Temperature: In any given month, the South has very limited temperature range with a difference between the high for the month and the low for month of 3 C. In 1977 the highest average temperature in the South was at Trang Province and Hat Yai District in Songkhla Province (32.8 C) and the lowest average was at Chumphon (12.8 C).
Rainfall: The western part of the region gets most of its rain between May and October (more than 200 mm per month) and the least from December to March (less than 100 mm per month). The western part of the region gets most of its rain between September and November (more than 200 mm per month) and the least from February to April (less than 100 mm per month).
Seasons: The South has 2 seasons, the rainy season, from May to December, and the dry season, from January to April.

Places of Interest
The South has many places of interest, for example:
1. 40 million year old mollusk fossils, Krabi Province
    Formerly a freshwater pond, the freshwater snails that lived there were cast into shelly limestone when sea water flowed into the lake as a result of changes on the earth's crust.
2. Phi Phi Islands, Krabi Province
    The 6-island archipelago has beautiful views as well as diving spots to see beautiful coral reefs. The environmentally-controversial film "The Beach" was filmed here.
3. Similan and Surin Islands, Phang Nga Province
    Best visited during March, when there is no monsoon, both archipelagos feature diving spots to see beautiful coral reefs as well as various types of fishes and sea animals. The Similan Islands also feature strange looking rock formations, with the islands' signature rock formation being in the shape of a sailboat.
4. Various beaches of Phuket Province
    Phuket Province is one of the best beach resorts of the South. The province has beautiful beaches. The best beaches for swimming and diving are Patong and Kata beaches.
5. Kra Isthumus, Ranong Province
    44 km. wide for the east to the west, this point is the narrowest point of the Malayu Peninsula.
6. Hot water springs, Ranong Province
    An important tourist attraction of Ranong Province, the 65 C hot water can be used for drinking and bathing and is beneficial for health.
7. Samui Island, Surat Thani Province
    Another important beach resort, Samui is best visited during the summer, between January and May, when the winds are calm. The beaches often frequented by visitors are Chaweng and Lami beaches.