Samut Songkhram

Samut Songkhram

สมุทรสงคราม
Samut Songkhram สมุทรสงคราม
Province
	Seal
	Nickname: Mae Klong
	Map of Thailand highlighting Samut Songkhram Province
Country	Thailand
Capital	Samut Songkhram town
Government
• Governor	Praphat Bunyindi (since 2008)
Area
• Total	416.7 km2 (160.9 sq mi)
• Rank	Ranked 76th
Population (2011)
• Total	194,086
• Rank	Ranked 75th
• Density	470/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
• Rank	Ranked 5th
Time zone	UTC+7 (ICT)
ISO 3166 code	TH-75

Samut Songkhram (Thai: สมุทรสงคราม (Pronunciation)) is the capital of Samut Songkhram Province.

Etymology

The word "samut" originates from the Sanskrit word "smudra" meaning "ocean", and the word "songkhram" from the Sanskrit "sangrama" meaning "war". Hence the name of the province literally means "war ocean".^[1]

Geography

Samut Songkhram is at the mouth of the Mae Klong River to the Gulf of Thailand. By means of canals (khlong) the water of the river is spread through the province for irrigation. At the coast are many evaporation ponds for producing sea salt.

History

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 became a province. It was the birthplace of Queen Amarindra of King Rama I, who also initiated the name Suan Nok. The birthplace of King Rama II in Amphawa district is now a memorial park.