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Chumphon is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand on the Gulf of Thailand.[2] 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 222 kilometre-long coastline and 44 islands, the Chumphon Archipelago, Chumphon has waterfalls, peaceful beaches, green forests, mangroves, and rivers. History: The 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, 7,130 km2 (2,753 sq mi) of farm land was destroyed. Gay is the only tropical storm on record which 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 (Myanmar) being moved south. Chumphon borders the Burmese province of Tanintharyi Tourism: While not as popular as Phuket or Krabi for example, Chumphon has a wealth of tourist attractions. Its long coastline with the Gulf of Thailand offers a good selection of sandy beaches such as Thung Wua Laen, Bang Son Beach, Ao Bo Mao and Hat Si Ri. Other natural attractions include Mo Ku Chumphon National Park and Khao Phang Forest Park while Pak Nan Chumphon is a ferry port for the popular island of Kho Tao and islands beyond. The city itself has an airport and railway station on the Southern Line and National Highway 4 passes nearby. A number of attractions are in the city or nearby such as the Prince of Chumphon Shrine. |