Pak Phanang is a district (amphoe) of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The name of the district means 'sheltered mouth', referring to the mouth of the Pak Phanang River protected from the open sea by a long peninsula. Neighbouring districts are (from the south clockwise) Hua Sai, Chian Yai, Chaloem Phra Kiat and Mueang Nakhon Si Thammarat. To the east is the Gulf of Thailand. The most striking geographical feature is the long elongated peninsula Talumphuk, which is formed of sand deposited by the predominantly northward current interacting with the outflow of the Pak Phanang River. The shallow bay formed by the peninsula is about 3 km wide at the mouth of the river and 10 km at the top of the peninsula. Originally the coastline of the bay consisted of tidal flats and mangrove forests, however a lot of the western coast had been converted into shrimp farms. On 25 October 1962 Tropical Storm Harriet hit the district. The low Talumphuk peninsula to the north of the district was completely devastated, and even in the town Pak Phanang itself the storm surge made the water rise four metres. The flooding caused more than 1,000 fatalities and many more homeless. "Bird's nest condos" are said to dominate the skyline of the district. The purpose-built buildings were constructed to encourage nest building by edible-nest swiftlets when the price of edible bird's nests boomed following the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Pak Phanang has more than 500 farm buildings and each can generate income of around 50 million baht per year.