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Krabi
is a southern province on
Thailand's Andaman seaboard with perhaps the country's oldest
history of continued settlement. After dating stone tools,
ancient coloured pictures, beads, pottery and skeletal remains
found in the province's many cliffs and caves, it is thought
that Krabi has been home to homo sapiens since the period 25,000
- 35,000 B.C. In recorded times it was called the 'Ban Thai
Samor', and was one of twelve towns that used, before people
were widely literate, the monkey for their standard. At that
time, c. 1200 A.D., Krabi was tributary to the Kingdom of Ligor,
a city on the Kra Peninsula's east coast better known today as
Nakhon Si Thammarat.
At the start of
the Rattanakosin period, about 200 years ago, when the capital
was finally settled at Bangkok, an elephant kraal was
established in Krabi by order of Chao Phraya Nakorn (Noi), the
governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat, which was by then a part of the
Thai Kingdom. He sent his vizier, the Phra Palad, to oversee
this task, which was to ensure a regular supply of elephants for
the larger town. So followers many emigrated in the steps of the
Phra Palad that soon Krabi had a large community in three
different boroughs : Pakasai, Khlong Pon, and Pak Lao. In 1872,
King Chulalongkorn graciously elevated these to town status,
called Krabi, a word that preserves in its meaning the
monkey symbolism of the old standard. The town's first governor
was Luang Thep Sena, though it continued a while as a dependency
of Nakhon Si Thammarat. This was changed in 1875, when Krabi was
raised to a fourth-level town in the old system of Thai
government. Administrators then reported directly to the central
government in Bangkok, and Krabi's history as a unique entity
separated from the other provinces, had begun.
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During
the present reign, the corps of civil servants, the merchants,
and the population generally of Krabi and nearby provinces
have together organized construction of a royal residence at
Laem Hang Nak Cape for presentation to His Majesty the King.
This lies thirty kilometers to the west of Krabi Town on the Andaman
coast.
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Geography of
Krabi
Krabi's mountainous
physical geography is broken by highlands and plains on the
mainland.The provincial administration also covers more than 130
islands in the Andaman Sea. Natural forest cover is chiefly
mangrove and Cassia trees. Krabi's sandy clay soil conditions
are perfect for a variety of agricultural products, including
rubber trees, palms, mangos, coconuts, and coffee. The Krabi
River flows 5 kilometers through the city and falls into the
Andaman at Tambon Pak Nam. There are other streams as well : the
Khlong Pakasai, the Khlong Krabi Yai and the Khlong Krabi Noi
in the province's highest range of mountains, the Khao Phanom
Bencha.
Krabi is administratively divided
into 8 Amphoes (districts):
Amphoe
Muang, Khao Phanom,
Khlong Thom, Plai Phraya,
Ko Lanta, Ao
Luk,
Lam Thap, and Nuea Khlong.
Population
Krabi's estimated population, as
of September 1999, is 344,610 |
Climate
Weather in Krabi is typically that of the tropical monsoon,
providing the province with just two seasons, the hot season
from January to April, and the rainy season from May to
December. Monsoon winds, which change according to season, blow
from the southeast, the southwest, and the northeast.
Temperatures range between 16.9 and 37.3 degrees Celsius and the
yearly rainfall averages 2,568.5 millimeters.
Travel around
Krabi
To getting around the town is very
convenient by local taxi (Tuk Tuk). Some attractions like
Hat Noppharat Thara, Susan Hoi , Ao Nang,
Wat Tham Suea,
Namtok
Huai To, and Ao
Luk can be reached by local mini-bus (Song
Thaeo). The mini-buses depart from Vogue Department Store
on Maharat Road in Krabi Town. Trips to other attractions
can be made by taxi and rental car.
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Size, Location and Boundaries
Krabi is on the Andaman Sea coast
of south-west Thailand, between 7' 30" and 8' 30"
north latitude, and 98' 30" and 99' 30" west
longitude. Total area is 4,709 square kilometers bounded thus :
| North |
Connects
with Phang-nga and Sura Thani Provinces. |
| South |
Connects
with Trang Provinces and the Andaman Sea. |
| East |
Connects
with Trang and Nakhon Si Thammarat Provinces. |
| West |
Connects
with Phang-nga Provinces and the Andaman Sea. |
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Distances from
Krabi to Neighbouring Provinces
| Phang-nga
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86
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kilometres
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Phuket
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176
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kilometres
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Trang
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131
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kilometres
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Surat Thani
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211
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kilometres
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Nakhon Si Thammarat
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233
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kilometres
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Satun
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276
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kilometres
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Distances from
Town to Neighbouring Districts
|
Ao Luk |
43 |
kilometres |
| Plai
Phraya |
66 |
kilometres |
| Khao
Phanom |
39 |
kilometres |
| Khlong
Thom |
42 |
kilometres |
| Ko
Lanta |
103 |
kilometres |
| Lam
Thap |
67 |
kilometres |
| Nuea
Khlong |
17 |
kilometres |
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