Chumphon province facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chumphon ชุมพร
Province
Mu Ko Chumphon National Park
Flag Seal
Motto(s):  "ประตูภาคใต้ ไหว้เสด็จในกรมฯ ชมไร่กาแฟ แลหาดทรายรี ดีกล้วยเล็บมือ ขึ้นชื่อรังนก" ("Southern door, Worshiping in (Chumphon Khet Udomsak),See coffee plantations, See Sairee beach, Banana fingernail and Famous for bird's nest")
Map of Thailand highlighting Chumphon province
Country	Thailand
Capital	Chumphon
Area
• Total	6,009 km2 (2,320 sq mi)
Area rank	Ranked 37th
Population
• Total	510,963
• Rank	Ranked 54th
• Density	85/km2 (220/sq mi)
• Density rank	Ranked 56th
Human Achievement Index
• HAI (2017)	0.6252 "high" Ranked 15th
Time zone	UTC+7 (ICT)
Postal code	86xxx
Calling code	077
ISO 3166 code	TH-86

Chumphon is a province in southern Thailand. It's located right on the Gulf of Thailand. This province shares borders with Prachuap Khiri Khan, Surat Thani, and Ranong provinces. To its west, Chumphon also touches the Tanintharyi region of Myanmar.

Geography of Chumphon

Chumphon is found on the Isthmus of Kra. This is a narrow strip of land that connects the Malay Peninsula to the main part of Thailand. To the west, you'll find the Phuket mountain range and the Tenasserim Hills. The eastern side of the province has a flat coastal area next to the Gulf of Thailand.

The main river here is the Lang Suan River. It starts in Phato District. Chumphon has a long coastline, about 222 kilometers (138 miles) long. It also has 44 islands, which are part of the Chumphon Archipelago. The province is known for its waterfalls, quiet beaches, green forests, mangrove swamps, and rivers. About 21.5 percent of the province is covered by forests. Chumphon is often called the "Gateway to the South" of Thailand.

National Parks in Chumphon

Chumphon is home to two national parks. These parks help protect the natural beauty and wildlife of the area.

• Namtok Ngao National Park: This park covers about 668 square kilometers (258 square miles).
• Mu Ko Chumphon National Park: This park is about 317 square kilometers (122 square miles) in size.

Wildlife Sanctuaries in Chumphon

There are also four wildlife sanctuaries in Chumphon. These special areas are set aside to protect animals and their habitats.

• Khuan Mae Yai Mon Wildlife Sanctuary: This sanctuary is about 464 square kilometers (179 square miles).
• Thung Raya–Na Sak Wildlife Sanctuary: It covers about 338 square kilometers (131 square miles).
• Prince Chumphon South Park Wildlife Sanctuary: This area is about 315 square kilometers (122 square miles).
• Prince Chumphon North Park (lower) Wildlife Sanctuary: It covers about 287 square kilometers (111 square miles).

History of Chumphon

The southern part of Chumphon province used to be a separate province called Lang Suan. It became part of Chumphon in 1932.

In November 1989, a very strong storm called Typhoon Gay hit the province. It caused a lot of damage. Sadly, 529 people died, and 160,000 people lost their homes. About 7,130 square kilometers (2,753 square miles) of farmland were destroyed. Typhoon Gay was the only tropical storm ever recorded to reach Thailand with typhoon-level winds.

What Does "Chumphon" Mean?

There are two ideas about where the name "Chumphon" comes from.

• One idea is that it comes from Chumnumporn. This means 'accumulation of forces'. It suggests that Chumphon was a border city where soldiers would gather before going to battle.
• Another idea is that the name comes from a local tree. This tree is called Maduea Chumphon (มะเดื่อชุมพร), which is a type of fig tree. These trees were very common in the province.

Symbols of Chumphon

The official seal of Chumphon province shows a special angel-like figure called a thevada. This figure is sitting on a lotus flower. On either side of the figure are two fig trees. In the background, you can see a fort and two watchtowers. This represents the old camp where brave warriors from the province would gather before fighting enemies.

The provincial flower is the Indian shot (Canna indica). The finger banana is another important symbol of the province. The Spanner barb (Barbodes lateristriga) is the provincial fish.

How Chumphon is Divided

Map of Chumphon's eight districts

Chumphon province is divided into eight main areas called districts (amphoes). These districts are further split into 70 sub-districts (tambons) and 736 villages (mubans).

• Mueang Chumphon
• Tha Sae
• Pathio
• Lang Suan
• Lamae
• Phato
• Sawi
• Thung Tako

Economy of Chumphon

Chumphon province is famous for its coffee. The Ban Panwal valley in Tha Sae District has many robusta coffee farms. These farms cover a huge area and produce over 24 million tons of coffee beans each year. Chumphon province actually produces 60 percent of all the coffee grown in Thailand! Some local coffee brands include Thamsing, ST Chumphon, and Khao Tha-Lu Chumporn.

Besides coffee, Chumphon is also a major producer of durian. It has the second-largest area for growing durian in Thailand, after Chanthaburi province. In 2017, Chumphon had over 164,000 rai (about 64,800 acres) of durian farms. These farms produced about 128,894 tons of durian. This brings in a lot of money for the province, more than 6 billion baht each year. More farmers are choosing to grow durian every year.

Transportation in Chumphon

Travel by Air

Chumphon Airport is located about 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Chumphon city. It's in Pathio District. You can fly directly from Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport (DMK) to Chumphon. These flights take about 60 minutes.

Airlines like Nok Air and Thai AirAsia offer flights between Bangkok and Chumphon Airport. The airport also has services to help travelers connect to Chumphon city and the nearby islands in the Gulf of Thailand. These islands include Ko Tao, Ko Pha Ngan, and Ko Samui.

Travel by Rail

Lang Suan Railway Station

Chumphon Railway Station is the main train station in Chumphon. It's about 485 kilometers (301 miles) south of Bangkok Railway Station (Hua Lamphong). Chumphon province has 26 other smaller railway stations and stops. The Lang Suan Railway Station, located in Lang Suan District, is the final stop for the Southern Railway that starts from Thon Buri Railway Station in Bangkok.

Travel by Road

Chumphon is about 463 kilometers (288 miles) south of Bangkok by road. You can take Petchkasem Road (Thailand Route 4) to get there. The journey usually takes about 7 hours. You can also travel to Chumphon by bus from Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal (Taling Chan) or Northern Bus Terminal (Mo Chit 2).

Tourism in Chumphon

Tourism in Chumphon has been growing. In the first 11 months of 2015, the number of visitors to Chumphon increased by 17 percent. This brought in 7.55 billion baht in tourism money. Hotels in the province also saw more guests, with average occupancy rising to 65 percent. More visitors were expected in 2016.

Beaches of Chumphon

Chumphon has a beautiful coastline that stretches for 222 kilometers (138 miles).

• Hat Thung Wua Laen: This beach is about 16 kilometers (10 miles) northeast of downtown Chumphon. You can find many places to eat and stay here. It's also close to the train station and Chumphon airport.
• Hat Saphli: Located about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from Hat Thung Wua Laen, this beach has a lovely crescent shape and white sand. In 2017, it was named the cleanest beach in Thailand by the Pollution Control Department. Nearby, there's a fishing village called Ban Tha Samet. This community is well-known for making shrimp paste and fish sauce.

Hat Sai Ri

• Hat Sai Ri: This beach features fine white sand and clear water. It is also home to a shrine dedicated to Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse, who was known as the "Father of the Royal Thai Navy." Close by, you can see the HTMS Chumphon, which is a torpedo boat. It is 68 meters (223 feet) long and 6.55 meters (21.5 feet) wide. Hat Sai Ri and the Prince of Chumphon Shrine are in Na Cha-ang Subdistrict, Mueang Chumphon District.

Images for kids

• 

  Ko Rangkachio, Mu Ko Chumphon National Park

• 

  Thung Wua Laen Beach

• 

  Another corner of Thung Wua Laen Beach

• 

  Prince of Chumphon Shrine at Hat Sai Ri

• 

  Thai nameplate of Hat Sai Ri, it states that "once upon a time at Hat Sai Ri, Chumphon"

• 

  The Extraordinary Coconut Tree in Ko Tao

See also

In Spanish: Provincia de Chumphon para niños