Provinces of Thailand

Thailand is divided into 76 provinces (Thai: จังหวัด, changwat, singular and plural), which are grouped into 5 groups of provinces - sometimes the East and Central are grouped together. The name of the province is the same as that of the capital city, which is sometimes preceded with a Mueang (or Muang) to avoid confusion with the province. With the exception of Songkhla the capital is also the biggest city in the province.

Related Topics:
Thailand - Province - Thai - Songkhla

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Bangkok is both the province with the highest population and the highest population density. The biggest province by area is Nakhon Ratchasima, the smallest Samut Songkhram. Mae Hong Son has the lowest population density, Ranong the lowest population (numbers according to 2000 census).

Related Topics:
Bangkok - Nakhon Ratchasima - Samut Songkhram - Mae Hong Son - Ranong

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Each province is administered by a governor, who is appointed by the Ministry of the Interior. The only exception is Bangkok, in which the governor is elected.

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The provinces are subdivided into 795 districts (amphoe, อำเภอ) and 81 minor districts (king amphoe, กิ่งอำเภอ). The fifty districts of Bangkok are called khet (เขต), but even in official documents are sometimes misnamed as amphoe. The number of districts in the provinces varies, from just three in the smallest provinces up to the fifty in Bangkok. Further subdivision levels are tambon (communes or sub-districts) and mubaan (villages).

Related Topics:
Amphoe - Tambon

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