Aranyaprathet

Aranyaprathet อรัญญประเทศ
Town
Chinese Temple on Rat Uthit Rd.
Aranyaprathet
Coordinates: 13°41′34″N 102°30′6″E / 13.69278°N 102.50167°E / 13.69278; 102.50167
Country	Thailand
Provinces	Sa Kaeo Province
Amphoe	Aranyaprathet District
Elevation	50 m (160 ft)
Population (2005)	16,937
Time zone	UTC+7 (UTC+7)

Aranyaprathet (Thai: อรัญประเทศ) is a town (thesaban mueang) in Sa Kaeo Province in eastern Thailand . It covers the entire tambon of Aranyaprathet, in Aranyaprathet District. As of 2005, the town has 16,937 inhabitants. It is located just 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the border with Cambodia; the town of Poipet is on the other side of the border. On the Thai side of the border is the huge Rongkluea market. Cambodian people cross the border daily with pushcarts and scooters with side cars loaded with their products. A significant part of the trade is in second hand clothes. Just over the border on the Cambodian side there are casinos. These are visited by many Thai people because gambling is prohibited in Thailand. Special free buses run between Bangkok and these casinos. Cambodians themselves are not allowed to gamble in these border casinos.

Aranyaprathet has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw). Winters are dry and very warm. Temperatures rise until April, which is very hot with the average daily maximum at 36.7 °C (98.1 °F). The monsoon season is from late April to October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm.

Aranyaprathet lies on the Route 33, part of the route connecting Bangkok and Siem Reap, the city nearest Angkor Wat, and as a result sees a large volume of tourist traffic. The road leads east to the border with Cambodia, and west to Sa Kaeo and Nakhon Nayok. Another road, Route 348, leads north to Nang Rong.

Aranyaprathet also has a terminus for the Eastern Line of the State Railway of Thailand, although there is an unused rail link to the border with Cambodia.