Changwat
| Provinces of Thailand จังหวัดในประเทศไทย Changwat nai prathet thai |
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|---|---|
| Category | Subordinate province |
| Location | Kingdom of Thailand |
| Number | 76 Provinces 1 Special Administrative Division |
| Populations | 177,089 Ranong – 2,620,517 Nakhon Ratchasima |
| Areas | 417 km2 (161 sq mi) Samut Songkhram – 20,494 km2 (7,913 sq mi) Nakhon Ratchasima |
| Government | Provincal/Special Administrative Divisional government |
| Subdivisions | Amphoes |
Thailand is a unitary state that is subdivided into 76 provinces (Thai: ; rtgs: changwat; pronounced [t͡ɕāŋ.wàt]) and one special administrative area representing the capital Bangkok. The provinces are part of the provincial government, while Bangkok is part of the local government.
Total land area of Thailand is 513,114 km². Total population of Thailand is 65,118,726.
Thailand's national government organisation is divided into three types: central government (ministries, bureaus and departments), provincial government (provinces and districts) and local government (Bangkok, Phatthaya City, provincial administrative organisations, etc.).
A province, as part of the provincial government, is administered by a governor (ผู้ว่าราชการจังหวัด) who is appointed by the Minister of Interior. Bangkok, as part of the local government, is administered by a corporation called Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The corporation is led by the Governor of Bangkok (ผู้ว่าราชการกรุงเทพมหานคร) who is directly elected by the citizens of Bangkok.
The provinces are named by their original main city, which is not necessarily still the most populous city within the province today. Also, in several provinces the administration was moved into a new building outside the city.
Many provinces date back to semi-independent local chiefdoms or kingdoms, which made up the Ayutthaya kingdom. As today, the provinces were created around a capital city (mueang), and included surrounding villages or satellite towns. The provinces were administered either by a governor, who was appointed by the king; or by a local ruling family, who were descendants of the old local kings and princes of that area and had been given this privilege by the central king. De facto the king did not have much choice but to choose someone from the local nobility or an economically strong man, as against these local power groups the administration would have become impossible. The governor was not paid by the king, but instead financed himself and his administration by imposing taxes by himself, thus effectively a . Every province was required to send an annual tribute to Bangkok.
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