Gulf of Thailand
| Gulf of Thailand | |
|---|---|
| Gulf of Siam | |
Location of the gulf
|
|
| Location | Southeast Asia |
| Coordinates | 09°30′N 102°00′E / 9.500°N 102.000°ECoordinates: 09°30′N 102°00′E / 9.500°N 102.000°E |
| Type | Gulf |
| Primary inflows | South China Sea |
| Surface area | 320,000 km2 (120,000 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 58 m (190 ft) |
| Max. depth | 85 m (279 ft) |
The Gulf of Thailand, formerly the Gulf of Siam, is a shallow inlet in the western part of the South China and Eastern Archipelagic Seas, a marginal body of water in the western Pacific Ocean. The gulf is around 800 km (497 mi) long and up to 560 km (348 mi) wide, has a surface area of 320,000 km2 (123,553 sq mi) and is surrounded on the north, west and southwest by Thailand, on the northeast by Cambodia and Vietnam. The South China Sea is to the southeast.
The modern Thai name of the gulf is Ao Thai (Thai: อ่าวไทย, [ʔàːw tʰāj], "Thai Gulf") and "Gulf of Thailand" has been adopted as the official name of the body by the International Hydrographic Organization. Its name in Malay and Khmer continues to be the "Gulf of Siam", Teluk Siam and Khmer: ឈូងសមុទ្រសៀម, Chhoung Samut Siem, respectively. In Thai, the gulf is historically known as Ao Sayam (Thai: อ่าวสยาม).
It is generally identified with the Great Gulf (Latin: Magnus Sinus) known to Greek, Roman, Arab, Persian, and Renaissance cartographers before the influx of Portuguese explorers removed the phantom Dragon Tail peninsula from European world maps in the 16th century.
...
Wikipedia