Samut Sakhon สมุทรสาคร |
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Province | ||
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Map of Thailand highlighting Samut Sakhon Province |
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Country | Thailand | |
Capital | Samut Sakhon town | |
Government | ||
• Governor | Maenrat Rattanasukhon (since October 2015) | |
Area | ||
• Total | 872.3 km2 (336.8 sq mi) | |
Area rank | Ranked 72nd | |
Population (2014) | ||
• Total | 531,887 | |
• Rank | Ranked 53rd | |
• Density | 610/km2 (1,600/sq mi) | |
• Density rank | Ranked 4th | |
Time zone | ICT (UTC+7) | |
ISO 3166 code | TH-74 |
Samut Sakhon (Thai: สมุทรสาคร, pronounced [sā.mùt sǎː.kʰɔ̄ːn]) is one of the central provinces (changwat) of Thailand, established by the , which came into force on March 9, 1946.
Neighboring provinces are (from the southwest clockwise) Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi, Nakhon Pathom, and Bangkok.
It is part of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region.
The word "samut" originates from the Sanskrit word "samudra" meaning "ocean", and the word "sakhon" from Sanskrit "sagara" meaning "lake".
Samut Sakhon is at the mouth of the Tha Chin Klong River, a distributary of the Chao Phraya River, to the Gulf of Thailand. At the coast are many fields used for sea salt production.
The oldest name of the area is Tha Chin, probably referring to the fact that it was a trading port where Chinese junks arrived. In 1548 the city Sakhon Buri was established, and was renamed in 1704 to Mahachai after the khlong Mahachai which was dug then and connected with the Tha Chin River near the town. It was renamed by King Mongkut to its current name, however the old name Mahachai is still sometimes used by the locals.
The provincial seal shows a Chinese junk in front of the coast, with a smoking chimney. Both refer to the old trading tradition as well as the local industries.