Songkhla Province
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Songkhla สงขลา |
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| Province | ||
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 Map of Thailand highlighting Songkhla Province |
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| Country | Thailand | |
| Capital | Songkhla | |
| Government | ||
| • Governor | Songpol Sawasthum | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 7,393.9 km2 (2,854.8 sq mi) | |
| Area rank | Ranked 26th | |
| Population (2014) | ||
| • Total | 1,401,303 | |
| • Rank | Ranked 11th | |
| • Density | 179.2/km2 (464/sq mi) | |
| • Density rank | Ranked 14th | |
| Time zone | ICT (UTC+7) | |
| ISO 3166 code | TH-90 | |
Songkhla (Thai: สงขลา, pronounced [sǒŋ.kʰlǎː]; Malay: Singgora) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from east clockwise) Satun, Phatthalung, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Pattani, and Yala. To the south it borders Kedah and Perlis of Malaysia.
In contrast to most other provinces, the capital Songkhla is not the largest city in the province. The much newer city of Hat Yai, with a population of 359,813, is considerably larger, with twice the population of Songkhla (163,072). This often leads to the misconception that Hat Yai is the provincial capital.
The province is on the Malay Peninsula, on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. The highest elevation is Khao Mai Kaeo at 821 meters.
In the north of the province is Songkhla Lake, the largest natural lake in Thailand. This shallow lake covers an area of 1,040 km², and has a south-north extent of 78 kilometers. At its mouth on the Gulf of Thailand, near the city of Songkhla, the water becomes brackish. A small population of Irrawaddy Dolphins live in the lake, but are in danger of extinction due to accidental capture by the nets of the local fishing industry.
Songkhla Province hosts two national parks. San Kala Khiri covers 214 km² of mountain highlands on the Thai-Malay border.Khao Nam Khang, is also in the boundary mountains. Chinese Communist guerrillas inhabited this region until the 1980s.
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