Ranong province

Rattanarangsan Palace (Ranong)

RanongTemplate:Efn is one of Thailand's southern provinces (changwat), on the west coast along the Andaman Sea. It has the fewest inhabitants of all Thai provinces (making it the least populous of all the Thai provinces). Provinces neighboring Ranong are (clockwise) Chumphon, Surat Thani, and Phang Nga. To the west, it borders Kawthaung, Tanintharyi, Myanmar.

Geography

Ranong is on the Kra Isthmus, a narrow strip of land, only Template:Convert wide,<ref name="BP-20180719">Template:Cite news</ref> that connects Thailand with the Malay Peninsula, on the west of the Phuket mountain range. It has a long coast on the Andaman Sea. The province, together with Trat province, is known for being one of the wettest places in Thailand, the rainy season lasting for about eight months.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ranong is the least populated province. The total forest area is Template:Convert or 53.5 percent of provincial area, and 67 percent is mountainous.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In former years the major industry was tin mining, but most mines are now exhausted. White clay mining (for the production of porcelain) and fishing are now the main industries, along with rubber and cashew nuts.

The Ngao Mangrove Forest Research Centre, also known as the Ranong Biosphere Reserve, in the north of Kapoe District, covering 189,431 rai<ref name="BP-20180719" /> (303.09 km²), was declared in 1997. It is the fourth biosphere reserve of Thailand, and the only one on the seacoast protecting mangrove forests.

National parks

There are four national parks, along with seven other national parks, make up region 4 (Surat Thani) of Thailand's protected areas. (Visitors in fiscal year 2024)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Namtok Ngao National Park	Template:Convert	(94,691)
Mu Ko Ranong National Park	Template:Convert	(1,716)
Laem Son National Park	Template:Convert	(21,911)
Lam Nam Kra Buri National Park	Template:Convert	(34,135)

Wildlife sanctuaries

There are four wildlife sanctuaries, along with three other wildlife sanctuaries, make up region 4 (Surat Thani) of Thailand's protected areas.

Khlong Nakha Wildlife Sanctuary	Template:Convert
Khuan Mae Yai Mon Wildlife Sanctuary	Template:Convert
Thung Raya–Na Sak Wildlife Sanctuary	Template:Convert
Prince Chumphon South Park Wildlife Sanctuary	Template:Convert

Location protected areas of Ranong  

Template:Resize

	National park
1	Laem Son
2	Lam Nam Kra Buri
3	Mu Ko Ranong
4	Namtok Ngao

	Wildlife sanctuary
5	Khuan Mae Yai Mon
6	Khlong Nakha
7	Prince Chumphon South Park
8	Thung Raya-Na Sak

History

Ranong province once was a deputy town of Chumphon in the Ayutthaya era (1350–1767).<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> It was a small, mountainous town that protected Chumphon from Burma. The population was very low until the discovery of tin, when people from many cities and foreigners started to visit Ranong to do tin business there. This also gave rise to the name Ranong, which was a distorted form of rae nong (แร่นอง), meaning "full of minerals".<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> The ruler of Ranong was known after the town as Luang Ranong (Template:Langx)

At the start of the Rattanakosin era (1781–present), a wealthy Chinese merchant, Kho Su Jiang bought a majority share of the tin business in Ranong and was appointed tax collector of the region, with the title Luang Rattana Setti (Template:Langx), by King Nangklao (Rama III). In 1854, the Luang Ranong died. King Mongkut (Rama IV) then promoted Kho Su Jiang to the position, promoting him to Phra Rattana Setti (Template:Langx). By then, Ranong's wealth had increased greatly and through taxation was a significant source of income for the capital, thus in 1877 King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) elevated Ranong to provincial status, answering directly to Bangkok as opposed to Chumphon, with Phra Rattana Setti becoming its first governor.<ref name=":0" />

After the First Anglo-Burmese War, when the British assumed control of Tenasserim and the Kraburi River became the demarcation line between Siam and British-controlled Burma, Ranong became an important border city where goods were exchanged, a status that it still holds today.

Being located on the Kra Isthmus, the narrowest part (44 kilometres) of the Malay Peninsula, a proposal of a canal through the area has been long suggested, particularly by the French. If successful, traveling from Europe to China would be faster through this route instead of circumnavigating the Malay Peninsula. This was seen as a threat to the financial growth of the harbors of Singapore and Penang, which at the time were owned by Britain, who therefore forced the suspension of the project. At the end of World War II, Thailand signed a British-imposed treaty called "The Termination of The State of War Between Siam and Allies", which forbade Thailand from digging such a canal without British permission. This treaty was revoked in 1954.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Since then, plans for the canal have continued to be suggested and discussed, even in the present day, though Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said in 2018 that it was not a government priority.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Ranong has also been historically significant as a residence for royal tours of the southern provinces, with many kings of Thailand visiting Ranong in the past. The first was King Chulalongkorn, who stayed at Rattana Ransan palace for three nights in 1890. The palace is now a landmark in Ranong. King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) visited in 1928, and King Bhumibol (Rama IX) and Queen Sirikit visited in 1959.

Climate

Most of Thailand receives from 1,200 to 1,600 mm of precipitation per year. Two provinces, Ranong and Trat, receive more than 4,500 mm a year making them the wettest places in the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

For this reason, Ranong is called "Mueang Fon Paet Daet Si" (เมืองฝนแปดแดดสี่, Template:IPA, Template:Lit), meaning it rains for eight months of the year, and only four months are without rain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Symbols

The provincial seal shows a castle on top of a hill, as an aide memoire that King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) once visited Ranong and stayed at the Ratana Rangsan Castle on top of the Niveskiri Hill. The number five refers to King Rama V; the castle is Ratana Rangsan Palace; the mountain is Niveshkiri; the royal tray refers to the people of Ranong.<ref name=OSMA>Template:Cite web</ref>

The provincial slogan is, "Kra Isthmus, mountain grass, cashew nut, mineral water stream, and real pearl of Ranong."<ref name=OSMA />

The provincial tree is the Banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa), and the provincial flower is the orchid Dendrobium formosum. The endemic terrestrial crab Phricotelphusa sirindhorn is the provincial aquatic life.

Administrative divisions

Central government

Map with five districts

Ranong is divided into five districts (amphoe). These are further divided into 30 subdistricts (tambon) and 178 villages (muban).<ref name=DOPA2>Template:Cite web</ref>

No.	District	Thai	Malay	Pop.	subdistricts	Villages
1.	Mueang Ranong	เมืองระนอง	Bandar Raya Rundung	93,271	9	38
2.	La-un	ละอุ่น	Pak Un	15,240	7	30
3.	Kapoe	กะเปอร์	Kapur	22,093	5	34
4.	Kra Buri	กระบุรี	Segenting Kera	48,163	7	61
5.	Suk Samran	สุขสำราญ	-	14,594	2	15
		-	Total	193,371	30	178

Local government

As of December 2023 there are: one Ranong provincial administrative organization - PAO (Template:Lang) and 12 municipal areas (thesaban) in the province. Ranong and Bang Rin have town (thesaban mueang) status. Further 10 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon).<ref name=DOPA2/>

Town municipality	Pop.	website
Bang Rin	22,7830	Template:URL
Ranong	17,779	Template:URL

Subdistrict municipality	Pop.	website
Bang Non	14,443	Template:URL
Choporo	12,950	Template:URL
Ratchakrut	9,766	Template:URL
Pak Nam Tha Ruea	8,071	Template:URL
Kamphuan	7,029	Template:URL
Nam Chuet	3,503	Template:URL
La-un	2,629	Template:URL
Ngao	2,399	Template:URL
Pak Nam	2,385
Kapoe	1,485	Template:URL

The non-municipal areas are administered by 19 subdistrict administrative organisations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).

Healthcare

Hospitals

There are five hospitals in the province:

• Ranong hospital with 300 beds.
• Kapoe hospital with 35 beds.
• Kra Buri hospital with 30 beds.
• La-un hospital with 16 beds.
• Suk Samran hospital with 10 beds.

Health promoting hospitals

There are total forty five health-promoting hospitals, of which:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• 16 in Mueang Ranong district
• 8 in La-un district
• 6 in Kapoe district
• 11 in Kra Buri district
• 4 in Suk Samran district

Demographics

Population

Population history of Ranong province is as follows: <ref name="NSO2012"> Template:Cite web </ref> <ref name="NSO2021"> Template:Cite web </ref>

1947	1960	1970	1980	1990	2000	2011	2020
21,488	38,000	59,000	83,707	117,440	161,210	183,849	194,372

Religion

There are forty five Theravada Buddhist temples in the province.

• 16 in Mueang Ranong district
• 9 in La-un district
• 6 in Kapoe district
• 12 in Kra Buri district
• 2 in Suk Samran district

Transportation

Phet Kasem Road (Thailand Route 4) runs through the province. Ranong Airport is about Template:Convert south of Ranong.

The Port Authority of Thailand operates the Ranong Port, which is Thailand's principal Indian Ocean port. In 2008, the Ranong human-smuggling incident resulted in 54 deaths.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Human achievement index 2022

Health	Education	Employment	Income
20	67	31	33
Housing	Family	Transport	Participation
63	10	50	64
Province Ranong, with an HAI 2022 value of 0.6291 is "somewhat low", occupies place 56 in the ranking.

Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using the Human achievement index (HAI), a composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has taken over this task since 2017.<ref name="HAI 2565" />

Rank	Classification
1–13	High
14–29	Somewhat high
30–45	Average
46–61	Somewhat low
62–77	Low

Map with provinces and HAI 2022 rankings

Tourism

Namtok Ngao National Park (อุทยานแห่งชาติน้ำตกหงาว) Covering a total area of approximately 417,500 rai (668 km²) it was declared a national park on 3 June 1999.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ko Chang (Ranong) (เกาะช้าง) island in tambon Ko Phayam. With an area of 18 square kilometres and 80 homes on the entire island. Cashew and para rubber plantations as well as coastal fisheries are the main industries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Laem Son National Park (อุทยานแห่งชาติแหลมสน) It covers a total area of 196,875 rai (31.5 hectares). It also includes islands in the Andaman Sea; namely, Ko Khangkhao and Mu Ko Kam.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Places of interest within the national park include:

• Hat Bang Ben (หาดบางเบน) is a long sandy beach shaded by pine trees where the national park headquarters is located.
• Hat Laem Son (หาดแหลมสน) is a white sandy beach approximately four kilometres next to Hat Bang Ben.
• Hat Praphat or Hat Hin Thung (หาดประพาส หรือ หาดหินทุ่ง) Similar to Hat Bang Ben, Hat Praphat is a large beach shaded by pine trees.
• Ko Khangkhao (เกาะค้างคาว) is an island with fine sandy beaches and a gravel beach known as Hat Hin Ngam in the north.
• Ko Kam Yai (เกาะกำใหญ่) is a scenic island with white sandy beaches.
• Ko Kam Nui (เกาะกำนุ้ย) is not far from Ko Kam Yai with beaches on one side and many other nearby islets.

Raksawarin Hot Springs and Public Park (บ่อน้ำพุร้อนรักษะวาริน) The most famous and popular hot spring of Ranong. It have been analysed by the Department of Science Service to contain important minerals, and it is the only source in Thailand that does not contain any sulphur additives. It is possible to drink from the source, and it is also regarded as pure water. The hot springs and public park is in Ranong town.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Phu Khao Ya (ภูเขาหญ้า) The bald mountain with grass growing all over the mountain, it is extraordinary in that it is a geographical anomaly. This average-sized hill is entirely void of trees leaving it looking, as local residents say, like a "Swiss pasture". Phu Khao Ya can also change color according to the season and time of day. It is situated 12 kilometres (7.4 mi) to the south of Ranong town.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Khlong Naka (คลองนาคา) This wildlife sanctuary is the only home for the aquatic plant Crinum thaianum. This species of plant is endemic to the local stream, and from October till November is when the flowers bloom at their most.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Wat Hat Som Paen (วัดหาดส้มแป้น) The local Ranong Buddhist temple. Its highlight, besides worshiping the Buddha, is also admiring the beauty of the stream that flows through the temple, which is also home to a large number of the rock mahseer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• 
  Laem Son National Park
• 
  Namtok Chum Saeng, Kra Buri District
• 
  Namtok Punyaban, Mueang Ranong District
• 
  Ko Phayam
• 
  Kamphuan, Suk Samran District

External links

• Template:Wikivoyage inline