Surat Thani


Surat Thani is a city in Amphoe Mueang Surat Thani, Surat Thani Province, southern Thailand. It lies 651 km south of Bangkok. It is the capital of Surat Thani Province. The city has a population of 132,040, and an area of 68.97 square kilometers. The city's population density is 1,914 inhabitants per km².
Surat Thani is near the mouth of the Tapi River on the Gulf of Thailand. The city offers no major tourist attractions in itself, and is mainly known to tourists as the jumping-off point to Ko Samui, Ko Tao, and Ko Pha Ngan. It is the regional commercial center, with a seaport dealing in the main products of the province, rubber and coconuts.

Toponymy

The city received its name, which means "city of good people", by King Vajiravudh in 1915. The name was given to the city due to the intense devotion of the locals to Buddhism. Previously the city was known as Bandon, meaning "village on higher ground". The name of the city is taken from the Indian city Surat in Gujarat on the Indian River Tapi. King Vajiravudh gave this name to his city as he was impressed with the Indian city.

History

On 21 December 1930 Surat Thani became a sanitary district, which was upgraded to a town on 7 December 1935, with a municipal area of 2.67 km². The area of the municipality was enlarged to 6.95 km² on 14 October 1958, and on 22 December 1994 it was further enlarged to 68.97 km². On 4 May 2007, the town was upgraded to city status.
Since 1969 Surat Thani is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Surat Thani, responsible for about 6,000 Catholics in southern Thailand.

Transportation

Rail

Surat Thani is connected with Bangkok by the Southern Line of the State Railway of Thailand. Surat Thani Railway Station is the main station of the province. It is in Phunphin, about from Surat Thani.

Road

Surat Thani is connected to Nakhon Si Thammarat by Route 401. Asian highway AH2 also passes the city at Phunphin.

Air

is about from the city by road.

Water

There are three main ferry companies that operate from mainland Surat Thani to the islands: , , and .
There are only two ferry piers in Muang Surat Thani: Tapee Pier, which Lomprayah's High Speed Catarman operates from, and Bandon Pier, which is for night boats only. Seatran Pier and Raja Pier are both located in Don Sak District, 65km east of Surat Thani city centre.

Climate

Surat Thani has a tropical savanna climate. Temperatures are fairly stable throughout the year, although the pre-monsoon months are somewhat hotter. There is a short dry season from January to April, followed by the wet season that lasts from May to December. The heaviest rains occur in October and November.

Culture

Festivals

Surat Thani is home to the Surat Thani Football Club ' and the Surat Thani Futsal Club '.

Education

Colleges and universities

Primary and secondary schools with English instruction include:
The administration of Surat Thani city municipality is responsible for an area that covers 68.97 square kilometers and consists of six subdistricts, 18 villages, 132,040 people in 74,548 households.

Notable people