Nakhon Si Thammarat

Nakhon Si Thammarat province is a province (changwat) of Thailand, on the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand. It is the most populous province of Southern Thailand, with the population of approximately 1.5 million . Neighboring provinces are (from south clockwise) Songkhla, Phatthalung, Trang, Krabi and Surat Thani. Names Nakhon Si Thammarat is the Thai form of Sanskrit Nagara Sri Dharmaraja, meaning 'City of the Sacred Dharma King'. The name is sometimes abbreviated to Nakhon Si. The province is also colloquially called Mueang Khon and its people Khon Khon. Geography The province is on the Gulf of Thailand on the east side of the Malay Peninsula. The terrain is mostly rugged hilly forest. The province is home to south Thailand's highest peak, Khao Luang, at .The total forest area is or 18.4 percent of provincial area.