Kra Isthmus
Coordinates: 10°11′N 98°53′E / 10.183°N 98.883°E
The Kra Isthmus is the isthmus connecting Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Asia. It is located on southeast Asia.[1]
Geography
The east part of the landbridge belongs to Thailand, while the west part belongs to the Tanintharyi division of Myanmar. To the west of the Isthmus is the Andaman Sea, and to the east is the Gulf of Thailand.
The narrowest part between the estuary of the Kra River and the bay of Sawi near the city Chumphon has a width of 44 km (27 mi), and has a maximum altitude of 75 m (246 ft) above sea level.
The Isthmus of Kra marks the boundary between two sections of the central cordillera, the mountain chain which runs from Tibet through all of the Malay peninsula. The southern part is called the Phuket chain, which is a continuation of the greater Tenasserim range, extending further northwards for over 400 km (250 mi) beyond the Three Pagodas Pass.[2] The Titiwangsa Mountains are located southwards, 45 km (28 mi) from Songkhla.
History and Culture
On December 8, 1941 local time, just before the December 7 (Hawaii time) Attack on Pearl Harbor, the Imperial Japanese Army landed here, near Songkhla, Thailand, and Kota Bharu, Malaya, thus beginning the Pacific War, and launching both the invasion of Thailand and the Malayan Campaign, the latter which culminated in the capture of Singapore.[3]
Thai Canal
The Thai Canal is a proposed canal in southern Thailand, that was originally due to be constructed across the isthmus, but whose location is now being talked about as some distance from the Kra isthmus.[4] [5]
References
- ↑ "Kra, Isthmus of". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ↑ The Physical Geography of Southeast Asia, Avijit Gupta
- ↑ Parfitt, Allen. "Bicycle Blitzkreig The Japanese Conquest of Malaya and Singapore 1941-1942". MilitaryHistoryOnline.com. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ↑ Griffith University (23 March 2010). "Thai Canal Project: Over 300 years of conceptualising and still counting". Asian Correspondent. Hybrid News. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ↑ Thai-Canal