Songkhla
| Songkhla, Thailand | |
|---|---|
| City | |
|
City of Songkhla | |
  Songkhla, Thailand | |
| Coordinates: 7°12′22″N 100°35′48″E / 7.20611°N 100.59667°E | |
| Country |
 Thailand |
| Provinces | Songkhla Province |
| Amphoe | Mueang Songkhla District |
| Elevation | 11 m (36 ft) |
| Population (2006) | 75,048 |
| Time zone | ICT (UTC+7) |
Songkhla (Thai: สงขลา, pronounced [sǒŋ.kʰlǎː]), also known as Singgora or Singora (city on the mountain), is a city (thesaban nakhon) in Songkhla Province of southern Thailand, near the border with Malaysia. As of 2006 it had a population of 75,048. The city is a part of Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area.
Despite being smaller than the neighboring city Hat Yai, Songkhla is the capital of Songkhla Province as well as the Mueang Songkhla district (Songkhla town district).
Due to its location at the opening of Songkhla Lake to the Gulf of Thailand, Songkhla is a fishing town and also an important harbour. It is the major seaport on the east side of the Isthmus of Kra.
History
On 8 December 1941 local time, hours before the 7 December (Hawaii time) attack on Pearl Harbor, the Imperial Japanese army landed here, invading Thailand. It then moved south towards Perlis and Penang as part of the Malayan campaign which culminated in the capture of Singapore.[1]
Since 2003 Songhkla has been affected by the Muslim insurgency in neighboring Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala.[2]
The municipality's mayor, Peera Tantiserane, was murdered there in 2012.[3]
Climate
Songkhla has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification Am). Temperatures are very warm to hot throughout the year with only minor variation. There is a short dry season in February and March; the rest of the year is wet, with especially heavy rainfall from October to December.
| Climate data for Songkhla (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 29.6 (85.3) |
30.3 (86.5) |
31.4 (88.5) |
32.5 (90.5) |
33.0 (91.4) |
33.1 (91.6) |
32.9 (91.2) |
33.0 (91.4) |
32.3 (90.1) |
31.4 (88.5) |
29.8 (85.6) |
29.2 (84.6) |
31.54 (88.77) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 24.7 (76.5) |
24.7 (76.5) |
25.0 (77) |
25.4 (77.7) |
25.4 (77.7) |
24.1 (75.4) |
24.8 (76.6) |
24.7 (76.5) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.69 (76.44) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 74.8 (2.945) |
48.6 (1.913) |
59.7 (2.35) |
75.1 (2.957) |
119.6 (4.709) |
99.9 (3.933) |
95.0 (3.74) |
109.4 (4.307) |
136.9 (5.39) |
257.1 (10.122) |
545.9 (21.492) |
444.7 (17.508) |
2,066.7 (81.366) |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 1 mm) | 9 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 153 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 78 | 77 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 79 | 82 | 84 | 82 | 78.8 |
| Source: Thai Meteorological Department (Normal 1981-2010), (Avg. rainy days 1961-1990) | |||||||||||||
Population
The majority of the population is Buddhist with a large proportion of Muslims, especially in the rural areas fringing the Malaysian border. These Muslims speak Yawi language, a Malay-related language which has some Thai influence especially loan words borrowed from the Thai language.[4]
Songkhla's district (Amphoe) has five Tambon Administrative Organizations (องค์การบริหารส่วนตำบล). Songkhla town takes up the whole of Bo Yang division.
| No. | Name | Thai | Villages | Inhab. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bo Yang | บ่อยาง | - | 74,875 | |
| 2. | Khao Rup Chang | เขารูปช้าง | 10 | 38,662 | |
| 3. | Ko Taeo | เกาะแต้ว | 9 | 10,608 | |
| 4. | Phawong | พะวง | 8 | 24,130 | |
| 5. | Thung Wang | ทุ่งหวัง | 10 | 10,343 | |
| 6. | Ko Yo | เกาะยอ | 9 | 4,454 |
Gallery
-
Songkhla mermaid
-
Tinsulanonda Bridge
-
Songkhla Sea Port
-
Songkhla Lak Mueang
-
Malay family in Songkhla
See also
- Sultanate of Singgora
References
- ↑ Parfitt, Allen. "Bicycle Blitzkreig The Japanese Conquest of Malaya and Singapore 1941-1942". MilitaryHistoryOnline.com. Retrieved 9 Aug 2012.
- ↑ Saritdet Marukatat, Signs of new hope in South
- ↑ "'Hitman' sought in Peera murder". Bangkokpost.com. 2012-11-13. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
- ↑ Moshe Yegar, ''Between Integration and Secession''. Books.google.co.th. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Songkhla. |
- Official website (Thai)
Songkhla travel guide from Wikivoyage
Coordinates: 7°12′22″N 100°35′48″E / 7.20611°N 100.59667°E
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