Editing Central Thailand

{{Short description|Region in Thailand}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!--See the Table at Infobox Settlement for all fields and descriptions of usage-->
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
| name = Central Region
| other_name               = ภาคกลาง
| settlement_type	= [[Regions of Thailand|Region]]
|image_skyline = {{Photomontage
| photo1a = Aerial view of Lumphini Park.jpg{{!}} Lumphini Park
| photo2a = Wat chaiwatthanaram.jpg {{!}} Wat Chaiwatthanaram
| photo2b =Fishing on Bueng Boraphet.jpg{{!}} Fishing, Bueng Boraphet
| photo3a = Wat Mahathat Sukhothai before sunset.jpg{{!}} Wat Mahathat (Sukhothai Historical Park)
| photo3b = Khao Kho from Temple.jpg{{!}} Khao Kho National Park
| size = 270
| position = center
| spacing = 2
| color = transparent
| border = 0
| foot_montage = From upper-left to lower-right: [[Lumphini Park]]; [[Wat Chaiwatthanaram]]; Fishing, [[Bueng Boraphet]]; Wat Mahathat [[Sukhothai Historical Park]]; [[Khao Kho National Park]]
| 
}}
| image_map = Central Thailand six regions.png
| map_alt = 
| map_caption = Central Region in Thailand
|parts_type = Provinces
|parts_style= coll
|parts = {{nobold|21 Provinces <br> 1 Special administrative area }}
| p1 = [[Bangkok]] 
| p2 = [[Nakhon Pathom province]]
| p3 = [[Nonthaburi province]]
| p4 = [[Pathum Thani province]]
| p5 = [[Samut Prakan province]]
| p6 = [[Samut Sakhon province]]
| p7 = [[Samut Songkhram province]]
| p8 = [[Kamphaeng Phet province]]
| p9 = [[Nakhon Sawan province]]
| p10 = [[Phetchabun province]]
| p11 = [[Phichit province]]
| p12 = [[Phitsanulok province]]
| p13 = [[Sukhothai province]]
| p14 = [[Uthai Thani province]]
| p15 = [[Ang Thong province]]
| p16 = [[Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province]]
| p17 = [[Chai Nat province]]
| p18 = [[Lopburi province]]
| p19 = [[Nakhon Nayok province]]
| p20 = [[Saraburi province]]
| p21 = [[Sing Buri province]]
| p22 = [[Suphanburi province]]
| subdivision_type1 = Largest city
| subdivision_name1 = [[Bangkok]]
| subdivision_type2 = 
| subdivision_name2 = 
| unit_pref = metric
| area_footnotes = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_rank = 
| area_total_km2 = 91,798.64
| area_land_km2 =  
| area_water_km2 = 
| population_as_of = 2015
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total	= 20,183,134	
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym = 
<!-- GDP  --------------->
| demographics_type2       = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes  = <ref name="NESDB-2017">{{cite journal|title=''Gross Regional and Provincial Product, 2019 Edition''|journal=<> |date=July 2019|url=https://www.nesdc.go.th/ewt_dl_link.php?nid=5628&filename=gross_regional|access-date=22 January 2020|publisher=Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC)|language=en|issn=1686-0799}}</ref>
|demographics2_title1     = Total
|demographics2_info1      = US$286.7 billion (2019)
|demographics2_title2     = Per capita
|demographics2_info2      = 
| blank1_name_sec2       = {{nowrap|[[Language]]}} 
| blank1_info_sec2       = [[Thai language|Thai]]  • ''others'' 
| timezone1                = [[Time in Thailand|ICT]]
| utc_offset1              = +07:00
}}

'''Central Thailand''' (Central Plain) (historically also known as '''Siam''' or '''[[Dvaravati]]''') is one of the [[regions of Thailand]], covering the broad [[alluvial plain]] of the [[Chao Phraya River]]. It is separated from northeast Thailand ([[Isan]]) by the [[Phetchabun Mountains|Phetchabun mountain range]]. The [[Tenasserim Hills]] separate it from [[Myanmar]] to the west. In the north it is bounded by the [[Phi Pan Nam Range]], one of the hilly systems of [[northern Thailand]]. The area was the heartland of the [[Ayutthaya Kingdom]] (at times referred to as [[Siam]]) and is still the dominant area of [[Thailand]] since it contains the world's most [[primate city#Examples|primate city]], [[Bangkok]].

==Definition==
The grouping of Thai provinces into regions follow two major systems in which Thailand is divided into either [[Regions of Thailand|four or six regions]]. In the six-region system, commonly used in geographical studies, central Thailand extends from [[Sukhothai Province|Sukhothai]] and [[Phitsanulok Province|Phitsanulok]] Provinces in the north to the provinces bordering the [[Gulf of Thailand]] in the south, excluding the mountainous provinces bordering Myanmar to the west and the coastal provinces of the east. The four-region system includes provinces only as far north as [[Chai Nat]], [[Sing Buri]] and [[Lopburi]] and extends west and east to the borders of Myanmar and Cambodia.<br>
The central region, as defined by [[Royal Forest Department]] in 2019, consists of 18 provinces (7 provinces of Greater Bangkok, 8 provinces of South Central Thailand and 3 provinces of Western Thailand). The total area of this central region is {{convert|67,473|km²|abbr=on}}, while the total forest area is {{convert|22,374|km²|abbr=on}} or 33.2 percent of this regional area.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forest.go.th |title=ตารางที่ 2 พี้นที่ป่าไม้ แยกรายจังหวัด พ.ศ.2562 |year=2019 |department=Royal Forest Department |language=th |trans-title=Table 2 Forest area Separate province year 2019 |access-date=6 April 2021 |postscript=, information, Forest statistics Year 2019}}</ref>

==Administrative divisions==
There are [[Regions of Thailand|several different systems]] of dividing modern Thailand into different regions, which gives slightly different boundaries for Central Thailand. In the geographic six-region system, the central region includes the following 22 provinces, divided into three groups:

*[[Bangkok Metropolitan Area|Greater Bangkok]]: [[Bangkok]], [[Nakhon Pathom Province|Nakhon Pathom]], [[Nonthaburi Province|Nonthaburi]], [[Pathum Thani Province|Pathum Thani]], [[Samut Prakan Province|Samut Prakan]], [[Samut Sakhon Province|Samut Sakhon]], [[Samut Songkhram Province|Samut Songkhram]]
*North Central Thailand region: [[Kamphaeng Phet Province|Kamphaeng Phet]], [[Nakhon Sawan Province|Nakhon Sawan]], [[Phetchabun Province|Phetchabun]], [[Phichit Province|Phichit]], [[Phitsanulok Province|Phitsanulok]], [[Sukhothai Province|Sukhothai]], [[Uthai Thani Province|Uthai Thani]]
*South Central Thailand region: [[Ang Thong Province|Ang Thong]], [[Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province|Ayutthaya]], [[Chai Nat Province|Chainat]], [[Lopburi Province|Lopburi]], [[Nakhon Nayok Province|Nakhon Nayok]], [[Saraburi Province|Saraburi]], [[Sing Buri Province|Sing Buri]]; [[Suphan Buri Province|Suphanburi]]

The four-region system includes 26 [[Provinces of Thailand|provinces]] in its definition of Central Thailand. Especially for statistical purposes, they are divided into four groups:<ref>List according to Wolf Donner, ''Thailand'', {{ISBN|3-534-02779-5}}</ref>

*Greater Bangkok: [[Bangkok]], [[Nakhon Pathom Province|Nakhon Pathom]], [[Nonthaburi Province|Nonthaburi]], [[Pathum Thani Province|Pathum Thani]], [[Samut Prakan Province|Samut Prakan]], [[Samut Sakhon Province|Samut Sakhon]]
*Sub-Central Thailand region: [[Ang Thong Province|Ang Thong]], [[Ayutthaya Province|Ayutthaya]], [[Chai Nat Province|Chainat]], [[Lopburi Province|Lopburi]], [[Nakhon Nayok Province|Nakhon Nayok]], [[Saraburi Province|Saraburi]], [[Sing Buri Province|Sing Buri]]
*[[Western Thailand]] region: [[Kanchanaburi Province|Kanchanaburi]], [[Phetchaburi Province|Phetchaburi]], [[Prachuap Khiri Khan Province|Prachuap Khiri Khan]], [[Ratchaburi Province|Ratchaburi]], [[Samut Songkhram Province|Samut Songkhram]], [[Suphan Buri Province|Suphanburi]]
*[[Eastern Thailand]] region: [[Chachoengsao Province|Chachoengsao]], [[Chanthaburi Province|Chanthaburi]], [[Chonburi Province|Chonburi]], [[Prachinburi Province|Prachinburi]], [[Rayong Province|Rayong]], [[Sa Kaeo Province|Sa Kaeo]], [[Trat Province|Trat]]

The eastern region is sometimes listed as a separate region distinct from Central Thailand: sometimes only the four coastal provincesand  sometimes the above list excluding Nakhon Nayok. None of those regions are political subdivisions; they are only geographical or statistical groupings.
{{clear}}

==Economy==
[[File:Thailand Central provinces.png|right|200px]]
For economic statistics of Central Thailand by [[National Statistical Office]] (NSO) the following six provinces are listed: 1.Ang Thong 2.Ayutthaya 3.Chai Nat 4.Lopburi 5.Saraburi 6.Sing Buri<br>
However Nakhon Nayok province is listed by eastern Thailand.<br>   
For FY 2018, Central Region had a combined economic output of 863.328 billion baht (US$27.85 billion), or 5.3 percent of Thailand's GDP. Ayutthaya province had an economic output of 412.701 billion baht (US$13.3 billion). This amounts to GPP per capita of 454,953 baht (US$14,676), 40 percent more than Saraburi province, next in the ranking and three times more than  for all subsequent provinces in the ranking.<ref>{{cite report |title=Phitsanulok Provincial Statistical Report 2562-2019: Economic Statistics - National Accounts |department=Phitsanulok Provincial Statistical Office |publication-date=2020 |issn=1905-8314 |publisher=National Statistical Office (NSO) |page=93}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ {{big|Gross Provincial Product (GPP)}}
|-
! style="width:10px;" class=unsortable|Rank
! style="width:120px;"|Province
! style="width:100px;"|GPP<br>(million baht)
! style="width:100px;"|Population<br>(x 1000)
! style="width:100px;"|GPP per capita (baht)
|-
| style="background:#98d798;text-align:center;"|1 ||Ayutthaya ||style="text-align:center;"|412,701 ||style="text-align:center;"|907 ||style="text-align:center;"|454,953
|-
| style="background:#98d798;text-align:center;"|2 ||Saraburi ||style="text-align:center;"|246,063 ||style="text-align:center;"|758 ||style="text-align:center;"|324,820
|-
| style="background:#98d798;text-align:center;"|3 ||Sing Buri ||style="text-align:center;"|27,783 ||style="text-align:center;"|190 ||style="text-align:center;"|145,899
|-
| style="background:#98d798;text-align:center;"|4 ||Lopburi ||style="text-align:center;"|110,962 ||style="text-align:center;"|777 ||style="text-align:center;"|142,741
|-
| style="background:#98d798;text-align:center;"|5 ||Ang Thong ||style="text-align:center;"|30,539 ||style="text-align:center;"|250 ||style="text-align:center;"|122,159
|-
| style="background:#98d798;text-align:center;"|6 ||Chai Nat ||style="text-align:center;"|35,280 ||style="text-align:center;"|294 ||style="text-align:center;"|119,850
|-
! style="background:#98d798;"|&nbsp;!!Central region !!863,328 !!3,177 !!271,759
|}

{{Graph:Chart
 |height=200
 |width=350
 |xAxisTitle=GPP per capita
 |xAxisAngle=-45
 |yAxisTitle=x 1000 baht
 |yAxisMin=0
 |type=rect
 |showValues=offset:4
 |x=Ayutthaya,Saraburi,Sing Buri,Lopburi,Ang Thong,Chai Nat 
 |y1=455,325,146,143,122,120
 |colors=#98d798
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Central Thailand}}
*{{Wikivoyage inline|Central (Thailand)}}

{{Regions of Thailand}}

{{coord|15|N|100|E|display=title|scale:3000000}}

[[Category:Central Region (Thailand)| ]]
[[Category:Regions of Thailand]]