The Bang Pakong ( th, แม่น้ำบางปะกง, , ) is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in east
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
. The river originates at the confluence of the
Phra Prong River and the
Hanuman River near
Kabin Buri,
Prachinburi Province
Prachinburi province ( th, ปราจีนบุรี, , ) is one of Thailand's seventy-seven provinces (''changwat''), it lies in eastern Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nakhon Ratchasima, Sa Kaeo, Chachoengsao, an ...
. It empties after 231 kilometres into the
Gulf of Thailand
The Gulf of Thailand, also known as the Gulf of Siam, is a shallow inlet in the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of the Indochinese Peninsula and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. It is around in l ...
at the northeastern tip of the
Bay of Bangkok
The Bay of Bangkok ( th, อ่าวกรุงเทพ, , ), also known as the Bight of Bangkok, is the northernmost part of the Gulf of Thailand, roughly extending from Hua Hin District to the west and Sattahip District to the east. Three o ...
. The watershed of the Bang Pakong is about . The river powers a power station near its mouth, near Highway 7.
To protect the
Irrawaddy dolphin
The Irrawaddy dolphin (''Orcaella brevirostris'') is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in scattered subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia. It closely resembles the ...
s, fishermen on the Bang Pakong River have been persuaded by authorities to stop
shrimping
The shrimp fishery is a major global industry, with more than 3.4 million tons caught per year, chiefly in Asia. Rates of bycatch are unusually high for shrimp fishing, with the capture of sea turtles being especially contentious.
A shrimper is a ...
and 30 to 40 fishing boats have been modified so they can offer dolphin sightseeing tours.
Dvaravati
The Dvaravati ( th, ทวารวดี ; ) was an ancient Mon kingdom from the 7th century to the 11th century that was located in the region now known as central Thailand. It was described by the Chinese pilgrim in the middle of the 7th ce ...
settlements include Muang Phra Rot, Dong Si Maha Phot, Dong Lakhon, and Ban Khu Muang. Dvaravati coins have been found at U-Tapao.
[Higham, C., 2014, ''Early Mainland Southeast Asia''. Bangkok: River Books Co., Ltd., ]
Toponymy
Its name "Bang Pakong" is believed to be distorted from the word "Bang Mangkong" (บางมังกง), refers to "place of Mangkong", for "Mangong" is Thai word meaning
long whiskers catfish (''Mystus gulio''), a species of brackish water
catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...
that used to be found in this river.
[
This name has been mentioned in ]Sunthorn Phu
Phra Sunthorn Vohara (Phu) ( th, พระสุนทรโวหาร (ภู่), , ; 26 June 1786 – 1855), known as Sunthorn Phu ( th, สุนทรภู่, , ), is Thailand's best-known royal poet. He wrote during the Rattanakosin pe ...
's poem ''Nirat Mueang Klaeng'' (นิราศเมืองแกลง, "journey to Klaeng") since early Rattanakosin period.prawn
Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten.
The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature ...
". Overall, it means "the river full of prawn".
Moreover, this river is known locally in Chachoengsao Province
Chachoengsao ( th, ฉะเชิงเทรา, ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat''), located in eastern Thailand.
History
''Chachoengsao'' or ''Paet Riu'' ('eight stripes') is a province in eastern Thailand. It has a ...
as Jolo River (แม่น้ำโจ้โล้, zh, 左鲈河, pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...
: ''zuǒ lú hé''), from the Teochew name for the barramundi
The barramundi (''Lates calcarifer'') or Asian sea bass, is a species of catadromous fish in the family Latidae of the order Perciformes. The species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific, spanning the waters of the Middle East, South ...
(''Lates calcarifer'') because of the abundance of this species of fish.Wat Pak Nam Jolo
A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」 （w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Pr ...
and Wat Sothonwararam
Wat Sothonwararam is a temple in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand. Located in the Municipality of Mueang Chachoengsao alongside the Bang Pakong River, it was initially named ‘Wat Hong,’ and was built in the late Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or ...
with Wat Saman Rattanaram
A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」 （w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Pr ...
.
Tributaries
*Nakhon Nayok River
The Nakhon Nayok River ( th, แม่น้ำนครนายก, , ) originates in Khao Yai National Park. It flows southwest, passes through Mueang Nakhon Nayok District, Ban Na District, and Ongkharak District of Nakhon Nayok Province. ...
References
Rivers of Thailand
Bay of Bangkok
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