Chumphon ( th, ชุมพร, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of the Chumphon Province and Mueang Chumphon District. The city is about 463 kilometers (288 miles) from Bangkok. As of 2005 it had a population of 33,522. The town covers the commune ('' tambon'') Tha Taphao completely and parts of ''tambons'' Bang Mak, Wang Phai, Na Thung, Tak Daet, and Khun Krathing. Its main economic activity is agriculture.

History

Chumphon volunteers fought invading Japanese during World War II. Chumphon became a rail hub for Imperial Japan. It was a station on the Southern Line and connected to the short-lived Kra Isthmus Railway.Journal of Kyoto Seika University
No. 27, Part IX

Geography

Chumphon lies just inland from the west coast of 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 ...

. To the west are the northern hills of the Phuket Range, a subrange of the Tenasserim Hills. These hills reach in the area near Chumphon. There are also many smaller peaks in the area in the range of to high.

Climate

Chumphon has a tropical monsoon climate ( Köppen climate classification ''Am'') just falling short of a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen ''Af''). Temperatures are hot throughout the year. The period from December to April has relatively less rainfall than from May to November, when rainfall can be very heavy, particularly in October and November.

Transport

*Bus: There is a small bus system within the city itself. Trains and buses run to and from Bangkok every day. *Road: The main road through Chumphon is Thailand Highway 4, also known as Phetkasem Road, leading north to Bangkok, and south to

Ranong Ranong ( th, ระนองPronunciation) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of the Ranong Province and the Mueang Ranong District. The town covers completely the area of the ''tambon'' Khao Niwet (เขานิเ� ...

, Phang Nga, Krabi,

Trang Trang may refer to: Places * Trang province, Thailand ** Trang, Thailand, capital city of Trang province ** Trang Airport ** Trang railway station **Trang River *Trang, a sub-district of Mayo district, Pattani province, Thailand *Trang (commune), ...

Phatthalung Phatthalung (, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of Phatthalung Province. The town covers ''tambon ''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district ('' amphoe'') and prov ...

, and the border with Malaysia near Sadao. *Rail: The

Chumphon railway station Chumphon railway station is a railway station in Tha Taphao Subdistrict, Chumphon City, and is the main railway station for Chumphon Province. It is a class 1 railway station, from Thon Buri railway station. It is the first fueling station fro ...

is on the Southern Line of the

State Railway of Thailand The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) ( th, การรถไฟแห่งประเทศไทย, abbrev. รฟท., ) is the state-owned rail operator under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport in Thailand. History The SRT was ...

. Trains also stop at

Pathio railway station Pathio railway station is a railway station in Thale Sap Sub-district, Pathio District, Chumphon, Thailand. It is a class 2 railway station, south of Thon Buri railway station Thon Buri railway station ( th, สถานีรถไฟธน ...

in Chumphon Province. *Air: The city's airport,

Chumphon Airport Chumphon Airport , ( th, ท่าอากาศยานชุมพร), is an airport in Tambon Chum Kho, Pathio District, Chumphon Chumphon ( th, ชุมพร, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of the ...

(IATA: CJM, ICAO: VTSE) is 30 km north in

Pathio Pathio ( th, ปะทิว, ) is a district (''amphoe'') in the northern part of Chumphon province, southern Thailand. The province's main airport, Chumphon Airport is in Pathio. Pathio has alternate English spellings, Pathiu and Pathiew. Ge ...

District. The airport has daily flights to Bangkok. : Nok Air and Thai AirAsia operate multiple daily flights between Bangkok ( Don Mueang, DMK) and

. The airport is a hub and regional gateway providing connecting services to Chumphon city and high speed ferry services to the islands of the

including

Ko Tao Ko Tao ( th, เกาะเต่า, , ) is an island in Thailand and is part of the Chumphon Archipelago on the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand. It covers an area of about 21 km2 (8 sq mi). Administratively it is a subdistrict ('' ...

and Ko Samui.

Popular culture

* In the science fiction novel, ''

The Chronoliths ''The Chronoliths'' is a 2001 science fiction novel by American-Canadian writer Robert Charles Wilson. It was nominated for the 2002 Hugo Award for Best Novel and tied for the 2002 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel ...

'', Chumphon is the landing site of the first chronolith.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Populated places in Chumphon province Cities and towns in Thailand