A ''khlong'' ( th, คลอง, ), alternatively spelt as ''klong'' () commonly refers to a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

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 ...

. These canals are spawned by the rivers

Chao Phraya The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Et ...

Tha Chin The Tha Chin river ( th, แม่น้ำท่าจีน, , ) is a distributary of the Chao Phraya river, Thailand. It splits near the province of Chai Nat and then flows west from the Chao Phraya through the central plains, until it empt ...

, and

Mae Klong The Mae Klong (, , ), sometimes spelled Mae Khlong or Meklong, is a river in western Thailand. The river begins at the confluence of the Khwae Noi (Khwae Sai Yok) and the Khwae Yai River (Khwae Si Sawat) in Kanchanaburi, it passes Ratchaburi ...

, along with their tributaries particularly in the low-lying areas of

central Thailand Central Thailand (Central plain) or more specifically Siam (also known as Suvarnabhumi and 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 Thai word ''khlong'' is not limited to artificial canals. Many smaller rivers are referred to as "''khlong''" followed by the name of the stream.

Khlongs in Bangkok

there are 1,682 canals in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

, totalling 2,604 kilometres in length. Nine canals are primary flood drainage conduits. In years past, the Thai capital was crisscrossed by khlongs, and so gained the nickname "

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

of the East". Khlongs were used for transportation, for floating markets, but also for

sewage Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from residenc ...

disposal. Today, most of the khlongs of Bangkok have been filled in, although the

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which is ...

side of Bangkok (covering areas west of the Chao Phraya River) still retains several of its larger khlongs.

Khlong Saen Saep Khlong Saen Saep (, ) is a canal ''(khlong)'' in central Thailand, connecting the Chao Phraya River to Prachinburi Province and Chachoengsao Province, Chachoengsao. A portion of the canal is used for public transport by an express boat service in ...

in central Bangkok is a significant thoroughfare in traffic-congested Bangkok's

public transportation Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

network.

Floating markets

Traditional floating markets now exist mainly as tourist attractions. The best-known is the Damnoen Saduak floating market in Ratchaburi Province.

References

* {{Thailand-geo-stub