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 ...
divides its settlements (''
thesaban
Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system.
The mu ...
'') into three categories by size: cities (''
thesaban nakhon
Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system.
The mu ...
''), towns (''
thesaban mueang
Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system.
The mu ...
'') and townships (or subdistrict municipality) (''
thesaban tambon
Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system.
The mu ...
''). There are 32 cities as of January 2015.
The national capital
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 ...
and the special governed city
Pattaya
Pattaya ( th, พัทยา, , ) is a city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, within, but not part of, Bang Lamung district in the province of Chonburi province, Chonburi. Pattaya City ( ...
fall outside these divisions. They are "self-governing districts".
Several agencies issue population figures. Locally registered Thai populations as compiled by the Department of Local Administration (DLA), also known as, "Locally Registered Thai Population". These figures reflect the migrant, upcountry, and seasonal nature of Thai labor flows to the capital and tourist hot spots, yet maintain upcountry registration. Figures are very different from those by National Statistics Office (NSO), which conduct the decennial census counts that attempt to count total resident Thai population + under 1,000 permanent resident foreigners ("Total Thai Population"). Neither of these offices releases municipal level figures that include non-permanent resident, long stay expatriates and figures for contracted foreign ASEAN migrants (a significant labor segment in cities like Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and Phuket, totaling two to three million workers), though increasingly regularized since 2014. The NSO did release projected figures including regularized ASEAN migrants, i.e., "total resident population" down to the provincial level for 2017.
City-municipality
The table below lists Department of Local Administration (DLA) (local registered Thai) 2020 figures. For the NSO compiled total Thai resident
decennial census municipal count
view here.The cities that are in bold are capitals.
City-Gallery
File:Bangkok Sunset.jpg, 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 ...
File:Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, Thailand.jpg, Pak Kret
Pak Kret ( th, ปากเกร็ด, ) is a city ('' thesaban nakhon'') in Nonthaburi province, Thailand. It lies in the Central Thai plains on the east bank of the lower Chao Phraya River, bordering Bangkok to the east, Mueang Nonthaburi ...
, Nonthaburi
Nonthaburi ( th, นนทบุรี, ) is the principal city of the district and province of the same name in Thailand.
On 15 February 1936, Nonthaburi town municipality (''thesaban mueang'') was established, which only covered Suan Yai ...
, Thailand
File:Pattaya_by_Vikramjit_Kakati.jpg, Pattaya
Pattaya ( th, พัทยา, , ) is a city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, within, but not part of, Bang Lamung district in the province of Chonburi province, Chonburi. Pattaya City ( ...
File:SiRache-CentralSiRacha.jpg, Si Racha District and Chaophraya Surasak, Chon Buri Province
Chonburi (, , ) is a province of Thailand (''changwat'') located in eastern Thailand. Its capital is also named Chonburi. Neighbouring provinces are (clockwise from north) Chachoengsao, Chanthaburi, and Rayong, while the Bay of Bangkok is to ...
, Eastern Thailand
Eastern Thailand is a region of Thailand bordering Cambodia on the east, North-Eastern Thailand, Northeastern Thailand in the north, and central Thailand on the west.
Geography
Eastern Thailand lies between the Sankamphaeng Range, which forms a ...
File:Khon Kaen City from Above.jpg, Khon Kaen
Khon Kaen ( th, ขอนแก่น, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, also known as the "big four of Isan", the others being Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Ubon Ratchathani. It is the capital of Khon Kaen province and ...
File:Chiang Mai City Sky View 2.jpg, Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...
, the largest metropolitan area in the north
File:Skyline of Hat Yai City, June 2012 by.jpg, Hat Yai, the largest metropolitan area in the south
File:Samut Prakarn.jpg, Samut Prakarn, background is Bangkok
File:NakornPathomChedi.jpg, Nakhon Pathom
Nakhon Pathom ( th, นครปฐม, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in central Thailand, the former capital of Nakhon Pathom province. One of the most important landmarks is the giant Phra Pathommachedi. The city is also home to Thailand's ...
, Phra Pathommachedi
Phra Pathommachedi or Phra Pathom Chedi ( th, พระปฐมเจดีย์) is a Buddhist stupa in Thailand. The stupa is located in the Wat Phra Pathommachedi Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan ( th, วัดพระปฐมเจดีย์ ...
in Nakhon Pathom City
File:Pitsanulok, THA.jpg, Pitsanulok
Phitsanulok ( th, พิษณุโลก, ) is an important, historic city in lower northern Thailand and is the capital of Phitsanulok Province. Phitsanulok is home to Naresuan University and Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University, as well as ...
File:Hua Hin beachfront city.jpg, Hua Hin
Hua Hin ( th, หัวหิน, ) is one of eight districts (''amphoe'') of Prachuap Khiri Khan province in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula in Thailand. Its seat of government, also named Hua Hin, is a beach resort town. The district ...
Town-municipality
Department of Local Administration (DLA) figures. The towns in bold characters are capitals.
Township municipalities
There were 2,266 township municipalities as of 20 December 2017.
[ส่วนวิจัยและพัฒนาระบบ รูปแบบและโครงสร้าง สำนักพัฒนาระบบ รูปแบบและโครงสร้าง กรมส่งเสริมการปกครองท้องถิ่น." อนไลน์ เข้าถึงได้จาก]
2557. สืบค้น 6 กุมภาพันธ์ 2558.
References
External links
{{Asia topic, List of cities in
Populated places in Thailand,
Thailand, List of cities in
Cities
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...