Sathing Phra ( th, สทิงพระ, ) is a district (''
amphoe
An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', th, อำเภอ, )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to countie ...
'') in the northern part of
Songkhla province, southern
Thailand.
Geography
Neighboring districts are (from the south clockwise):
Singhanakhon of Songkhla Province;
Pak Phayun of
Phatthalung province;
Krasae Sin and
Ranot of Songkhla Province. To the east is 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 ...
.
The western part of the district is at the shore of the Thale Luang, the northern part of the
Songkhla Lake.
History
The ancient
port city of ''Satingpra'' was one of the most important trading centres of the
Tambralinga Kingdom. Archaeological digs and investigations conducted toward the end of the 20th century testify to the existence of a fortified
citadel protected by a
moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
and a quadrangular surrounding wall made of brick. A sophisticated system of canals connected the sea to the Songkhla Lake permitting the circulation of ships. The excavations brought to light artifacts of historical and artistic value. The modern district was originally named ''Chathing Phra''. It was renamed ''Sathing Phra'' in 1961.
Administration
The district is divided into 11 sub-districts (''
tambons''), which are further subdivided into 79 villages (''
muban
Muban ( th, หมู่บ้าน; , ) is the lowest administrative sub-division of Thailand. Usually translated as 'village' and sometimes as 'hamlet', they are a subdivision of a tambon (subdistrict). , there were 74,944 administrative mu ...
s''). Sathing Phra is a township (''
thesaban tambon'') which covers parts of ''tambon'' Cha Thing Phra.
References
Districts of Songkhla province
{{Songkhla-geo-stub