Trang River ( th, แม่น้ำตรัง) is one of main rivers of Trang Province apart from

Palian River Palian ( th, ปะเหลียน, ) is a district (''amphoe'') in the southern part of Trang province, Thailand. Geography Neighboring districts are (from the east clockwise) Kong Ra district, Kong Ra, Tamot district, Tamot, and Pa Bon dis ...

. Trang River has two origins, the first one is in

Khao Luang Khao Luang (เขาหลวง) is the tallest mountain in southern Thailand. It is in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. Geography The Khao Luang mountain is the highest summit of a massif of several hills with steep slopes. It is part of the Nakh ...

, a summit of

Nakhon Si Thammarat Range The Nakhon Si Thammarat Range ( th, ทิวเขานครศรีธรรมราช, , ) is a mountain range on the Malay peninsula in southern Thailand, running in a north–south direction. This mountain chain is also sometimes named Ba ...

, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The second one is in Krabi Province, both courses southward and confluence at Banthat Range in Phatthalung Province before flowing into Trang Province. In the province of Trang, it flows through various districts as follows:

Ratsada ''Ratsada 24 Oras'', formerly ''Ratsada'' and ''24 Oras Western Visayas'' is a Philippine television newscast by GMA Iloilo. Originally anchored by Noly Calvo and Jeja Rose Pernan, it premiered on October 4, 1999. The newscast concluded on Novemb ...

, Huai Yot, Wang Wiset, Na Yong,

Kantang Kantang ( th, กันตัง, ) is a district (''amphoe'') in the western part of Trang province, Thailand. History Kantang was the original capital of Trang Province, at first in Khuan Thani, and then from 1893 to 1916 in Kantang itself. As ...

and the south-east of Mueang Trang. The river empties into the

Andaman Sea The Andaman Sea (historically also known as the Burma Sea) is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by the coastlines of Myanmar and Thailand along the Gulf of Martaban and west side of the Malay Peninsula, and separated from ...

at Kantang estuary, Kantang District where the location of Kantang Port, total length is with average width . It has important branches including Khlong Chi (คลองชี), Khlong Tha Pradu (คลองท่าประดู่), Khlong Kapang (คลองกะปาง), Khlong Muan (คลองมวน), Khlong Yang Yuan (คลองยางยวน), Khlong Lam Phu Ra (คลองลำภูรา), Khlong Nang Noi (คลองนางน้อย), and Khlong Sawang (คลองสว่าง). Trang River basin is a narrow area therefore a few suitable area for

rice farming Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly '' Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domestica ...

. In addition, there are often regular floods between October to December each year. Trang River has a wide variety of aquatic life, the most common fish include

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, ...

especially '' Hemibagrus filamentus'' and '' H. nemurus''. A rare species '' Anguilla bicolor bicolor'' that is hard to find elsewhere, found easily in this river. These

freshwater eel The Anguillidae are a family of ray-finned fish that contains the freshwater eels. Eighteen of the 19 extant species and six subspecies in this family are in the genus ''Anguilla''. They are elongated fish with snake-like bodies, their long dorsa ...

s migrate from the sea to the fresh water in the river to support themselves until they are mature. They can be used to cook a wide variety of dishes and has been popular with Trang people for a long time. Moreover, on May 18, 2021, a long female

bull shark The bull shark (''Carcharhinus leucas''), also known as the Zambezi shark (informally zambi) in Africa and Lake Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a species of requiem shark commonly found worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in riv ...

was caught at this river in Mueang Trang District. Historically, the river has been associated with local history for thousands of years. Trang River in the past was believed to have a higher water level and used to be wide. It was the main thoroughfare from the Andaman coast to Thung Song in Nakhon Si Thammarat and can also continue to the

Tapee River The Tapi (or Tapee) river ( th, แม่น้ำตาปี, , ) is the longest river in southern Thailand. The river originates at Khao Luang mountain in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, and empties into the Gulf of Thailand at Bandon Bay near ...

, a route that leads to

Bandon Bay Bandon Bay ( th, อ่าวบ้านดอน, , ) is a bay in the Gulf of Thailand in Surat Thani Province, extending from the Sui cape in Chaiya District in the northwest to Kanchanadit District to the east. The total coastline is about ...

on 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 ...

as well. These are believed to be conditions that existed more than 1,300 years ago. There is theory on the origin of the name "Trang". According to the theory claims the name derives from a

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

word ''Tarangque'' ("dawn", "morning"), it is possible that the Malay merchants who came to trade with

Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...

or other empires at that time sailed along the river and arrived here at the time of dawn. And that made Trang as the main

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...

on the Andaman coast in ancient times. Trang River in the area of Mueang Trang District known as ''Khlong Tha Chin'' or ''Tha Chin River'' (คลองท่าจีน, แม่น้ำท่าจีน; "river of Chinese piers"). It is not related to

Tha Chin River 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 ...

in central region in any way, though the two names share a similar-sounding root. Because the sub-districts where the river passes, such as Bang Rak, Thap Thiang are settlement to the

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

as well as the Tha Chin River in the central region.

Notes

References

* {{coord, 7.702972, 99.556492, type:landmark_region:TH_dim:2000, display=title Rivers of Thailand Geography of Trang province