Sathing Phra ( th, สทิงพระ, ) is a district ('' amphoe'') in the northern part of Songkhla province, southern

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 b ...

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 western part of the district is at the shore of the Thale Luang, the northern part of the

Songkhla Lake Songkhla Lake ( th, ทะเลสาบสงขลา, , ) is the largest natural lake in Thailand. It is on the Malay peninsula in the southern part of the country. Covering an area of 1,040 km2 it borders the provinces of Songkhla and Pha ...

History

The ancient

port city 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 Ha ...

of ''Satingpra'' was one of the most important trading centres of the

Tambralinga Tambralinga ( sa, Tāmbraliṅga) was an Indianised kingdom located on the Malay Peninsula, existing at least from the 10th to 13th century. It was under the influence of Srivijaya for some time, but later became independent from it. The name ha ...

Kingdom. Archaeological digs and investigations conducted toward the end of the 20th century testify to the existence of a fortified

citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. I ...

protected by a moat 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 (''

tambon ''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district ('' amphoe'') and province ('' changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 '' khwaen ...

s''), which are further subdivided into 79 villages ('' mubans''). Sathing Phra is a township (''

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 ...

'') which covers parts of ''tambon'' Cha Thing Phra.

References

Districts of Songkhla province {{Songkhla-geo-stub