Chanthaburi Province

Tuek Dang Fort, built by French troops during the Paknam crisis

The indigenous people of the Chantaburi region are the Chong. The Chong have lived in the area since the Ayutthaya Kingdom, and are thought to have been early inhabitants of Cambodia, possibly pre-dating the Khmer. In Chantaburi Province, the Chong predominantly inhabit the districts of Khao Khitchakut, Pong Nam Ron, and Makham.[6]

After the Paknam crisis in 1893, French colonial troops occupied Chanthaburi, returning it in 1905 when Thailand gave up ownership of the western part of Cambodia. A significant minority of Chanthaburi citizens are native Vietnamese, who came there in three waves: first in the 19th century during anti-Catholic persecutions in Cochin China; a second wave in the 1920s to 1940s fleeing French Indochina; and a third wave after the communist victory in Vietnam in 1975. The town of Chanthaburi has been the seat of a Bishop of Chanthaburi since 1944.

Chanthaburi once used to be an important source of gemstones, especially rubies and sapphires. While the Chantaboon Waterfront Community, was developed over three centuries ago during the reign of King Narai along the banks of the River Mae Nam Chantaburi. It was an essential transportation and trade hub. Over the years, the Chantaboon Waterfront Community had lost its sheen. However, in the recent decade, the locals with the help of Thai officials have contributed to its revival as a major destination for cultural tourism.

Taksin Maharat Bridge, a part of Chaloem Burapha Chonlathit Road, Laem Sing and Tha Mai Districts

While the southern part of the province is on the shore of the Gulf of Thailand and thus is mostly coastal alluvial plains, the interior of the province is mountainous. The Chanthaburi Mountains in the north has the highest elevation in the province, the 1,675 m high Khao Soi Dao Tai peak. The main river of the province is the Chanthaburi River.

Together with the neighboring province, Trat, Chanthaburi is a center of gemstone mining, especially rubies and sapphires.[7] Tropical fruits are also among the main products of the province. In 2000, it produced nearly 380,000 tonnes of durian, which was 45.57 percent of Thailand's durian production, approximately 27 percent of the entire world's production.[8][9]

Within provincial boundaries lie three national parks: Namtok Phlio National Park,[10] Khao Khitchakut National Park,[11] and Khao Sip Ha Chan National Park.[12] The province is also home to the Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Sanctuary.

The provincial seal shows the moon surrounded by an aura. Inside the moon disc is a rabbit, as in Thai folklore the dark areas on the moon (maria) form the shape of a rabbit. The seal symbolizes the peace and tranquility of the province. The moon also refers to the meaning of the province, "City of Moon", from Chantha- (Thai: จันท-, lit. 'moon') and buri (Thai: บุรี, lit. 'city').

The flag of the province also shows the seal in the middle, a white rabbit on a yellow moon disc, on a blue disc. The background of the flag is red, with the name of province in yellow written below the seal.[13]

The provincial tree is Diospyros decandra. The provincial flower is an orchid (Dendrobium friedericksianum).[14] The brackish water fish flagfin prawn goby (Mahidolia mystacina) is the provincial fish.

The provincial slogan is "Magnificent waterfalls, fruit city, good breeding peppercorns, loads of gems, Chanthabun mat, fertile nature, gathering place of King Taksin the Great's Liberation Army".

Health	Education	Employment	Income
52	31	13	21
Housing	Family	Transport	Participation
58	65	14	67
Province Chanthaburi, with an HAI 2017 value of 0.5862 is "average", occupies place 38 in the ranking.

Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using the Human achievement index (HAI), a composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has taken over this task since 2017.[3]

Map with provinces and HAI 2017 rankings

Mu chamuang

• Mu chamuang: a curry is made from pork belly, herbs and sour Chamuang (Garcinia cowa) leaves which is a popular dish of Chanthaburi and other provinces in eastern region.[17]
• Kuaytiew mu liang: stewed pork noodles in Rĕw (Amomum villosum) herbal thicken soup which is unique local food.[18]
• Khanom khuai ling: traditional dessert of Chanthaburi with a long history, its name literally means "monkey's dick snack".[19]
• Kuaytiew sen chan pad pu: a kind of Pad thai that uses Chanthaburi's rice noodles stir-fried with crab meat.[20]

Reports (data) from Thai government are "not copyrightable" (Public Domain), Copyright Act 2537 (1994), section 7.

• Chanthaburi travel guide from Wikivoyage