Chonburi Province

The word chon originates from the Sanskrit word जल; jala meaning 'water', and the word buri from Sanskrit पुरि; puri meaning 'town' or 'city', hence the name of the province means 'city of water'.

Chonburi has been recognized since the Dvaravati Period and during the reigns of the Khmer Empire and the Sukhothai Kingdom. Chonburi was initially only a small agricultural town and fishing community, but during the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1350-1767), Chonburi was classified as a commodore class city. On the Triphum map, it appeared along with more major towns such as Bangsai (บางทราย; now a sub-district of Chonburi), Bangplasoi (บางปลาสร้อย; now a downtown area in Chonburi), Bangphrarua (บางพระเรือ; now a sub-district of Si Racha), and Banglamung (บางละมุง; now a district of Chonburi). Although it was a small town, it enriched the natural resources both on land and at sea. Moreover, those in Chonburi contacted the Chinese sailors, who came to trade with Siam.

The provincial seal shows the hill Khao Sam Muk, on which there is a sala with a statue of the goddess Chao Mae Sahm Muk, who, it is believed, protects seafarers and the local population.[6]

The provincial tree and flower is the New Guinea rosewood (Pterocarpus indicus, called Mai Pradu in Thai).

The provincial motto is "Beautiful beaches, delicious khao lam, sweet sugar cane, delicate basketry products, and buffalo racing."[7]

The province is on the Bay of Bangkok, the northern end of the Gulf of Thailand. The Khao Khiao mountain range stretches from the northwest to the southeast of the province. The plains of the north were long used for farming. Laem Chabang, between Chonburi and Pattaya, is one of the few deep-water harbours of Thailand.

The provincial permanent legal population rose at nearly four per cent annually, from 1,040,865 in 2000 to 1,554,365 in 2010.[5] There is a large floating population of long-term non-Thai residents without permanent status, on a perpetual tourist visa and/or migrant workers (legal or not), as well as heavy, short-term tourist influxes.

Many hospitals exist in Chonburi, both public and private. Chonburi has one university hospital, Burapha University Hospital. Its main hospital operated by the Ministry of Public Health is Chonburi Hospital. Hospitals operated by other organisations, such as the Thai Red Cross Society's Queen Savang Vadhana Memorial Hospital and the Queen Sirikit Naval Hospital run by the Royal Thai Navy, are also found in the province.

Health	Education	Employment	Income
34	2	2	7
Housing	Family	Transport	Participation
74	18	5	72
Province Chonburi, with an HAI 2017 value of 0.6613 is "high", occupies place 6 in the ranking.

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

Map with provinces and HAI 2017 rankings

Some nine million visitors to the province were recorded in 2012, of which 6.1 million were from abroad, 2.2 million of these being Russian.[11]

One major tourist attraction is the Chonburi Buffalo Race (งานประเพณีวิ่งควาย), which takes place in the districts of Ban Bueng and Nong Yai. The animals are dressed outrageously or creatively by owners. Assembled in the courtyard in front of the town hall, the buffaloes partake in racing or physical fitness and fashion contests. The Chonburi Buffalo Race festival started over 100 years ago.[12] Usually, the races will be complemented with booths selling locally-made items, stage performances, games, and beauty contests.[13] The annual Buffalo Race is held around the 11th lunar month, normally in October. It takes seven days and takes place on the field in front of the city and provincial government offices. The highlight of the festival is the buffalo race, which takes place on the last two days. This race is 100 metres (110 yd) long. The prize for the first nose past the finish line is a trophy and some money.[14]

Songkran day in Bangsaen (Ko Phra Sai Wan Lai Bangsaen) is a tradition that has been held continuously for over ten years at Bang Saen Beach and Laem Thaen. The event takes place between April 16–17 of each year. The highlight of this event is a contest in which the contestants build a sand Buddha at Bangsaen Beach. In each Buddha sand arch is a decoration. The combination of the sea atmosphere and Thai decorations has helped this become one of the most popular Songkran festivals in Thailand. Other activities also take place, such as meriting alms to monks, bathing Buddha images, pouring water on the elders, traditional sporting events, sea boxing competitions, and oyster sheep competitions. Seafood and local food are often sold, along with other local products as part of One Tambon One Product (OTOP). Well-known artists have also given concerts at the event.

• Chonburi F.C.
• Sriracha F.C.
• Pattaya United F.C.
• Supreme Chonburi VC

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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chonburi Province.

• Chonburi travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Provincial administration (Thai)