Trat

The province covers 2,917 km² and is the 15th smallest province by area, yet its coastline and island chains give it outsized tourism significance. Trat borders Chanthaburi to the north-west and Cambodia's Koh Kong and Battambang provinces to the east, with the Cardamom Mountains forming a dramatic natural boundary. The provincial capital, Trat town, is a compact commercial hub used mainly as a transit point for ferry services to the islands. With a registered population of around 230,000, Trat is Thailand's fourth least-populated province, preserving a frontier quietness across much of its mainland. The Mu Ko Chang National Park, gazetted in 1982 as Thailand's 45th national park, protects 52 islands and 650 km² of marine and forest habitat within the province.