Narathiwat

Narathiwat province covers 4,475 square kilometres, of which about 75 percent is jungle and mountains, giving it some of the most intact lowland forest remaining on the Thai portion of the Malay Peninsula. The provincial capital, also called Narathiwat, is a riverside town at the mouth of the Bang Nara River with colourful fishing boats (korlae) that are themselves a recognised folk-art tradition, their prow decorations painted in vivid geometric patterns unique to the region. The historic wooden palace of Thaksin Ratchaniwet, set on a hilltop overlooking pine-fringed Ao Manao beach, was built for King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) and is still used by the royal family. Narathiwat is approximately 1,140 kilometres south of Bangkok and is served by its own airport with connections to the capital. The economy is rooted in rubber, fishing, rice cultivation and small-scale cross-border trade with Malaysia through the Sungai Kolok border crossing in the province's southeast.