Nakhon Si Thammarat

The province covers approximately 9,942 square kilometres and is dominated by the Nakhon Si Thammarat mountain range running north to south through its interior, culminating in Khao Luang at 1,835 metres — the highest peak in southern Thailand. The eastern lowlands border the Gulf of Thailand with a long sandy coastline, while the protected forests of Khao Luang National Park shelter rare wildlife including clouded leopards and Malayan tapirs. Nakhon Si Thammarat city is home to Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, which enshrines a Sri Lankan-style chedi and is one of the most revered Buddhist temples in the south. The province is the birthplace of the Nora (Manora) classical dance drama, now inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. With a population of around 1.5 million, the provincial economy is based on rubber, palm oil, fisheries and a growing cultural-tourism sector.