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Ratchaburi
Ratchaburi is a western central Thai province on the Mae Klong River plains, about 80 kilometres west of Bangkok, bordering Myanmar along the Tenasserim Hills. It is renowned for Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, one of the most photographed in Southeast Asia, and for the limestone cave temples of the Khao Ngu area.
Ratchaburi covers 5,196 square kilometres and is bordered by Kanchanaburi to the north, Nakhon Pathom to the east, Samut Sakhon and Samut Songkhram to the southeast, Phetchaburi to the south, and Myanmar to the west via the Tenasserim Hills. The Mae Klong River flows through the eastern plains, which are crisscrossed by irrigation canals (khlongs) supplying orchards, rose farms, and vegetable gardens. Ratchaburi is the largest producer of grapes in Thailand and a major centre for ceramic water jars (ong), with dragon-motif pottery a distinctive local product. The Khao Ngu Cave complex near the city contains ancient Buddhist reliefs and images. The province has a population of around 864,000 and hosts a substantial community of Karen and Mon people in its western and southern districts.