Ban Pong District

"Ban Pong" redirects here. For the district capital, see Ban Pong, Ratchaburi. For other similarly named places, see Ban Pong (disambiguation).
Ban Pong
บ้านโป่ง
District (Amphoe)

Lakeside restaurants at sunset. Bueng, Nong Kop, Ban Pong District

District location in Ratchaburi Province
Coordinates: 13°48′51″N 99°52′16″E / 13.81417°N 99.87111°E / 13.81417; 99.87111Coordinates: 13°48′51″N 99°52′16″E / 13.81417°N 99.87111°E / 13.81417; 99.87111
Country Thailand
Province Ratchaburi
Area
 • Total 366.6 km2 (141.5 sq mi)
Population (2543)
 • Total 157,689
 • Density 430.1/km2 (1,114/sq mi)
Time zone ICT (UTC+7)
Postal code 70110
Geocode 7005

Ban Pong (Thai: บ้านโป่ง, pronounced [bâːn pòːŋ]) is a district (amphoe) of Ratchaburi Province, Thailand. It is in the northeast of the province.[1]

Geography

Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) Tha Muang and Tha Maka of Kanchanaburi Province, Kamphaeng Saen and Mueang Nakhon Pathom of Nakhon Pathom Province, and Photharam of Ratchaburi Province.

Ban Pong District is hilly in the very western part of the district, while the eastern part is flooded plain with the Mae Klong River running through the city centre, connecting the city to the Gulf of Thailand.

History

See also: Ban Pong (town)

Mon people settled in the Ban Pong area about four centuries ago. The Mon communities have maintained some of their traditions and have built their own Buddhist temples[2] Later the town attracted a great number of Chinese immigrants as well. Also many Lao Wiang communities settled in the Nong Kop sub-district of rural Ban Pong.[3]

During the construction of the Burma Railway in World War II Ban Pong was the site of one of the POW camps, Nong Pladuk Camp.[4]

Ban Pong town experienced two great fires which razed the town centre, one in 1936 and the other in 1954. The town was rebuilt in the square-grid design then fashionable, with a fountain to the south and a clock tower to the north.

Economy

Ban Pong is a railway hub, where the western railway leading to Kanchanaburi (and further to Nam Tok) splits from the southern railway leading to Singapore. Another branch connects with the town Suphanburi to the north.

As a result of high investment and fast economic development in the past decades, The town stands as one with the highest GDP per capita in western Thailand, well above national average. It is also experiencing de-industrialisation of labour-intensive industries such as canning and sugar refining. There is a large abandoned canning factory in Ban Pong town. The town is now experiencing a boom in more highly skilled industries such as auto parts, petrochemical, and food industries, with more than 70 percent of Thai buses and coaches manufactured in Ban Pong. There is the biggest paper making complex in Thailand north of the town.

As of June 2014, the National Statistics Bureau reported Ban Pong's annual GDP per capita (nominal) at US$9,623 and its annual GDP per capita (PPP) at US$24,000 compared with Thailand's US$5,675 and US$14,136 respectively.

Sights

West of the town Ban Pong is Wat Muang, a local centre of the Mon community. There is also a large Roman Catholic church building and a large Buddhist temple.

Administration

The district is divided into 15 sub-districts (tambon), which are further subdivided into 182 villages (muban). Ban Pong itself is a town (thesaban mueang) which encompasses tambon Ban Pong. Another town in the district is Tha Pha (Thai: เทศบาลเมืองท่าผา) whose administrative area covers the entire sub-district Tha Pha and parts of Pak Raet.

There are a further four townships (thesaban tambon) including:

1.Krachap (Thai: เทศบาลตำบลกระจับ) covers parts of Nong O and Don Krabueang

2.Huai Krabok (Thai: เทศบาลตำบลห้วยกระบอก) covers parts of Krap Yai

3.Krub Yai (Thai: เทศบาลตำบลกรับใหญ่)

4. Boek Phrai (Thai: เทศบาลตำบลเบิกไพร)

and 14 other tambon administrative organizations (TAO) responsible for the non-municipal areas.

No. Name Thai name     
1.Ban Pongบ้านโป่ง 9.Nakhon Chumนครชุมน์
2.Tha Phaท่าผา 10.Ban Muangบ้านม่วง
3.Krap Yaiกรับใหญ่ 11.Khung Phayom คุ้งพยอม
4.Pak Raetปากแรต 12.Nong Pla Moหนองปลาหมอ 
5.Nong Kopหนองกบ 13.Khao Khlungเขาขลุง
6.Nong Oหนองอ้อ 14.Boek Phraiเบิกไพร
7.Don Krabueang ดอนกระเบื้อง  15.Lat Bua Khaoลาดบัวขาว
8.Suan Kluaiสวนกล้วย

Transport

Railway

Ban Pong Railway Station is the main railway station in the district, in Ban Pong Town. There are three other railway stations in the district:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ban Pong". Mapcarta. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Wat's the centre of Mon tradition - Bangkok Post
  3. ↑ A Study of Language and Culture of Lao-Wiang in Nong Kop Subdistrict, Ban Pong District, Ratchaburi Province
  4. ↑ บ้านโป่ง และสถานีรถไฟบ้านโป่ง (Ban Pong Railway Station)

External links

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