Located
approximately 814 kilometers from Bangkok is Krabi Province, one
of most attractive destinations in southern Thailand.
Encompassing an area of 4,708 square kilometers, the western
border of Krabi is the Andaman Sea, the northern borders are
Surat Thani and Phang-nga Provinces, the southern borders are
Trang Province and the Andaman Sea and the eastern borders are
Nakhon Si Thammarat and Trang Provinces. Krabi is an ideal
getaway destination teeming with natural attractions including
white sandy beaches, fascinating coral reefs, numerous large and
small islands and verdant forests with caves and waterfalls.
Krabi's topography is mostly mountains and highlands
separated by plains in some parts. Flowing through Krabi City to
the Andaman Sea at Pak Nam Sub-district is Maenam Krabi which is
5 kilometers in length. In addition, there are several canals
originating from the province's highest mountain range, Khao
Phanom Bencha including Khlong Pakasai, Khlong Krabi Yai and
Khlong Krabi Noi. Lush mangrove forests line the canals and the
banks of Maenam Krabi particularly before it empties into the
Andaman Sea. The provinces sandy soil conditions are suitable
for growing various agricultural products, particularly rubber
trees, palms, coconuts, cashew nuts and coffee.
Due
to the influence of the tropical monsoon, there are only two
seasons in Krabi; the hot season from January to April and the
rainy season from May to December. Temperatures range between 17
C and 37 C.
Krabi is administratively divided into 8 Amphoes (Districts):
Amphoe Mueang, Khao Phanom, Khlong Thom, Plai Phraya, Ko Lanta,
Ao Luek, Lam Thap, and Nuea Khlong. The provinces jurisdiction
covers not only in-land districts and sub-districts, but also
extends to more than 130 large and small islands including the
world famous Phi Phi Islands.
In addition, Krabi is the location of two world class beaches
Ao Nang and Hat Rai Le which offer numerous diving trips,
restaurants, shops etc. Additional attractions in the province
are stunning limestone cliffs and rock formations which make it
a heaven for rock climbers and a National Park located
approximately 40 kilometers outside of town with lakes, caves
and spectacular natural scenery.
History of Krabi
Some archeologists claim that Krabi City is one of the older
settlements in the country as there is archaeological evidence
indicating that this area had been home to homosapiens during
the prehistoric times or between 25,000 - 35,000 B. C. The
assumption has been strongly supported by the discovery of stone
tools, ancient colored pictures, beads, pottery and skeletal
remains in the provinces cliffs and caves.
In 1200 A.D., the area was known as Ban Thai Samo, one of 12
royal cities that had a monkey as the town symbol. During this
period of time, Krabi was under the rule of the Kingdom of Ligor,
a city better known today as Nakhon Si Thammarat.
During the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910), the community
was known as Pakasai Sub-county and remained under the direct
jurisdiction of Nakhon Si Thammarat province.
Around 1872, King Rama V elevated Pakasai Sub-county to Krabi
Province with the provincial administration office situated at
Krabi-yai Sub-county (currently, the office is located near the
estuary at Pak Nam Sub-district) and in 1875, ordered the
separation of Krabi Province from Nakhon Si Thammarat Province.
During the present reign, the corps of civil servants,
merchants, and the people of Krabi and nearby provinces have
collectively organized the construction of a royal residence at
Laem Hang Nak Cape which is thirty kilometers west of Krabi Town
on the Andaman coast to be presented to His Majesty the King.
Origin of the name Krabi
There
are two legends concerning the origin of the name "Krabi". The
first is that villagers presented a large ancient sword (or
krabi) that was discovered by chance to the governor. Later when
a smaller, on discovering a smaller one, it was also presented
to the governor. Regarded as sacred and auspicious, the governor
decided to keep them in the province. As the process for the
establishment of the province was still in progress, the swords
were placed crossing each other in Khao Khanap Nam cave. Since
then, the crossed swords have remained a part of the provincial
seal.
The second legend is that "Krabi" was derived from the name
of a local tree known as "Lumphi". The Malay and Chinese
merchants mispronunciation of the name to "Ka-lu-bi" or "Kho-lo-bi"
finally resulted in "Krabi" (or sword).
Distances from Amphoe Mueang
(Town) to Neighboring Districts
Ao Luek 43 kms.
Plai Phraya 66 kms.
Khao Phanom 39 kms.
Khlong Thom 42 kms.
Ko Lanta 103 kms.
Lam Thap 67 kms.
Nuea Khlong17 kms.
