GEOGREPHICAL LOCATION OF BODY OF WATER IN THAILAND

The Chao Phraya is a major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming
the center of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand.

The Mekong is a trans-boundary river in Southeast Asia. It is the world's 12th-

longest river [2]
and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is 4,350 km (2,703 mi),[2] and it drains
an area of 795,000 km2 (307,000 sq. mi), discharging 457 km3 (110 cu mi) of water annually.

From the Tibetan Plateau this river runs

through China's Yunnanprovince, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. In 1995, Laos,
Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam established the Mekong River Commission to assist in the
management and coordinated use of the Mekong's resources. In 1996 China and Burma (Myanmar)
became "dialogue partners" of the MRC and the six countries now work together within a
cooperative framework.

The extreme seasonal variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls in this river have
made navigation difficult. The river is a major trading route linking China’s southwestern province of
Yunnan to Laos, Burma (Myanmar) and Thailand to the south, an important trade route between
western China and Southeast Asia.

The Songkhla lake is the largest natural lake in Thailand, located on the Malay
peninsula in the southern part of the country. Covering an area of 1,040 km² it borders the provinces
of Songkhla and Phatthalung. Despite being called a lake, this water surface is actually a lagoon
complex geologically.
The lake is divided into three distinct parts. The southern part opens by a 380 m wide strait to
the Gulf of Thailand at the city of Songkhla, and contains brackish water of about half the salinity of
the ocean. Further north after a bottleneck of only 6 km width is the Thale Luang (782.80 km²), and
finally at the northern end in between a mangrove swamp the 28 km² small Thale Noi in Phatthalung
Province. The most striking feature is the long 75 km long spit which separates the lake from the
sea. Unlike most spits, it is probably formed when originally existing islands became interconnected
by the silting from the lake precursor.

The Mae Klong sometimes spelled Mae Khlong or Meklong, is a river in

western Thailand. The river begins at the confluence of the Khwae Noi or Khwae Sai Yok and
the Khwae Yai River or Khwae Si Sawat in Kanchanaburi, passes Ratchaburi Province and empties
into the Gulf of Thailand in Samut Songkhram.

In the 1960s the upper stretch of the river until the town of Kanchanaburi was renamed to Khwae Yai
(big tributary), as the famous fictional Bridge on the River Kwai spanned the Mae Klong and not the
Khwae (Kwai) river. However the actual origin of the river is in the Tenasserim Hills, around
the Khuean Srinagarindra National Park area in the north of Kanchanaburi Province.

Note that an early portion of Khwae Yai River in Amphoe Umphang, Tak Province is also
called Klong River. It becomes known as Khwae Yai River when it flows into Kanchanaburi
Province.

It feeds the giant Umphang Thee Lor Sue Waterfall in its upper reaches.

Giant freshwater stingrays are often caught in the Mae Klong River.

The Mun River sometimes spelled Moon River, is a tributary of the Mekong river.
It carries approximately 26 cubic kilometers (6.2 cu mi) of water per year.
 The Khwae Yai River is a river in western Thailand. It has its source in
the Tenasserim Hills and flows for about 380 kilometers (240 mi) through Sangkhla Buri, Si Sawat,
and Mueang Districts of Kanchanaburi Province, where it merges with the Khwae Noi to form the
Mae Klong River at Pak Phraek subdistrict.

The famous bridge of the Burma Railway crosses the river at Tha Makham Subdistrict of the
Mueang District. However, this is not the same bridge as depicted in The Bridge over the River
Kwai by Pierre Boulle and in its film adaptation. A bridge was built of wood approximately 100
metres (330 ft.) upriver from the current bridge, during the construction of the iron and concrete
bridge and also rebuilt in 1945 when the iron bridge was bombed. No remnants of the wooden
bridge remain. That wooden bridge was also not the bridge depicted in the film as the river was not
called the Kwai Yai at that time. A wooden trestle bridge was built over the Kwai Noi many miles
upstream in the jungle and it would more closely resemble the bridge in the film. However, the film is
really a fictional depiction of the events with many inaccuracies and neither bridge can really be said
to be that depicted in the film.

Up until the 1960s, the river was considered part of the Mae Klong itself, but this part of the Mae
Klong was then renamed Khwae Yai to bring geographical fact more in line with the fictional
association with the name River Kwai.

The River Kwai, more correctly Khwae Noi is a river in western Thailand. It rises
to the east of the Salween in the north-south spine of the Bilauktaung range near, but not over the
border with Burma.[1] It begins at the confluence of Ranti, Songkalia and Bikhli Rivers. At
Kanchanaburi it merges with the Khwae Yai River to form the Mae Klong river, which empties into
the Gulf of Thailand at Samut Songkhram.

The river is chiefly known for its association with the Pierre Boulle novel and David Lean film The
Bridge on the River Kwai, in which Australian, Dutch and British prisoners of war were forced by
the Japanese to construct two parallel bridges spanning a river as part of the Burma Railway, also
called the Railway of Death, for the many lives lost in its construction. One bridge was wooden and
temporary. The other was made of concrete and steel and still exists. The bridges actually spanned
the Mae Klong, but as the railway subsequently follows the Khwae Noi Valley, the bridges became
famous under the wrong name. In the 1960s, the upper part of the Mae Klong was renamed
the Khwae Yai (big tributary").

The Pran Buri River is a river in the Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand, on
the Kra Isthmus of the Malay Peninsula. The Pran Buri River originates in southern part of the Kaeng
Krachan National Park in the Tenasserim Hills and after 130 kilometers (81 mi) empties into the Gulf
of Thailand. The only town along the river course is Pranburi, the center of the Pran Buri district. The
watershed of the Pran Buri River has an area of about 2,000 square kilometres (770 sq. mi).

The Pran Buri dam was built in 1978, to protect the lowland against flooding and well as to have a
steady water flow for irrigation use. The 42-metre (138 ft.) high and 1,500-metre (4,900 ft.) wide
earthen dam creates an artificial lake, which covers 35.2 square kilometres (13.6 sq. mi) and has a
capacity of 445 million cubic metres (361,000 acre·ft).

At the estuary of the river to the Gulf of Thailand is the Pran Buri Forest Park, covering 3.17 square
kilometres (1.22 sq. mi) of mixed forest and mangrove forest. It was created in 1982.

The Ping River along with the Nan River, is one of the two main contributaries
of Chao Phraya River.[2] It originates at Doi Thuai, Daen Lao Range, in Chiang Dao district, Chiang
Mai Province. After passing Chiang Mai town, it flows though the provinces Lamphun, Tak,
and Kamphaeng Phet. At the confluence with the Nan River at Nakhon Sawan (also named Paknam
Pho in Thai) it forms the Chao Phraya River.
 The Bang Pakong is a river in east Thailand. The river originates at the
confluence of the Nakhon Nayok River and the Prachinburi River at Pak Nam Yothaka in Amphoe
Ban Sang, Prachinburi Province. It empties into the Gulf of Thailand in the northeastern tip of
the Bay of Bangkok. The watershed of the Bang Pa Kong is about 17,000 square kilometres
(6,600 sq. mi). It also powers a big power station near the mouth; near highway 7.

To protect the Irrawaddy dolphins many fishermen on the Bang Pakong River have been persuaded
by authorities to stop shrimp fishing in a certain area and 30 to 40 fishing boats have been modified
so they can offer dolphin sightseeing tours.

The Nan River is a river in Thailand. It is one of the most important tributaries of
the Chao Phraya River

The Salween literally "Angry River" in Chinese —the river is actually named after
the Nu people living in the area, but Chinese having no phonetic script had to use a character with a
similar sound as Nu which happens to be the character for rage;[2] Shan and Thai Mae Nam
Salawin is a river, about 2,815 kilometres (1,749 mi) long, that flows from the Tibetan Plateau into
the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia. It drains a narrow and mountainous watershed of 324,000
square kilometres (125,000 sq. mi) that extends into the countries of China, Burma and Thailand.
Steep canyon walls line the swift, powerful and undammed Salween, one of the longest free-flowing
rivers in the world.[3][4] Its extensive drainage basin supports a biodiversity comparable with
the Mekong and is home to about 7 million people. In 2003, key parts of the mid-region watershed of
the river were included within the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas, a UNESCO
World Heritage Site.[5]
The people who live on the Salween are relatively isolated from the rest of the world. The river is
only navigable up to 90 kilometres (56 mi) from the mouth, and only in the rainy season.

The Burma Road was constructed between 1937 and 1938 during the Second Sino-Japanese
War and crossed the river at the Huitong Bridge. The Huitong Bridge was blown by the retreating
Chinese army and the river became the frontline from 1942 to 1944. The Salween Campaign
of World War II, was launched in order to liberate occupied China and open the Burma Road again
and connect it to the Ledo Road.

Logging began on the mountains surrounding the Salween in the late 20th century, and has
damaged the river's ecology. In recent years, there have been a number of proposals to dam the
Salween River in China, prompting environmental concerns and wide opposition.[3] Construction of at
least one dam on a tributary of the Salween is currently underway in China's Yunnan province, and
more are expected to follow.

The Pai River originates in the mountains of the Daen Lao Range, Pai
District, Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand. The river flows first in a north-south direction and then in
an east-west direction down to Mueang Mae Hong Son District and across the Thai/Burmese border.
The river tributes the Salween River in Kayah State, Burma. It is 180 kilometres (110 mi) long.

Pai River is popular for whitewater rafting.[1] Rapids on the river vary from class I to class V on
the International Scale of River Difficulty and everything in between. The Pai River offers a scenic
view of mountain forest and many choose to camp along the quiet river banks.

The Tapi (or Tapee) river is the longest river in southern Thailand. The river
originates at the Khao Luang mountain in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, and has a
wide estuary into the Gulf of Thailand at Bandon Bay near the town of Surat Thani. It has a length of
230 kilometres (140 mi).

The river drains an area of 5,460 square kilometres (2,110 sq. mi) and in 1997 had a yearly
discharge of 135.4 cubic metres per second (4,780 cu ft./s) or 4.3 cubic kilometres
(3,500,000 acre·ft) per year. The Phum Duang River (or Khiri Rat River), which drains another 6,125
square kilometres (2,365 sq. mi) west of the Tapi watershed, joins the estuary 15 kilometres (9 mi)
west of Surat Thani in Amphoe Phunphin.

The river was named on July 29, 1915, after the river Tapi in India, shortly after the town of Surat
Thani was named after the town Surat.

The island of Ko Lamphu is in the Tapi River, about 9 kilometres (6 mi) from its mouth, right by the
Surat Thani town center.[1]

In 1975, an area of 29.6 square kilometres (11.4 sq. mi) of swamp land on the east bank of the river
in the district Khian Sa was declared the Nong Thung Thong non-hunting area.

The Yom River is the main tributary of the Nan River (which itself is a tributary of
the Chao Phraya River). The Yom River has its source in the Phi Pan Nam Range in Pong
district, Phayao Province, Thailand. Leaving Phayao, it flows through Phrae and Sukhothai as the
main water resource of both provinces before it joins the Nan River at Chum Saeng district, Nakhon
Sawan Province.

The Cheow Lan Lake or Rajjaprabha Dam Reservoir is located in Khao Sok
National Park in Surat Thani Province, Thailand. It is a 165-square-kilometre (64 sq. mi) artificial
lake, created in 1982 by the construction of Rajjaprapha Dam by the Electricity Generating Authority
of Thailand as a source of electricity.
 The Tha Chin river is a distributary of the Chao Phraya river, Thailand. It splits near
the province of Chainat and then flows westerly from the Chao Phraya through the central plains,
until it mouths into the Gulf of Thailand at the province of Samut Sakhon

The Pa Sak River is a river in central Thailand. The river originates in

the Phetchabun Mountains, Dan Sai District, Loei Province, and passes through Phetchabun
Province as the backbone of the Province. It then passes through the eastern part of Lopburi
Province and Saraburi Province, until it joins together with the Lopburi River at the northeast of the
Ayutthaya Island, before it runs into the Chao Phraya River in the southeast of Ayutthaya island
around Phet Fortress area. It has a length of 513 km (319 mi) and drains a watershed of 16,291 km2
(6,290 sq. mi). The annual discharge is 2.4 km3 (0.58 cu mi).

The valley of the Pa Sak through the Phetchabun Mountains is the main part of Phetchabun
Province. As the watershed of the river is rather narrow, the amount of water in the river changes a
lot seasonally. To level the drought problems in the lower Pa Sak valley, in 1994 the construction of
the Pa Sak Cholasit Dam in the Lopburi Province was started. The 4,860-meter (15,940 ft) wide and
36.5-meter (120 ft.) high dam keeps a total of 0.785 km3 (0.188 cu mi) of water. Additionally to the
water management the dam also supplies about 6.7 MW of hydro-electric power.

The Sakae Krang River is a tributary of the Chao Phraya River. It originates
in Mae Wong National Park, Kamphaeng Phet Province. It is 225 kilometres (140 mi) long, with most
of its length in Uthai Thani Province. It joins the Chao Phraya River in Uthai Thani city near the Wat
Tha Sung (Tha Sung temple).
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the people of Uthai Thani use the Sakae Krang River
to grow pandanus and to raise fish in floating baskets, which is the primary occupation of the Uthai
Thani people.

The Thi Lo Su Waterfall also spelt as Thee Lor Sue, The Lor Sue, Thee Lor Sue
or Te-law-zue is claimed to be the largest and highest waterfall in Thailand. It stands 250 metres
(820 ft.) high and nearly 450 metres (1,480 ft.) wide on the Mae Klong River, flowing down from Huai
Klotho into the Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary in Tak Province in northwestern Thailand.

The waterfall has apparently never been surveyed, so the figures given are approximate.

The Kok River the River originates in the Daen Lao Range, Shan State, Burma. It
flows eastwards across the Burma–Thailand border, coming in at the Thai border town of Taton
(most often spelled Thathon). It flows to Mae Ai district, Chiang Mai Province. Most of its length in
Thailand is in Chiang Rai Province where it passes Mueang Chiang Rai District after which it bends
northeastwards and flows through Mae Chan, Wiang Chai and Chiang Saen districts.

It is a wide, shallow, and slow-moving river. There is about 600 metres (2,000 ft.) of small-
scale whitewater halfway between the towns of Taton and Chiang Rai. Alongside the Mae Kok river,
an hour's boat ride upstream from Chiang Rai town, is a touristy "elephant camp" on its north shore.

For several kilometres downriver from Chiang Rai, the river becomes a lake, until it reaches the
irrigation dam near Wiang Chai.

The Kok River is a tributary of the Mekong River, with its mouth at Sop Kok in Chiang Saen district,
opposite the Lao border.[1]

Phahonyothin Road crosses this river near Chiang Rai City. Altogether, there are five bridges
crossing the Mae Kok River near Chiang Rai city.
 The Chi River is the longest river flowing wholly within Thailand. It is 765
kilometres (475 mi) long but carries less water than the second longest river, the Mun. The name of
the river is "Mae Si" in the Isan and Lao languages of the region, being transliterated as "Chi" in
Bangkok-Thai. In wet seasons there are often flash floods in the floodplain of the Chi River basin.

The Ruak River is a right hand tributary of the Mekong. The mouth of the Ruak
River is at the Thai-Burma border opposite Laos, a spot known as the "Golden Triangle", a popular
tourist destination.

Phayao Lake is an semi-natural freshwater lake in northern Thailand. It covers an

area of 12,831 rai (20.5 km²) at an elevation of 380 m. The lake has a mean depth of 1.7 m. The
town of Phayao is at the southeast corner of the lake.

The lake is fed by the Ing River, which empties to the north, and to a lesser degree by the Tam
River, which empties into the south of the lake. At the east, the lake empties into the Ing River, which
then flows to the Mekong. To the south and west of the lakes are rice paddies, at the mouth of the
Ing River is marsh area.

The main aquatic plants in the lake are Najas graminea and Ceratophyllum demersum. Forty-eight
species of fish are recorded for the lake, most dominant are the artificially introduced Nile
Tilapia (Tilapia nilolica) and the climbing perch (Anabas testudineus).[1] Also, 47 bird species were
found at the lake in a survey in 1982.

The lake was created in 1939 to improve irrigation in the area. It was added to the list of 61 most
important wetlands on 1 August 2000. There are currently plans to restore the ancient temple Wat
Tilok Aram dating back to the end of the 15th century, which was submerged during the construction
of the lake.

Nong Han Kumphawapi often just Nong Han is a lake in Northeast Thailand,
located north of the town Kumphawapi, Kumphawapi district, Udon Thani Province.

The lake is very shallow, mostly not exceeding a depth of 1 meter. The open water area of 1.7 km² is
surrounded by a wetland covering 4.1 km², including paddy fields.

In 2001 the lake was declared a wetland of international importance by the Thai government.

The Lopburi River is a tributary of the Chao Phraya River in central Thailand. It
splits from the Chao Phraya river at Tambon Bang Phutsa, Singburi. Passing through Tha Wung
district and the town of Lopburi, it enters the Chao Phraya together with the Pa Sak River at the town
of Ayutthaya. It is about 95 kilometres (59 mi) long.

Sakunothayan Arboretumis an arboretum in Wang Thong district, Phitsanulok

Province, northern Thailand. The park, located at kilometer 33 of Phitsanulok-Lomsak Road, has
164 species of plants.
 Sai Yok Noi is a waterfall in the Tenasserim Hills, Sai Yok district of
Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, near the small town Nam Tok Sai Yok Noi. It is the most popular
attraction of the Sai Yok National Park.[1] It is popular among domestic and foreign tourists alike, in
part because it lies next to the province's trunk road alongside which there is ample parking space.

The immediate vicinity features several sites of interest including the Krasae Cave, a
small Buddhist shrine next to a section of rail tracks of the notorious Death Railway and, to the west,
Dawadung Cave, a secluded collection of impressive stalactites. Hellfire Pass Memorial, a museum
and tribute to those lost during the construction of the Death Railway's cuttings and trestle bridges,
lies about 35 km to the west of Sai Yok Noi falls. A small market geared toward travellers is also
nearby. Sai Yok Yai waterfall, some 40 km to the west lies offset from the valley's main road,
adjacent to the Sai Yok National Park Headquarters. It comprises a 10 metre (32 ft.) picturesque
cascade which drops directly into the Kwae Noi River.

The Kraburi River also Kra or Pak Chan River, is the boundary river
between Thailand and Myanmar at the Kra Isthmus of the Malay Peninsula. The river has its source
in the Tenasserim Hills and flows into the Andaman Sea near the Thai town
of Ranong and Kawthaung (Victoria Point), Myanmar.

Most notable about the river is its long and up to 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) wide tidal estuary, which
contains the largest preserved mangrove forests of Thailand. It is therefore a protected area.
The Lam Nam Kraburi National Park covers most of the Thai side of the estuary, while the Ranong
Biosphere Reserve and the Laemson Ramsar Site include further areas to the south.