Pattaya
may be the best known part of the province, but in Chonburi
the explosive growth of construction, transport facilities
and light industry overshadows tourism in economic importance.
Farming and fishing, for centuries the main occupations of
people in Chonburi, are now of marginal importance when compared
to the economic benefits of industrial development and tourism.
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People
lived in the area that is now Chonburi province for several
millenia before the dawn of recorded history. For much of
the last thousand years control of the area's abundant marine
resources was contested by the Burmese and the Khmer before
the Thai ultimately prevailed.
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Buddhism
is the most prevalent belief in the province but the presence
of large communities of foreign residents in some areas means
that practitioners of most religions can find a spiritual
home there. Thai culture is traditionally very tolerant of
other beliefs.
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Just two and a half hours (147 km) southeast of Bangkok by
air-conditioned bus, the province's location on the 'eastern
seaboard' of the Gulf of Thailand, and its tropical climate,
make Pattaya and nearby beaches and islands popular and convenient
leisure destinations.
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Mostly
of central Thai ethnicity, Chonburi's population includes
a significant and influential Thai-Chinese minority. The central
Thai dialect is the predominant language, but in cosmopolitan
Pattaya you will hear German, Japanese, English and assorted
others.
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The
province is divided into eleven districts, not including Pattaya,
which has its own unique municipal administration. The central
government has encouraged the growth of industry along the
coast, as well as the expansion of tourism.
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