Geography & Climate

Chonburi province, approximately 80 kilometers southeast of Bangkok, is part of a narrow coastal plain lying between the Damrek range of hills to the northeast and the Gulf of Thailand to the south.

Drained by the Bang Pakong river, Chonburi, like much of central and southeastern Thailand, was formed by alluvial deposits laid down over millions of years. Nine thousand years ago, when sea level was 100 meters below its present height, this part of Thailand was a low-lying flatland that stretched hundreds of kilometers beyond the present coastline. Then sea levels rose until they were several meters higher than they are today, and 5,000 years ago what is now South East and Central Thailand was a shallow sea as far north as Ayutthaya, 76 kilometers north of Bangkok.

As recently as a century ago most low lying areas of Chonburi province were natural swamps, marshlands and mangrove forests, and travel by boat was the only feasible method of transport, particularly during the monsoon floods. Today canals siphon off the excess water allowing cultivation of rice, tapioca, cassava, coconut and sugar cane. Hilly areas, once covered with thick forest, have been nearly completely denuded by logging, or cleared to make way for fruit orchards.

The tropical climate of Chonburi (mean temperature 29.1? C) is moderated by the monsoons and by it's maritime location. From November to February the dry season brings cooler temperatures followed by a hot intermonsoonal period extending into May. In June the southwest monsoon sends humid air across the Indian Ocean and the Malay peninsula. The hot air masses pick up additional moisture as they cross the Gulf of Thailand and Chonburi province is subject to sudden, violent rainstorms, often in the early afternoon. The cooling rains, which can make the area quite humid, peak in September then taper off in October.

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