Phetchaburi Province Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Phetchaburi

เพชรบุรี

Province

Cha Am Beach

Seal

Map of Thailand highlighting Phetchaburi Province

Country

Thailand

Capital

Phetchaburi town

Area

• Total

6,225.1 km² (2,403.5 sq mi)

Area rank

Ranked 36th

Population

(2014)

• Total

474,192

• Rank

Ranked 58th

• Density

76.1742/km² (197.2903/sq mi)

• Density rank

Ranked 68th

Time zone

UTC+7 (ICT)

ISO 3166 code

TH-76

Phetchaburi is one of the western provinces (changwat) of Thailand.

Geography
History
Tourism
Images for kids
See also

Geography

Phetchaburi is at the northern part of the Malay Peninsula. The Gulf of Thailand is to the east. Most of the province is a flat plain. The Kaeng Krachan National Park is Thailand's largest national park, covering nearly half of the province. It covers 3000 km2

History

Khao Wang

Phetchaburi is an old royal city, dating back to the Mon of the 8th century. Later Khmer settled in the city, as can be seen by the prangs of Wat Kamphaeng Laeng.

In 1860 King Rama IV built a palace near the city of Phetchaburi, commonly known as Khao Wang, but its official name is Phra Nakhon Khiri. Next to the palace the king built a tower for his astronomical observations. On the adjoining hill is the royal temple Wat Phra Kaeo.

Tourism

Sights

Hat Cha-am (หาดชะอำ) Appearing to have been frozen in time warp, midway between remaining a Thai-style resort, and modernising to meet international tastes and requirements, this extensive pine-fringed beach is considered to be one of the most popular beaches of Thailand.

Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park (อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์พระนครคีรี) This covers a hilly area with an old palace and historical temples in the vicinity of the town. It consists of royal halls, temples and groups of buildings, constructed mostly in harmonious Thai, Western neoclassic and Chinese architectural styles.

Wat Kamphaeng Laeng (วัดกำแพงแลง) This temple was originally a Khmer place of worship. It was later turned into a Buddhist temple and a shrine hall was constructed. However, the outlook of the place has not much changed due to the existence of sandstone walls and four Khmer style pagodas.

Haad Chao Samran welcome sign

Hat Chao Samran (หาดเจ้าสำราญ) Legend says that King Naresuan the Great and King Eka Thotsarot made several royal visits here and highly appreciated its beauty. The villagers thus rendered it a name "Hat Chao Samran", which means "beach of royal leisure".

Local products

Phetchaburi is known for a vast variety of sweet food. The reputation comes from the use of Tanot (palm) sugar. Examples are Mo-kaeng, a sweet made from flour, sugar and eggs; A-lua and Sampanni, a sweet made from flour and sugar; Thong Yip, Thong Yot and Foi Thong, sweets made from baked egg-yolk; and Chao Tan Chueam (palm seed in thick syrup).

Festivals

Phra Nakhon Khiri Fair (งานพระนครคีรี) Also known as Khao Wang, it is an important historical site. During the reign of King Rama IV, it served as the king's out-of-town palace.