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Gulf of Thailand
The Gulf of Thailand (Thai: อ่าวไทย), historically known as the Gulf of Siam (Thai: อ่าวสยาม), is a shallow inlet adjacent to the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of mainland Southeast Asia and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. It is around 800 km (500 mi) in length and up to 560 km (350 mi) in width, and has a surface area of 320,000 km2 (120,000 sq mi). The gulf is surrounded on the north, west and southwest by the coastlines of Thailand (hence the name), on the northeast by Cambodia and the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, and opens to the South China Sea in the southeast.
The modern Thai name of the gulf is Ao Thai (Thai: อ่าวไทย, [ʔàːw tʰāj] ⓘ, 'Thai Gulf') and "Gulf of Thailand" has been adopted as the official name of the body by the International Hydrographic Organization.[when?] Its name in Malay is "Gulf of Siam", Teluk Siam or in Jawi script: تلوق سيم, and in Khmer: ឈូងសមុទ្រសៀម, Chhoung Samut Siem. In Thai, the gulf is historically known as Ao Sayam (Thai: อ่าวสยาม). In Vietnamese it is known as Vịnh Thái Lan.
It is generally identified with the Great Gulf (Latin: Magnus Sinus) known to Greek, Roman, Arab, Persian, and Renaissance cartographers before the influx of Portuguese explorers removed the phantom Dragon Tail peninsula from European world maps in the 16th century.
The Gulf of Thailand, historically known as the Gulf of Siam, derives its name from the historical kingdom of Siam, the former name of modern-day Thailand. The term "Gulf of Siam" was widely used in Western cartography and geographical references up until the mid-20th century, reflecting the colonial-era practice of naming regions based on the prevalent local political entities at the time.
"Siam" itself is an exonym, believed to have origins in the Sanskrit word "Syama," which means "dark" or "brown," referring to the skin tone of the region's inhabitants. The term "Siam" was used internationally until 1939, when the country officially changed its name to Thailand. Following this renaming, "Gulf of Thailand" gradually became the more commonly used term, especially in official contexts, although "Gulf of Siam" is still occasionally used.
The Gulf of Thailand is bordered by Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. It occupies a seabed area of 304,000 km2 from 6° N to 13°30' N latitude and 99°E to 104° E longitude. The northern tip of the gulf is the Bay of Bangkok at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River. The southern boundary of the gulf is defined by a line from Cape Bai Bung in southern Vietnam (just south of the mouth of the Mekong River) to the town of Tumpat and Pengkalan Chepa on the Malaysian coast.
The gulf is relatively shallow: its mean depth is 58 metres (190 ft) and the maximum depth is only 85 metres (279 ft). This makes water exchange slow, and the strong water inflow from the rivers reduces the level of salinity in the gulf (3.05–3.25 percent) and enriches the sediments. Only at greater depths does water with a higher salinity (3.4 percent) flow into the gulf from the South China Sea. It fills the central depression below a depth of 50 metres (160 ft). The main rivers which empty into the gulf are the Chao Phraya, including its distributary Tha Chin River, the Mae Klong, and Bang Pakong rivers at the Bay of Bangkok, and to a lesser degree the Tapi River flowing into Bandon Bay in the southwest of the gulf.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the southern limit of the gulf as "[a] line running from the Western extreme of Cambodia or Camau Point (8°36'N) to the Northern extreme of the point on the East side of the estuary of the Kelantan River (6°14′N 102°15′E / 6.233°N 102.250°E)".
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Gulf of Thailand
The Gulf of Thailand (Thai: อ่าวไทย), historically known as the Gulf of Siam (Thai: อ่าวสยาม), is a shallow inlet adjacent to the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of mainland Southeast Asia and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. It is around 800 km (500 mi) in length and up to 560 km (350 mi) in width, and has a surface area of 320,000 km2 (120,000 sq mi). The gulf is surrounded on the north, west and southwest by the coastlines of Thailand (hence the name), on the northeast by Cambodia and the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, and opens to the South China Sea in the southeast.
The modern Thai name of the gulf is Ao Thai (Thai: อ่าวไทย, [ʔàːw tʰāj] ⓘ, 'Thai Gulf') and "Gulf of Thailand" has been adopted as the official name of the body by the International Hydrographic Organization.[when?] Its name in Malay is "Gulf of Siam", Teluk Siam or in Jawi script: تلوق سيم, and in Khmer: ឈូងសមុទ្រសៀម, Chhoung Samut Siem. In Thai, the gulf is historically known as Ao Sayam (Thai: อ่าวสยาม). In Vietnamese it is known as Vịnh Thái Lan.
It is generally identified with the Great Gulf (Latin: Magnus Sinus) known to Greek, Roman, Arab, Persian, and Renaissance cartographers before the influx of Portuguese explorers removed the phantom Dragon Tail peninsula from European world maps in the 16th century.
The Gulf of Thailand, historically known as the Gulf of Siam, derives its name from the historical kingdom of Siam, the former name of modern-day Thailand. The term "Gulf of Siam" was widely used in Western cartography and geographical references up until the mid-20th century, reflecting the colonial-era practice of naming regions based on the prevalent local political entities at the time.
"Siam" itself is an exonym, believed to have origins in the Sanskrit word "Syama," which means "dark" or "brown," referring to the skin tone of the region's inhabitants. The term "Siam" was used internationally until 1939, when the country officially changed its name to Thailand. Following this renaming, "Gulf of Thailand" gradually became the more commonly used term, especially in official contexts, although "Gulf of Siam" is still occasionally used.
The Gulf of Thailand is bordered by Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. It occupies a seabed area of 304,000 km2 from 6° N to 13°30' N latitude and 99°E to 104° E longitude. The northern tip of the gulf is the Bay of Bangkok at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River. The southern boundary of the gulf is defined by a line from Cape Bai Bung in southern Vietnam (just south of the mouth of the Mekong River) to the town of Tumpat and Pengkalan Chepa on the Malaysian coast.
The gulf is relatively shallow: its mean depth is 58 metres (190 ft) and the maximum depth is only 85 metres (279 ft). This makes water exchange slow, and the strong water inflow from the rivers reduces the level of salinity in the gulf (3.05–3.25 percent) and enriches the sediments. Only at greater depths does water with a higher salinity (3.4 percent) flow into the gulf from the South China Sea. It fills the central depression below a depth of 50 metres (160 ft). The main rivers which empty into the gulf are the Chao Phraya, including its distributary Tha Chin River, the Mae Klong, and Bang Pakong rivers at the Bay of Bangkok, and to a lesser degree the Tapi River flowing into Bandon Bay in the southwest of the gulf.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the southern limit of the gulf as "[a] line running from the Western extreme of Cambodia or Camau Point (8°36'N) to the Northern extreme of the point on the East side of the estuary of the Kelantan River (6°14′N 102°15′E / 6.233°N 102.250°E)".