Ranong is one of Thailand's southern provinces (changwat), on the west coast along the Andaman Sea. It is the second-least populous province. Provinces neighboring Ranong are (clockwise) Chumphon, Surat Thani, and Phang Nga. To the west, it borders Kawthaung, Tanintharyi, Myanmar.
Geography Ranong is on the Kra Isthmus, a narrow strip of land, only wide, that connects Thailand with the Malay Peninsula, on the west of the Phuket mountain range. It has a long coast on the Andaman Sea. The province, together with Trat province, is known for being one of the wettest places in Thailand, the rainy season lasting for about eight months.
Ranong is the least populated province. The total forest area is or 53.5 percent of provincial area, and 67 percent is mountainous. In former years the major industry was tin mining, but most mines are now exhausted. White clay mining (for the production of porcelain) and fishing are now the main industries, along with rubber and cashew nuts.
The Ngao Mangrove Forest Research Centre, also known as the Ranong Biosphere Reserve, in the north of Kapoe District, covering 189,431 rai (303.09 km2), was declared in 1997. It is the fourth biosphere reserve of Thailand, and the only one on the seacoast protecting mangrove forests.
National parks There are four national parks, along with seven other national parks, make up region 4 (Surat Thani) of Thailand's protected areas. (Visitors in fiscal year 2024) Namtok Ngao National Park (94,691) Mu Ko Ranong National Park (1,716) Laem Son National Park (21,911) Lam Nam Kra Buri National Park (34,135)
Wildlife sanctuaries There are four wildlife sanctuaries, along with three other wildlife sanctuaries, make up region 4 (Surat Thani) of Thailand's protected areas. Khlong Nakha Wildlife Sanctuary Khuan Mae Yai Mon Wildlife Sanctuary Thung Raya–Na Sak Wildlife Sanctuary Prince Chumphon South Park Wildlife Sanctuary
Location protected areas of Ranong National park 1 Laem Son 2 Lam Nam Kra Buri 3 Mu Ko Ranong 4 Namtok Ngao Wildlife sanctuary 5 Khuan Mae Yai Mon 6 Khlong Nakha 7 Prince Chumphon South Park 8 Thung Raya-Na Sak
History Two Iron Age settlements on the western side of the Kra Isthmus, Phu Khao Thong and Bang Kluai Nok, were centres of the same kind as Khao Sam Kaeo on the eastern side. Bérénice Bellina and her colleagues have read the two sides together as port polities of the kind Malacca, Banten and Pasai became later. Sing C. Chew reports the assemblages of Phu Khao Thong, of about the third to the first centuries BC, as closely comparable to those of Khao Sam Kaeo. Indian fine wares and steatite containers have been found there, and Brigitte Borell takes the Roman-style intaglios, pendants and glassware from the site as evidence of trade reaching further west than South Asia. Laure Dussubieux and Bernard Gratuze report that about half of all the mineral soda-calcium-alumina, or Arika, glass they have analysed from Southeast Asia comes from Phu Khao Thong, though they describe those results as unpublished. The same type accounts for about thirty per cent of their South Indian samples, most of them from Arikamedu, and is rare in Sri Lanka; where it was made they leave open. In their three-period scheme they group Phu Khao Thong with the early rather than the very early sites, unlike Khao Sam Kaeo. Rice remains point the other way for the earlier period: neither western site has yielded the japonica subspecies in its Bronze Age levels, and indica appears in Southeast Asia only in the first centuries of the historic period.
Ranong province once was a deputy town of Chumphon in the Ayutthaya era (1350–1767). It was a small, mountainous town that protected Chumphon from Burma. The population was very low until the discovery of tin, when people from many cities and foreigners started to visit Ranong to do tin business there. This also gave rise to the name Ranong, which was a distorted form of rae nong (แร่นอง), meaning "full of minerals". The ruler of Ranong was known after the town as Luang Ranong ()
At the start of the Rattanakosin era (1781–present), a wealthy Chinese merchant, Kho Su Jiang bought a majority share of the tin business in Ranong and was appointed tax collector of the region, with the title Luang Rattana Setti (), by King Nangklao (Rama III). In 1854, the Luang Ranong died. King Mongkut (Rama IV) then promoted Kho Su Jiang to the position, promoting him to Phra Rattana Setti (). By then, Ranong's wealth had increased greatly and through taxation was a significant source of income for the capital, thus in 1877 King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) elevated Ranong to provincial status, answering directly to Bangkok as opposed to Chumphon, with Phra Rattana Setti becoming its first governor.
After the First Anglo-Burmese War, when the British assumed control of Tenasserim and the Kraburi River became the demarcation line between Siam and British-controlled Burma, Ranong became an important border city where goods were exchanged, a status that it still holds today.
Being located on the Kra Isthmus, the narrowest part (44 kilometres) of the Malay Peninsula, a proposal of a canal through the area has been long suggested, particularly by the French. If successful, traveling from Europe to China would be faster through this route instead of circumnavigating the Malay Peninsula. This was seen as a threat to the financial growth of the harbors of Singapore and Penang, which at the time were owned by Britain, who therefore forced the suspension of the project. At the end of World War II, Thailand signed a British-imposed treaty called "The Termination of The State of War Between Siam and Allies", which forbade Thailand from digging such a canal without British permission. This treaty was revoked in 1954. Since then, plans for the canal have continued to be suggested and discussed, even in the present day, though Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said in 2018 that it was not a government priority.
Ranong has also been historically significant as a residence for royal tours of the southern provinces, with many kings of Thailand visiting Ranong in the past. The first was King Chulalongkorn, who stayed at Rattana Ransan palace for three nights in 1890. The palace is now a landmark in Ranong. King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) visited in 1928, and King Bhumibol (Rama IX) and Queen Sirikit visited in 1959.
Climate Most of Thailand receives from 1,200 to 1,600 mm of precipitation per year. Two provinces, Ranong and Trat, receive more than 4,500 mm a year making them the wettest places in the country.
For this reason, Ranong is called "Mueang Fon Paet Daet Si" (เมืองฝนแปดแดดสี่, , ), meaning it rains for eight months of the year, and only four months are without rain.
Symbols The provincial seal shows a castle on top of a hill, as an aide memoire that King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) once visited Ranong and stayed at the Ratana Rangsan Castle on top of the Niveskiri Hill. The number five refers to King Rama V; the castle is Ratana Rangsan Palace; the mountain is Niveshkiri; the royal tray refers to the people of Ranong.
The provincial slogan is, "Kra Isthmus, mountain grass, cashew nut, mineral water stream, and real pearl of Ranong."
The provincial flower is the orchid species Dendrobium formosum and the provincial tree is Lagerstroemia speciosa. The endemic terrestrial crab Phricotelphusa sirindhorn is the provincial aquatic species.
Administrative divisions Central government
Ranong is divided into five districts (amphoe). These are further divided into 30 subdistricts (tambon) and 178 villages (muban). No. District Thai Malay Pop. subdistricts Villages 1. Mueang Ranong เมืองระนอง Bandar Raya Rundung 93,271 9 38 2. La-un ละอุ่น Pak Un 15,240 7 30 3. Kapoe กะเปอร์ Kapur 22,093 5 34 4. Kra Buri กระบุรี Segenting Kera 48,163 7 61 5. Suk Samran สุขสำราญ - 14,594 2 15 - Total 193,371 30 178
Local government As of December 2023 there are: one Ranong provincial administrative organization - PAO () and 12 municipal areas (thesaban) in the province. Ranong and Bang Rin have town (thesaban mueang) status. Further 10 subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon). Town municipality Pop. website Bang Rin 22,7830 Ranong 17,779 Subdistrict municipality Pop. website Bang Non 14,443 Choporo 12,950 Ratchakrut 9,766 Pak Nam Tha Ruea 8,071 Kamphuan 7,029 Nam Chuet 3,503 La-un 2,629 Ngao 2,399 Pak Nam 2,385 Kapoe 1,485 The non-municipal areas are administered by 19 subdistrict administrative organisations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).
Healthcare Hospitals There are five hospitals in the province: Ranong hospital with 300 beds. Kapoe hospital with 35 beds. Kra Buri hospital with 30 beds. La-un hospital with 16 beds. Suk Samran hospital with 10 beds.
Health promoting hospitals There are total forty five health-promoting hospitals, of which: 16 in Mueang Ranong district 8 in La-un district 6 in Kapoe district 11 in Kra Buri district 4 in Suk Samran district
Demographics Population Population history of Ranong province is as follows:
1947 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2011 2020 21,488 38,000 59,000 83,707 117,440 161,210 183,849 194,372
Religion There are forty five Theravada Buddhist temples in the province. 16 in Mueang Ranong district 9 in La-un district 6 in Kapoe district 12 in Kra Buri district 2 in Suk Samran district
Transportation Phet Kasem Road (Thailand Route 4) runs through the province. Ranong Airport is about south of Ranong.
The Port Authority of Thailand operates the Ranong Port, which is Thailand's principal Indian Ocean port. In 2008, the Ranong human-smuggling incident resulted in 54 deaths.
Human achievement index 2022 Health Education Employment Income 20 67 31 33 Housing Family Transport Participation 63 10 50 64 Province Ranong, with an HAI 2022 value of 0.6291 is "somewhat low", occupies place 56 in the ranking. Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using the Human achievement index (HAI), a composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has taken over this task since 2017. RankClassification1–13High14–29Somewhat high30–45Average46–61Somewhat low62–77Low Map with provinces and HAI 2022 rankings
Tourism Namtok Ngao National Park (อุทยานแห่งชาติน้ำตกหงาว) Covering a total area of approximately 417,500 rai (668 km2) it was declared a national park on 3 June 1999.
Ko Chang (Ranong) (เกาะช้าง) island in tambon Ko Phayam. With an area of 18 square kilometres and 80 homes on the entire island. Cashew and para rubber plantations as well as coastal fisheries are the main industries.
Laem Son National Park (อุทยานแห่งชาติแหลมสน) It covers a total area of 196,875 rai (31.5 hectares). It also includes islands in the Andaman Sea; namely, Ko Khangkhao and Mu Ko Kam. Places of interest within the national park include:
Hat Bang Ben (หาดบางเบน) is a long sandy beach shaded by pine trees where the national park headquarters is located. Hat Laem Son (หาดแหลมสน) is a white sandy beach approximately four kilometres next to Hat Bang Ben. Hat Praphat or Hat Hin Thung (หาดประพาส หรือ หาดหินทุ่ง) Similar to Hat Bang Ben, Hat Praphat is a large beach shaded by pine trees. Ko Khangkhao (เกาะค้างคาว) is an island with fine sandy beaches and a gravel beach known as Hat Hin Ngam in the north. Ko Kam Yai (เกาะกำใหญ่) is a scenic island with white sandy beaches. Ko Kam Nui (เกาะกำนุ้ย) is not far from Ko Kam Yai with beaches on one side and many other nearby islets.