Ranong, Thailand

Ranong is one of Thailand's southern provinces. Located on the coast of the Andaman Sea, 568 kilometers south of Bangkok, Ranong encompasses an area of 3,298 square kilometers. The province shares borders with Myanmar (Burma) and the Thai province of Chumphon. Geographically, in addition to sixty-two islands, long expanses of sandy beaches, unspoiled forests and waterfalls, parks, and a world sanctuary zone, Ranong finds the Kra, the narrowest point on the Malayan Peninsula, located within its borders. Administratively, Ranong is divided into five districts, Muang, La-un, Kra Buri, and Kapur, and one subdistrict, Suksamran Chinese Influence. Bordering southern Myanmar and 600 kilometres south of Bangkok , mountainous Ranong Province receives more rain than elsewhere in Thailand , covering it in lush greenery. Ranong town began as a Chinese Hokkien settlement, and this is evident from its older architecture. One example is Nai Khai Ranong, the former home of Koh Su Chiang, a Hokkien governor of Ranong during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). Situated in the north of the town, only one of the three original structures still exists. Now a clan house and shrine exhibiting relics of the Koh clan, it is open to visitors.