Geographically,
the central region extends from rugged western mountains
bordering Burma to the northeast plateau; it extends northwards
to Nakhon Sawan where the Ping, the Wang, the Nan and the Yom
river unite to form the Chao Phaya River (River of Kings)
which flows southwards through Bangkok before entering the Gulf
of Thailand; southwards the central region reaches (rather culturally
and administratively than geographically) well into the Malayan
Peninsula, up to Prachuap Khiri Khan Province where the country
is less than 20km wide, between the western Burmese mountain range
and the Gulf of Thailand.
The Chao
Phaya River largely irrigates the central plain, one of the
world's major rice and fruit growing areas, and sustains an intricate
network of canals which for centuries supported a unique,
waterborne way of life. Though the canal network has lost in economic
importance, it still contributes much to the charm of central
Thailand.
The central
region is extremely rich in historical sites. These include
first of all Bangkok, dealt with in a separate section of this
book, as well as Ayutthaya, Lopburi and Nakhon Pathom,
to name just a few.
