Country Thailand Time zone THA (UTC+7) Area 535.8 km² Province Kanchanaburi Province | Seat Phanom Thuan Postal code 71140 Population 51,979 (2008) Geocode 7109 | |
Phanom Thuan (Thai: พนมทวน) is a district (Amphoe) in the eastern part of Kanchanaburi Province, central Thailand.
Contents
Map of Phanom Thuan District, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
History
The area of Phanom Thuan was already occupied in prehistoric times. At the archaeological site of Ban Don Ta Phet many artifacts were found in a 4th-century cemetery, which prove trade relations with India, Vietnam and the Philippines.
At the Don Chedi Archaeological Site an excavation by the Fine Arts Department in 1982 recovered many human skeletons as well as elephant bones and swords. Thus this site might even have been the location of the famous battle of King Naresuan against the Burmese crown-prince, most commonly assigned to the Don Chedi district nearby.
The district Phanom Thuan was one of the first three districts of Kanchanaburi Province. It was at first named Nuea (northern) district as it covered the northern part of the province. When in 1831 King Rama III relocated the center of Kanchanaburi and readjusted its extend, Nuea district was renamed to Ban Thuan, covering the mountainous areas and the northward flowing river. In 1939 the district name was changed to Phanom Thuan.
Geography
Neighboring districts are (from the south clockwise) Tha Maka, Tha Muang, Bo Phloi, Huai Krachao of Kanchanaburi Province, U Thong and Song Phi Nong of Suphanburi Province.
Administration
The district is subdivided into 8 subdistricts (tambon), which are further subdivided into 103 villages (muban). There are four subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon) within the district. Phanom Thuan covers the central part of the subdistrict Phanom Tuan, Talat Khet the central of Rang Wai. The municipality Rang Wai covers the remaining parts of the subdistrict, and Nong Sarai the whole same-named tambon. There are further 6 Tambon administrative organizations (TAO).
Missing numbers now form the district Huai Krachao.