Chao Phraya River and Delta
The Chao Phraya River is the primary river in Thailand, formed by the confluence of the Ping and Nan Rivers. The headwaters meet near the city of Nakhon Sawan in western central Thailand. The river is more than 230 kilometers in length and flows south to the Gulf of Thailand. It is key to the region's transportation and economy.
The river drains one-third of the nation, including the central plains and lowlands. Its numerous tributaries are part of the delta, which serves as the watershed for western Thailand.
The Chao Phraya River is entirely navigable by watercraft and continues to be important to the Thai economy. The river valley is the nation's most productive agricultural region. The World Bank helped finance irrigation of the river basin beginning in the 1960s. Its waters continue to irrigate various crops, primarily rice. Thailand is consistently one of the world's leading rice exporters (usually ranked first or second). The delta's tributaries are interconnected by a series of canals, also used for transportation.
Further Reading
Takaya, Yoshikazu. (1987) Agricultural Development of a Tropical Delta: A Study of the Chao Phraya Delta. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.
Van Beek, Stephen. (1995) The Chao Phraya: River in Transition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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