Ban Pong District

For other similarly named places, see Ban Pong.

Ban Pong บ้านโป่ง
Amphoe
Lakeside restaurants at sunset. Bueng, Nong Kop, Ban Pong District Lakeside restaurants at sunset. Bueng, Nong Kop, Ban Pong District
Amphoe location in Ratchaburi Province Amphoe location in Ratchaburi Province
Coordinates:
Country	Thailand
Province	Ratchaburi
Area
• Total	366.6 km2 (141.5 sq mi)
Population (2543)
• Total	157,689
• Density	430.1/km2 (1,114/sq mi)
Time zone	THA (UTC+7)
Postal code	70110
Geocode	7005

Ban Pong (Thai: บ้านโป่ง) is a district (Amphoe) of Ratchaburi Province, Thailand. It is located in the northeast of the province.

Geography

Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) Tha Muang and Tha Maka of Kanchanaburi Province, Kamphaeng Saen and Mueang Nakhon Pathom of Nakhon Pathom Province, and Photharam of Ratchaburi Province.

Banpong District is hilly in the very Western part of the district, while the Eastern part is flooded plain with Mea Klong River running through the city centre, connecting the city to the Gulf of Thailand.

History

During the construction of the Death Railway in World War II Ban Pong was the location of one of the POW camps.

The town had experienced two great fires which practically burnt down the whole town centre, one in 1936 and the other in 1954. After then the town was rebuilt in the square-grid design fashionable to the era, with a fountain to the South and a clock tower to the North.

Economy

Ban Pong is a railway hub, where the western railway leading to Kanchanaburi (and further to Nam Tok) splits from the southern railway leading to Singapore. Another branch connects with the town Suphanburi to the north.

As a result of high investment and fast economic development in the past decades, The town stands as one with the highest GDP per capita in Western Thailand, well above national average. It is also experiencing de-industrialisation of labour-incentive industries such as canning industry and sugar refinery which were mainly set up in 1960's - There is a large abandoned canning factory in Ban Pong town. The ruined buildings are partly covered with jungle creepers - However, the town is now experiencing a boom in more highly skilled industries such as auto-parts, petro-chemical and food industries, with more than 70% of buses and coaches in Thailand manufactured by companies in Ban Pong. There is the biggest papermaking complex in Thailand at north of the town.

As of June 2014, The National Statistic Bureau publishes Ban Pong's economic data as follows;

Annual GDP per Capita(nominal) in USD: 9,623

Annual GDP per Capita(PPP) in USD: 24,000

Thailand's average

Annual GDP per Capita(nominal) in USD: 5,675

Annual GDP per Capita(PPP) in USD: 14,136

Sights

West of the town Ban Pong itself is the temple Wat Muang, which is a local centre of the Mon community.

There is also a large Roman Catholic church building and a large Buddhist temple.

Administration

The district is subdivided into 15 subdistricts (tambon), which are further subdivided into 182 villages (muban). Ban Pong itself is a town (thesaban mueang) which covers the complete tambon Ban Pong. Another Town in the district isTha Pha เทศบาลเมืองท่าผา whose administrative area covers the complete sub-district or tambon Tha Pha and parts of Pak Raet,

There are further four townships (thesaban tambon) including;

1.Krachap เทศบาลตำบลกระจับ covers parts of Nong O and Don Krabueang,

2.Huai Krabok เทศบาลตำบลห้วยกระบอก covers parts of Krap Yai,

3.Krub Yai เทศบาลตำบลกรับใหญ่,

4. Berk Prai เทศบาลตำบลเบิกไพร,

and other 14 Tambon administrative organizations (TAO) are responsible for the non-municipal areas.

Nr.	Name	Thai name
1.	Ban Pong	บ้านโป่ง			9.	Nakhon Chum	นครชุมน์
2.	Tha Pha	ท่าผา			10.	Ban Muang	บ้านม่วง
3.	Krap Yai	กรับใหญ่			11.	Khung Phayom	คุ้งพยอม
4.	Pak Raet	ปากแรต			12.	Nong Pla Mo	หนองปลาหมอ
5.	Nong Kop	หนองกบ			13.	Khao Khlung	เขาขลุง
6.	Nong O	หนองอ้อ			14.	Boek Phrai	เบิกไพร
7.	Don Krabueang	ดอนกระเบื้อง			15.	Lat Bua Khao	ลาดบัวขาว
8.	Suan Kluai	สวนกล้วย

Transport

Railway

Ban Pong Railway Station is the main railway station in the district, located in Ban Pong Town. There are three other railway stations in this district:

• Khlong Bang Tan Railway Station
• Nong Pladuk Junction Railway Station
• Nakhon Chum Railway Station

See also

• Ban Pong, Ban Pong

External links

• Australian Prisoners' of War (P.O.W.s) Banpong, Thailand