31 Mind Numbing Facts About The Gulf Of Thailand: Must Read!

Joan Agie
Oct 12, 2023 By Joan Agie
Originally Published on Dec 15, 2021
The Gulf of Thailand is located on the western part
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 6.5 Min

The Gulf of Thailand is located on the western part of the sea of South China.

The shallow inlet of the Gulf of Thailand is said to be the marginal water body that belongs to the Pacific Ocean. This region happens to be the mouth of the river Chao Phraya.

The water in the Thai Gulf has low salinity. This is because of the shallow waters and the strong inflow that comes from the River Chao Phraya.

The water gets exchanged with the South China Sea but the process is slow. Today, we are going to uncover some amazing facts about the Gulf of Thailand storm and the Gulf of Thailand Peninsula.

The gulf is shallow, with an average depth of 191 ft (58.2 m) and a maximum depth of 280 ft (85.3 m). The considerable water influx from the rivers reduces the amount of salinity in the gulf and enriches the sediments, slowing water exchange.

Water with a higher salinity flows into the gulf from the South China Sea only at greater depths.

After reading some interesting Gulf of Thailand facts, also check facts about the Gulf of Alaska and the Arabian Gulf.

Andaman Sea Vs The Gulf Of Thailand

The western region of the coastline of Thailand is the Andaman coast which runs for 468 mi (753 km).

The South of Thailand contains many islands and beaches like the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. These places are known for their tourism and some of the famous places located here are Phuket province, Koh Samui, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Tao, and Koh Lipe.

The Andaman side is said to be a wonderful region, however, as far as reviews from tourists are concerned they say that Phuket can be unpleasant, with hideous development, high prices, and rowdy people. The bay between the islands of Phuket and main Thailand is called the Bay of Phang Nga.

The resorts on West Railay Beach near Krabi are also much loved by tourists and locals alike.

Cruise In The Gulf Of Thailand

There are various cruises that are available to take travelers around the Gulf of Thailand

These packages to the Thailand Gulf are arranged by different groups and you can choose the package that is pocket-friendly for you and within your budget. There are various cruise packages that are organized by various travel companies as well.

A three-night Penang cruise starts at a price of $263 per person and this sets off from Singapore, after which all the seas are explored. A four-night ocean getaway cruise begins at $293 per person. The four-night Penang and Phuket cruise package begins at $368 and the five-night Klang, Penang, and Phuket cruise begins at $518.

The Phuket Island seemed to be lively

Storm In The Gulf Of Thailand

Many cyclones have hit the Gulf of Thailand but one of the most disastrous cyclones was Typhoon Gay which was also called the Kavali Cyclone of 1989.

This was a small cyclone with respect to size, but it was a very powerful one. It caused more than 800 fatalities in and around the regions of the Gulf of Thailand.

This cyclone hit in the year 1989 and the month of November. It was labeled as one of the worst typhoons to affect the Malay Peninsula over a span of thirty-five years.

One other cyclone to hit the Gulf of Thailand was the Pabuk cyclone. This cyclone brought rains, winds, and even seawater into the coastal villages, devastating various people’s livelihoods.

The Phuket Island seemed to be lively in spite of the cyclone’s early stages but after a boat with 47 Chinese people drowned, people were forced to take precautions.

In the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, strong winds blew along with waves that had a height of 10-16 ft (3-4.8 m). Flash floods occurred in many regions of the Thailand Gulf as well.

Cool Facts About The Gulf Of Thailand

The Thai Gulf is known for its richness with regard to the marine life that is found there. Within the waters live banded sea snakes, long-finned bannerfish, batfish, porcupine fish, batfish, triggerfish, whale sharks, hermit crabs, giant grouper, and yellowtail barracuda.

The Gulf of Thailand covers an area of 123,553 sq mi (320,000.8 sq km). The Gulf of Thailand is also becoming famous for the whale watching that takes place there.

The Omura’s whale and Eden’s whale are most looked forward to by these whale watchers. There are Irrawaddy dolphins and even Chinese white dolphins found in the waters of the Gulf of Thailand as well.

The bays that are found in the Gulf of Thailand are the Bay of Kompong Som, Veal Rinh Bay, Kep Bay, and Chhak Koh Kong Bay. There are coral reefs in the Gulf of Thailand, and the coral spans upto 75,590 rai, and 1 rai is equal to 17,222 sq ft (1600 sq m).

The shallow inlet of the Gulf of Thailand is said to be the marginal water body that belongs to the Pacific Ocean. Some of the major islands of the Gulf include Ko Chang, Ko Samet, Koh Samui (Ko Samui), Ko Samae San, Koh Phangan, Ko Lan, Ko Thalu, and more.

Some of the popular beaches in Thailand are Lamai Beach and Pattaya Beach.

Thailand tours allow you to have private sightseeing tours and full-day tours on these islands. Besides these, Thailand tours allow you to visit many more fun places.

Divers are drawn to the Gulf of Mexico because of its numerous coral reefs for scuba diving. The water's tropical temperature draws a large number of visitors. In the Gulf of Mexico, there is 75,590 rai of coral reef, with only 5% of the coral reef considered to be fruitful.

The majority of the country's reef locations experienced significant coral bleaching in 2010. The Andaman Sea's coral bleaching was more severe and widespread than the Gulf of Thailand's.

Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam share the Gulf of Thailand. It covers 117,375 sq mi (303999.8 sq km) of the seafloor between 6° N and 13°30' N latitude and 99°E to 104° E longitude. The Bay of Bangkok, at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, is the gulf's northern tip.

A line drawn from Cape Bai Bung in southern Vietnam to Kota Bharu on the Malaysian shore defines the gulf's southern edge. The gulf is shallow, with an average depth of 191 ft (58.2 m) and a maximum depth of 280 ft (85.3 m).

The considerable water influx from the rivers reduces the amount of salinity in the gulf and enriches the sediments, slowing water exchange. Water with a higher salinity flows into the gulf from the South China Sea but only at greater depths.

Several territorial disputes exist in the area between Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The contested regions, which comprise the islands of Ko Kra and Ko Losin, have been decided to be developed jointly by Malaysia and Thailand.

The island of Ph Quoc, or Koh Tral in Khmer, off the Cambodian coast, is the focus of a long-running dispute between Cambodia and Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand.

Cambodia also has a shelf area of 18,532 sq mi (47997.6 sq km). Bleaching occurs when the seawater temperature climbs beyond 86 F (30 C) for more than three weeks, according to scientists.

At Ko Thalu in Prachuap Khiri Khan, 5-10 % of corals have bleached due to a protracted period of temperatures up to 89.6 F (32 C).

The Gulf of Thailand is full of hidden gems such as Eden's whales, hawksbill turtles and islands such as Koh Samui (Ko Samui). If you want to learn even more Gulf of Thailand facts, you might just have to visit!

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Gulf of Thailand then why not take a look at how is sea glass made, or difference between ocean and sea.

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Written by Joan Agie

Bachelor of Science specializing in Human Anatomy

Joan Agie picture

Joan AgieBachelor of Science specializing in Human Anatomy

With 3+ years of research and content writing experience across several niches, especially on education, technology, and business topics. Joan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Anatomy from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, and has worked as a researcher and writer for organizations across Nigeria, the US, the UK, and Germany. Joan enjoys meditation, watching movies, and learning new languages in her free time.

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