Trat Flora

 Trat

Trat province (Thai: ตราด, pronounced [tràːt]), also spelt Trad province, is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (changwat), and is located in the region of eastern Thailand. It borders Chanthaburi province to the northwest, and Cambodia'shtt provinces of Pailin, Battamabang, Pursat, and Koh Kong to its north, northeast and east. To the south, it borders the Gulf of Thailand and the Pacific Ocean. It is the 15th smallest province of Thailand at 2,819 km (1,088 sq mi), and its 4th least populated province at 229,958 (2019). Its capital is Trat town.

The history of Trat can be traced back to the early 17th century during the reign of King Prasat Thong of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Formerly known as Mueang Thung Yai, Trat has played an important role in the development of the country's stability and economy due to its strategic location. The town of Trat later become a community of Chinese merchants.

After the fall of Ayutthaya to the Burmese in 1767, Trat served as a checkpoint and buffer city and was responsible for providing provisions to King Taksin the Great before he moved his forces from Chanthaburi to Ayutthaya. King Taksin then succeeded in driving out the Burmese invaders, liberating the kingdom from foreign rule.

Beginning in the 1850s a gem rush began in modern-day Chanthaburi, Trat and Pailin provinces, resulting in an influx of immigrants from Burma who became the Kula people. On 23 March 1907, it was agreed between Siam and France that France would return control of Trat, except Koh Kong, to the Siamese in exchange for the provinces of Phra Tabong (Battambang), Siem Reap, and Serei Sophoan which all had a Khmer majority population as part of the 1907 Franco-Siamese Treaty. On 6 July 1907, Trat was officially handed back to Siam.

 During the 1893 Franco-Siamese crisis, French troops landed and occupied Chanthaburi province.^[12] In order to regain Chanthaburi, the Siamese government negotiated with France in the 1904 Franco-Siamese Treaty where it was agreed France would return Chanthaburi to Siam in exchange for Siam handing over control of Trat and Koh Kong to the French. The treaty was signed on 13 February 1904, although Trat and Koh Kong had been officially handed over to the French on 22 January.^[13] During French colonial control, the appointed governor's official residence was Resident Kampot located in Trat City.^[

Geography

The province covers a land area of 2,917 km² (1,126 sq mi).The total forest area is 899 km² (347 sq mi) or 31.4 percent of provincial area.

The Cardamom mountain range forms the boundary to Cambodia in the east of the province, where Trat has borders with three Cambodian provinces: Battambang, Pursat, and Koh Kong.

The third biggest island of Thailand (after Phuket and Ko Samui) is the province's Ko Chang. The island and more than 40 surrounding smaller islands form the Mu Ko Chang Marine National Park.

Other islands of the province include Ko Kham, Ko Mak, and Ko Phi.

National parks

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There are two national parks, along with five other national parks, make up region 2 (Si Racha) of Thailand's protected areas.(Visitors in fiscal year 2024)

Mu Ko Chang National Park	650 km2 (250 sq mi)	(182,635)
Namtok Khlong Kaeo National Park	198 km2 (76 sq mi)	(18,940)

Koh Rang is a stunning, uninhabited island group managed under the Mu Ko Chang National Park in Trat Province, Thailand. Famous for its clear blue water and powdery white sand beaches, it serves as the primary hub for snorkeling and scuba diving in the Mu Ko Chang National Park archipelago.

Ko Rang (Thai: เกาะรัง, pronounced [kɔ̀ʔ rāŋ]) is an island in the southwestern part of the Ko Chang archipelago on the southeastern edge of the Gulf of Thailand.The island rises up out of 60m of water in most places and has few beaches.The southeastern corner of the island offers a reasonable anchorage and the Thai Coast Guard has deployed several mooring buoys in this area for dive boats. There is a small Buddhist shrine on the beach adorned with phallic fertility statues. The small island of Ko Tun lies across a narrow channel to the south where fishing boats take shelter from the southwest monsoon

Trat province in southeastern Thailand hosts notable Gesneriaceae (the African violet and lipstick plant family)species, particularly in humid lowland and island habitats like Ko Chang and Khao Kuap. Historic and modern botanical surveys record specific gesneriad occurrences in the region. 

Gesneriaceae

Notable Gesneriaceae Genera & Records in Trat

Aeschynanthus: Epiphytic species of this genus, such as Aeschynanthus radicans, have been documented in low-altitude damp areas like Huay Raeng in Trat. 



Microchirita / Chirita- aliados: Southeast Thailand (including Trat and neighboring Chanthaburi and Rayong) serves as a distribution zone for specialized forest-floor and lithophytic gesneriads, include historical and regional specimens such as Microchirita elphinstonia recorded on Koh Chang and collections from areas like Khlong Kloi and Khao Kuap. 
Paraboea pubicorolla Z.R.Xu & B.L.Burtt. ชาดงรัก Laem Nawp District, Chang Island (5 Ko Chang) [12°009N 102°159E], 100 m
General Habitat Distribution: Local rainforests and shaded pockets on islands like Ko Chang support climbing or epiphytic members of Gesneriaceae adapted to the heavy seasonal rainfall of southeastern Thailand

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Provincial government

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The province is divided into seven districts (amphoes). These are further divided into 38 subdistricts (tambon) and 261 villages (mubans).

Map	#	Name	Thai	IPA	Subdivisions
	— Districts —
	1	Mueang Trat	เมืองตราด	/məʊŋtrɑt/	14 tambons - 97 mubans
	2	Khlong Yai	คลองใหญ่	/klɔŋjɑɪ/	3 tambons - 20 mubans
	3	Khao Saming	เขาสมิง	/kăo-sà-mĭŋ/	8 tambons - 66 mubans
	4	Bo Rai	บ่อไร่	/bɔː rɑɪ/	5 tambons - 34 mubans
	5	Laem Ngop	แหลมงอบ	/læmŋɔːb/	4 tambons - 25 mubans
	6	Ko Kut	เกาะกูด	/gɔguːd/	2 tambons - 8 mubans
	7	Ko Chang	เกาะช้าง	/gɔtʃɑːŋ/	2 tambons - 9 mubans