Nakhon Si Thammarat Range
The Nakhon Si Thammarat - mountain range ( Thai: เทือกเขา นครศรีธรรมราช, also Banthat mountain range - เทือกเขา บรรทัด or short Nakhon - Range) is a mountain range on the Malay Peninsula in the southern region of Thailand.
The Nakhon Si Thammarat - mountain range is named after the city of Nakhon Si Thammarat, which lies on its eastern border. Sometimes it is also called " Banthat mountain range ", a mountain range of that name there are also in the east of Thailand in Chanthaburi.
The mountains begin already in the islands of Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Samui and Ko Tao in the Gulf of Thailand and run in a north-south direction down to the Tarutao archipelago in the Andaman Sea. The mountain range is located about 100 kilometers east of Phuket mountain range, in the south it is continued in the Sankarakhiri Mountains.
Although the average height of the Nakhon Si Thammarat mountain range, is lower than that of the Phuket mountain range, but it forms a significant barrier. It is crossed only by three major roads, the National Road 403 from Trang to Nakhon Si Thammarat, the National Road 4 from Trang to Phatthalung and the National Road 406 from Hat Yai to Satun.
The highest mountains located between Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat, such as the Khao Luang with 1835 meters of altitude, the Khao Yai with 1438 meters and the Khao Yai Nan 1410 meters. Further south, the mountain range loses its height, between Thung Song Trang and it is not more than 500 meters.
Numerous smaller rivers rise in the mountains, of which the Maenam Tapi ( Tapi River ) is by far the largest.
Most areas of Nakhon range are covered by dense jungle and almost uninhabited. To the east they form the boundary of a wide coastal plain, which is of great economic importance.
National Parks
The mountains are protected by numerous national parks:
- National Park Tai Rom Yen
- National Park Khao Luang
- Khao Nan National Park
- National Park Namtok Yong
- National Park Khao Pu - Khao Ya