Surat Thani

Surat Thani is a city in southern Thailand, about 651 kilometers south of Bangkok, and serves as the capital of Surat Thani Province. It sits near the mouth of the Tapi River on the Gulf of Thailand and functions mainly as a transit hub for travelers heading to the islands of Ko Samui, Ko Tao and Ko Pha Ngan, alongside its role as a commercial seaport handling the rubber and coconut trade of the surrounding province. The city received its current name, meaning city of good people, from King Vajiravudh in 1915, replacing its earlier name Bandon; it gained municipal status in 1930 and was upgraded to city status in 2007. As of 2019 it had a registered population of about 132,040 across 68.97 square kilometers. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/