Chumphon
Thailand's narrowest point—the Isthmus of Kra—where a proposed 997-billion-baht land bridge could bypass the Malacca Strait and reshape Asian trade.
Chumphon exists at Thailand's narrowest point. The Isthmus of Kra—the land bridge connecting mainland Southeast Asia to the Malay Peninsula—squeezes here to barely 44 kilometers between the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. This geography made Chumphon a frontier city, possibly named from "Chumnumphon" (accumulation of forces) or simply from the local fig tree (Ficus glomerata). Either way, chokepoints attract conflict: Japanese forces used Chumphon as a rail hub during WWII; local volunteers fought the invasion.
The province guards the transition zone between Central Thailand and the true South. Its 222 kilometers of coastline and 44 islands make it both destination and gateway—ferries to Koh Tao and Koh Samui launch from here. Tourism generated 35.6 billion baht in 2023. Agriculture yields five Geographical Indication products, more than any other southern province, including lady finger and cavendish bananas exported weekly to Japan.
Now Chumphon stands at the center of Thailand's most ambitious infrastructure proposal: the Chumphon-Ranong Land Bridge, a 997-billion-baht corridor connecting deep-sea ports on both coasts via 90 kilometers of road and rail. If built, it would bypass the Strait of Malacca—the world's busiest shipping chokepoint. Chumphon would transform from gateway to terminus. In November 1989, Typhoon Gay killed 529 people here—the only typhoon to hit Thailand at full force. The province knows what disruption means.