Bang Pakong River

The Bang Pakong (RTGS: Maenam Bang Pakong, pronounced [mɛ̂ː.náːm bāːŋ pā.kōŋ]) is a river in east Thailand. The river originates at the confluence of the Phra Prong River and the Hanuman River near Kabin Buri, Prachinburi Province. It empties after 231 kilometres into the Gulf of Thailand at the northeastern tip of the Bay of Bangkok. The watershed of the Bang Pakong is about 17,000 square kilometres (6, 600 mi2). The river powers a power station near its mouth, near Highway 7. To protect the Irrawaddy dolphins, fishermen on the Bang Pakong River have been persuaded by authorities to stop shrimping and 30 to 40 fishing boats have been modified so they can offer dolphin sightseeing tours. Endangered sheatfish Ceratoglanis pachynema is endemic to the Bang Pakong. Dvaravati settlements include Muang Phra Rot, Dong Si Maha Phot, Dong Lakhon, and Ban Khu Muang. Dvaravati coins have been found at U-Tapao.

Its name "Bang Pakong" is believed to be distorted from the word "Bang Mangkong", refers to "place of Mangkong," for "Mangong" is Thai word meaning long whiskers catfish (Mystus gulio), a species of brackish water catfish that used to be found in this river. This name has been mentioned in Sunthorn Phu's poem Nirat Mueang Klaeng ("journey to Klaeng") since early Rattanakosin period. Anyway, it is also proposed that the name may have a Khmer origin as a mixture of "Bang" in Thai, meaning "estuary community", and the word "Bongkong" in Khmer meaning "prawn." Overall, it means "the river full of prawn." Moreover, in Chachoengsao Province the river is locally known as the Jolo River (RTGS: Maenam Cho Lo, pronounced [mɛ̂ː.náːm t͡ɕôː lóː], pinyin: zuǒ lú hé) a name derived from the Teochew word for barramundi (Lates calcarifer), reflecting the abundance of this fish in the area. Famous temples along the river include Wat Pak Nam Jolo and Wat Sothonwararam with Wat Saman Rattanaram.

Flows through: Thailand.

River data from Wikidata (CC0); lengths normalised to a common unit.