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Krabi at a glance
 Located
approximately 814 kilometers from Bangkok is Krabi Province, one
of most attractive destinations in southern Thailand. Encompassing
an area of 4,708 square kilometers, the western border of Krabi
is the Andaman Sea, the northern borders are Surat Thani and Phang-nga
Provinces, the southern borders are Trang Province and the Andaman
Sea and the eastern borders are Nakhon Si Thammarat and Trang Provinces.
Krabi is an ideal getaway destination teeming with natural attractions
including white sandy beaches, fascinating coral reefs, numerous
large and small islands and verdant forests with caves and waterfalls.
Krabi's topography is mostly mountains and highlands separated
by plains in some parts. Flowing through Krabi City to the Andaman
Sea at Pak Nam Sub-district is Maenam Krabi which is 5 kilometers
in length. In addition, there are several canals originating from
the province's highest mountain range, Khao Phanom Bencha including
Khlong Pakasai, Khlong Krabi Yai and Khlong Krabi Noi. Lush mangrove
forests line the canals and the banks of Maenam Krabi particularly
before it empties into the Andaman Sea. The provinces sandy soil
conditions are suitable for growing various agricultural products,
particularly rubber trees, palms, coconuts, cashew nuts and coffee.
 Due
to the influence of the tropical monsoon, there are only two seasons
in Krabi; the hot season from January to April and the rainy season
from May to December. Temperatures range between 17 ?C and 37 ?C.
Krabi is administratively divided into 8 Amphoes (Districts): Amphoe
Mueang, Khao Phanom, Khlong Thom, Plai Phraya, Ko Lanta, Ao Luek,
Lam Thap, and Nuea Khlong. The provinces jurisdiction covers not
only in-land districts and sub-districts, but also extends to more
than 130 large and small islands including the world famous Phi
Phi Islands.
In addition, Krabi is the location of two world class beaches Ao
Nang and Hat Rai Le which offer numerous diving trips, restaurants,
shops etc. Additional attractions in the province are stunning limestone
cliffs and rock formations which make it a heaven for rock climbers
and a National Park located approximately 40 kilometers outside
of town with lakes, caves and spectacular natural scenery.
History of Krabi
Some archeologists claim that Krabi City is one of the older settlements
in the country as there is archaeological evidence indicating that
this area had been home to homosapiens during the prehistoric times
or between 25,000 - 35,000 B. C. The assumption has been strongly
supported by the discovery of stone tools, ancient colored pictures,
beads, pottery and skeletal remains in the provinces cliffs and
caves.
In 1200 A.D., the area was known as Ban Thai Samo, one of 12 royal
cities that had a monkey as the town symbol. During this period
of time, Krabi was under the rule of the Kingdom of Ligor, a city
better known today as Nakhon Si Thammarat.
During the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910), the community was
known as Pakasai Sub-county and remained under the direct jurisdiction
of Nakhon Si Thammarat province.
Around 1872, King Rama V elevated Pakasai Sub-county to Krabi Province
with the provincial administration office situated at Krabi-yai
Sub-county (currently, the office is located near the estuary at
Pak Nam Sub-district) and in 1875, ordered the separation of Krabi
Province from Nakhon Si Thammarat Province.
During the present reign, the corps of civil servants, merchants,
and the people of Krabi and nearby provinces have collectively organized
the construction of a royal residence at Laem Hang Nak Cape which
is thirty kilometers west of Krabi Town on the Andaman coast to
be presented to His Majesty the King.
Origin of the name Krabi
 There
are two legends concerning the origin of the name "Krabi".
The first is that villagers presented a large ancient sword (or
krabi) that was discovered by chance to the governor. Later when
a smaller, on discovering a smaller one, it was also presented to
the governor. Regarded as sacred and auspicious, the governor decided
to keep them in the province. As the process for the establishment
of the province was still in progress, the swords were placed crossing
each other in Khao Khanap Nam cave. Since then, the crossed swords
have remained a part of the provincial seal.
The second legend is that "Krabi" was derived from the
name of a local tree known as "Lumphi". The Malay and
Chinese merchants mispronunciation of the name to "Ka-lu-bi"
or "Kho-lo-bi" finally resulted in "Krabi" (or
sword).
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