Administrative divisions of Thailand

Thailand is a unitary state, which means the territories are separated into central co-dependencies, with the central government deciding everything for the provinces.[1] The kingdom is separated into multiple levels including regions, provinces, and many more. Though, formally, Thailand is separated into three levels: provinces, districts, and sub-districts, there are also informal divisions such as parimonthon, and phak.[2] Furthermore, there are administrative divisions of the same level with different names such as the first-level divisions of the province and the special administrative region.

The governance is separated into two branches, regular and municipal administration.[3] The regular administration is governed by the central government directly, with the municipal administration being given more autonomy by the central government, though still heavily restricted due to the over centralization of the Thai administrative system. This system arose during Rama V's reign where the governing system of the Kingdom of Siam was changing rapidly due to westernization.[4]

  1. ^ Paik, Christopher; Vechbanyongratana, Jessica (12 April 2019). "Path to Centralization and Development: Evidence from Siam". World Politics. 71 (2): 289–331. doi:10.1017/S0043887118000321. ISSN 0043-8871. S2CID 159375909.
  2. ^ "Regions Map of Thailand – Nations Online Project". www.nationsonline.org. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  3. ^ "สรุปข้อมูล อปท ทั่วประเทศ". www.dla.go.th. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  4. ^ "Thailand – Chulalongkorn's Reforms". countrystudies.us. Retrieved 2023-01-07.