Districts of Thailand

An amphoe (sometimes also amphur, Thai: อำเภอ, pronounced [ʔām.pʰɤ̄ː])—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of amphoe or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to counties. The chief district officer is Nai Amphoe (นายอำเภอ). Amphoe are divided into tambons, (Thai: ตำบล), or sub-districts.

Altogether Thailand has 928 districts,^[1] including the 50 districts of Bangkok, which are called khet (เขต) since the Bangkok administrative reform of 1972. The number of districts in provinces varies, from only three in the smallest provinces, up to the 50 urban districts of Bangkok. Also the sizes and population of districts differ greatly. The smallest population is in Ko Kut (Trat province) with just 2,042 citizens, while Mueang Samut Prakan (Samut Prakan province) has 509,262 citizens. The khet of Bangkok have the smallest areas—Khet Samphanthawong is the smallest, with only 1.4 km²—while the amphoe of the sparsely populated mountain regions are bigger than some provinces. Umphang (Tak province) at 4,325.4 km² is the largest and also has the lowest population density. The average area of a district in Thailand is about 552.93 km² (213.49 sq mi), while its average population of a district in Thailand is about 75,345 people.

The names of amphoe are usually unique, but in a few cases different Thai names have the same form in English due to the flaws of the romanization system. The notable exception, however, is the name Amphoe Chaloem Phra Kiat, which was given to five districts created in 1996 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's accession to the throne. Chaloem Phra Kiat (เฉลิมพระเกียรติ) means 'in commemoration of' or 'in honour of' a royal family member.