Pacific Ocean - Gulf Of ThailandThe Gulf of Thailand is relatively shallow, the mean depth is 45 metres, and the maximum depth only 80 metres. This makes water exchange slow, and the strong water inflow from the rivers make the Gulf lower in salinity but also rich in sediments. Only at the higher depths water with a higher salinity flows into the gulf from the South China sea and fills the central depression below a depth of 50 metres.
The main rivers which empty into the gulf are the Chao Phraya and the Maeklong at the Bay of Bangkok, and to a lesser degree the Tapi River into the Bandon Bay in the southwest of the gulf. At the height of the last ice age the Gulf of Thailand did not exist at all due to the lower sea level, but did instead continue the Chao Phraya river valley. Due to the tropical warmth of the water the Gulf of Thailand harbours many coral reefs, and several diving resorts. The most popular places to visit are Sihanoukville in Cambodia and the island Ko Samui in the Thailand, with Sihanoukville the centre of the diving tourism. The gulf also contains some oil and to a larger degree natural gas resources in Cambodian territorial water. |
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