Songkhla () is a city (thesaban nakhon) in the Songkhla Province of southern Thailand, near the border with Malaysia. As of 2006 it had a population of 75,048. The city is a part of Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area.

Despite being smaller than the neighboring city Hat Yai, Songkhla is the capital of Songkhla Province as well as the Mueang Songkhla district (Songkhla Town district).

Due to its location at the opening of the big Songkhla lake to the Gulf of Thailand, Songkhla is a fishing town and also an important harbour. It is the major seaport on the east side of the Isthmus of Kra.

Songkhla was sometimes known as Singgora or Singora (City of Lions).

History

On December 8, 1941, hours before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Imperial Japanese army landed here and proceeded south towards Perlis and Penang as part of the Malayan campaign which culminated in the capture of Singapore.

Since 2003 Songhkla has been affected by the Muslim hard-line militant insurgency in neighboring Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala.

Population

Although the majority is Buddhist, there is a large proportion of Muslims in Songkhla, especially in the rural areas fringing the Malaysian border. These Muslims speak a Malay-based language which has some Thai influence in the form of words borrowed from the Thai language.

Songkhla's district (Amphoe) has five Tambon Administrative Organizations (องค์การบริหารส่วนตำบล). Songkhla town takes up the whole of Bo Yang division.