
Waterfront in Surat Thani
The
Tapi (or
Tapee) river () is the longest river in
southern Thailand. The river originates at the
Khao Luang, and has a wide
estuary into the
Gulf of Thailand at
Bandon Bay near the town of
Surat Thani. It has a length of 230 km.
The river drains an area of 5460 km² and in 1997 had an annual discharge of 135.4 m³/s or 4.3 km³ per year. The
Phum Duang River (or Khirirat River), which drains another 6,125 km² west of the Tapi watershed, joins the estuary 15 km west of Surat Thani in
Amphoe Phunphin.
The river was named in August 1915 after the river
Tapi in India, shortly after the town of Surat Thani was named after the town
Surat.
The island of
Ko Lamphu (เกาะลำพู) is located in the Tapi River, about 9 Km from its mouth, right by the Surat Thani town center.
In 1975 an area of 29.6 km² of swamp land on the east bank of the river in the district
Khian Sa was declared the
Nong Thung Thong non-hunting area.