These unprecedented floods in the central plains and Bangkok are due to a variety of factors. Firstly, the geography of Bangkok and its surrounding areas make it prone to flooding, being situated on natural flood plains near the mouth of the Chao Phraya river delta in to the Gulf of Thailand with many networks of canals used for irrigation and transport. As a consequence, the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, and the cities of the central plains to the North of Bangkok, are prone to regular flooding almost every year.