Chao Phraya River, Thai Mae Nam Chao Phraya, also called Maenam, Chao Phraya River: boat on the Chao Phraya River [Credit: © Index Open]principal river of Thailand. It flows south through the nation’s fertile central plain for more than 225 miles (365 km) to the Gulf of Thailand. Thailand’s capitals, past and present (Bangkok), have all been situated on its banks or those of its tributaries and distributaries, as are many other cities.
The Chao Phraya constitutes a valuable waterway for the transport of the nation’s traditional exports of teak and rice south to Bangkok, though less bulky commodities are now moved overland by road or rail. For centuries the Thai have made use of the Chao Phraya, and particularly its canal (khlong) system, for drainage, recreation, and fishing and as a source of water.
The river’s headwaters—the Ping, Wang, Yom, and Nan rivers—rise in the mountains of northern Thailand. At Nakhon Sawan, 140 miles north of Bangkok