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Glite Dictionary
Gulf of Thailand

Gulf of Thailand

3.4
A shallow part of the South China Sea beside Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam
  • proper noun
translation icon : Golfo de Tailandia
  • The famous resort town of Pattaya is located on the Gulf of Thailand, attracting visitors from around the world.

Examples

  • The Thai aquaculture industry has thrived in part because of the phenomenal growth of the trawl fishery in the Gulf of Thailand over the past 25 years.

    Academic text (1996)

  • For example, in the Ranpt district on the Gulf of Thailand, an area with a heavy concentration of shrimp farms, the average groundwater level decreased from three meters below the surface in 1989 to seven meters below the surface in 1991.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Many fishermen depend on the rich waters of the Gulf of Thailand for their livelihoods and catch diverse marine species.

  • Tourists often enjoy beautiful sunsets over the tranquil waters of the Gulf of Thailand during their vacations.

Synonyms

Gulf of Siam
vsGulf of Thailand
  • Archaic
6.7

A sea area between Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam now called the Gulf of Thailand

is the modern geographic name used today instead of the earlier form

Surface Forms

Gulf of Thailand main

Morphology

gulf + of + Thailand

The phrase names a geographic feature composed transparently from 'gulf' (a stretch of sea) and 'Thailand' (the country), with 'of' indicating the relationship. This standard place-naming pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer it refers to the sea area by Thailand.

Etymology

Gulf of Thailand comes from gulf, a word for a wide part of the sea that reaches into the land, and 'of Thailand' shows it is the gulf next to Thailand. So the name simply means 'the big bay next to Thailand', which is why it refers to that part of the sea beside the country.