Pattaya

Sister cities

• Wuhan
• Shymkent
• Zhangjiajie
• Qingdao

History

The name Pattaya evolved from the march of Phraya Tak (later King Taksin) and his army from Ayutthaya to Chanthaburi, which took place before the fall of the former capital to Burmese invaders in 1767. When his army arrived in the vicinity of what is now Pattaya, Phraya Tak encountered the troops of a local leader named Nai Klom, who tried to intercept him. When the two met face to face, Nai Klom was impressed by Phraya Tak's dignified manner and his army's strict discipline. He surrendered without a fight and joined his forces. The place the armies confronted each other was thereafter known as "Thap Phraya", which means the "army of the Phraya". Thap Phraya was later changed to Phatthaya, which means 'the wind blowing from the southwest to the northeast at the beginning of the rainy season'. on Pattaya Beach, 1987]] Following World War II, entrepreneur Parinya Chawalitthamrong saw the potential of investing in Pattaya and donated some land to the governing administration. Pattaya City Hall would later be constructed on this land. A fishing village until the 1960s, tourism began during the Vietnam War, when American servicemen began arriving on R&R (rest and relaxation). One large group who arrived from a base in Korat on 29 June 1959 and rented houses from Phraya Sunthorn at the south end of the beach, on what is now known as the "Strip", are credited with recommending Pattaya, whose fame spread by word of mouth. On 29 November 1978, Pattaya was granted city status by the Thai government. In 1981, businessman Lek Viriyaphan began constructing on the Sanctuary of Truth which remains unfinished and is entirely made out of wood. In 2004, Nirun Wattanasartsaton became the first democratically elected mayor. In the 2008 mayoral election, Itthiphol Khunpluem became…

Most-observed species

• Common Myna

  Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  772
• Zebra Dove

  Geopelia striata (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  671
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  588
• Malaysian Pied-Fantail

  Rhipidura javanica (Sparrman, 1788) · Aves
  563
• Asian Koel

  Eudynamys scolopaceus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  562
• Great Myna

  Acridotheres grandis Moore, 1858 · Aves
  521
• Ayeyarwady Bulbul

  Pycnonotus blanfordi Jerdon, 1862 · Aves
  518
• Yellow-vented Bulbul

  Pycnonotus goiavier (Scopoli, 1786) · Aves
  517