GIỚI THIỆUPeninsular Thailand lies in the northern part of the peninsular Malaysia, extending from the Kra Isthmus in Thailand to the Malaysian border. The Thai part of the peninsula is bordered by the Gulf of Thailand (Pacific Ocean) to the east and the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) to the west. Peninsular Thailand is subdivided into three topographic landscapes: the mountain ranges, the Gulf coastal plain and the Andaman coastal plain. There are three mountain ranges in the peninsular region: in Phuket, Nakhon Si Thammarat and the Sankala Khiri. There is a wide coastal plain stretching along the eastern coast of the peninsula, which is characterized by an emergent shoreline. Sediments deposited along this shoreline have created many sandbars and offshore bars (Pongsaputra, 1991). In contrast, the Andaman coast is dominated by a submergent shoreline. Most of the coastal plain on the western coast is narrow, flanked by steep slopes. There are comparatively few rivers running towards the Gulf coastal plain and many short rivers towards the Andaman coastal plain. As a result of the variation in and unique nature of the topographic features of peninsular Thailand, diverse plant communities that have developed in these habitats can be encountered. However, among the diverse plant communities in the various habitats of peninsular Thailand, the terrestrial vegetation developed on the sandbars is one of the characteristic communities in terms of floristic composition and physiognomy. Very limited information on such vegetation in peninsular Thailand has been published comparing it with other types of coastal vegetation i.e. mangrove, peat swamp, moist-
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