Tambon
Tambon (Thai: ตำบล, pronounced [tam.bon]) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district (amphoe) and province (changwat), they form the third administrative subdivision level. As of 2009 there were 7,255 tambon, not including the 169 khwaeng of Bangkok, which are set at the same administrative level, thus every district contains eight to ten tambon. "Tambon" is usually translated as "township" or "subdistrict" in English — the latter is the recommended translation, though also often used for king amphoe, the designation for a subdistrict acting as a branch (Thai: "king") of the parent district. Tambon are further subdivided into 69,307 villages (muban), about ten per tambon. Tambon within cities or towns are not subdivided into villages, but may have less formal communities called chumchon (ชุมชน) that may be formed into community associations.
History
The tambon as a subdivision has a long history. It was the second-level subdivision of the area administered by a provincial town in the 19th century. The governor of the province was supposed to appoint a communal elder, kamnan or phan.
(The latter also means "1,000", and refers to the supposition that a tambon would have about 1,000 abled-bodied men. It is also both an obsolete feudal title and current Thai military rank that may be used instead of "nai" for a tambon administrator.)
