Sadao สะเดา
District
Temple of the Thousand Buddhas, Wat Tham Khao Rup Chang
District location inSongkhla province
Coordinates:6°38′19″N100°25′26″E / 6.63861°N 100.42389°E /6.63861; 100.42389
Country	Thailand
Province	Songkhla
Seat	Sadao
District established	August 22, 1909; 115 years ago (1909-08-22)
Area
• Total	1,029.273 km2 (397.405 sq mi)
Population  (2021)
• Total	124,115
• Density	120.585/km2 (312.31/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+7 (ICT)
Postal code	90120[1]
Geocode	9010

Sadao (Thai:สะเดา,pronounced[sā.dāw]) is district (amphoe) on theborder ofMalaysia inSongkhla province, southernThailand. The capital of the district is also called Sadao town.

The small town of Danok (Thai:ด่านนอก,RTGS: dan nok), 13 km south of Sadao town in tambon Samnak Kham is the majorborder crossing between Thailand and Malaysia. The immigration, customs, quarantine and securitycheckpoint on the Malaysian side is called theBukit Kayu Hitam ICQS checkpoint. A second smaller border crossing is in the district atPadang Besar, 12 km west of Sadao town.

Neighboring districts are (from the west clockwise):Khuan Don andKhuan Kalong ofSatun province;Khlong Hoi Khong,Hat Yai, andNa Thawi of Songkhla Province. Southwest of Sadao's 85 kilometre border with Malaysia are the Malaysian states ofKedah andPerlis.

The district marks the southern end ofPhetkasem Road, the longest road in Thailand, which runs fromBangkok viaHat Yai to theborder crossing at Danok (Thailand)–Bukit Kayu Hitam (Malaysia). Major roads connect this road withPattani (intersection at Khlong Ngae) andPadangbesar with the intersection at Sadao town.

Two main border crossings with Malaysia are in the district. The main crossing is at Danok withBukit Kayu Hitam on the Malaysian side. The crossing is the busiest land border crossing between Thailand and Malaysia.^[2]Phetkasem Road is connected to Malaysia'sNorth-South Expressway at this border crossing.^[3] Another crossing is atPadangbesar, with the Malaysian town ofPadang Besar inPerlis on the Malaysian side. The main railway crossing between Malaysia and Thailand is also at Padang Besar.

The Thai-Malaysian border is porous, with illegal crossing points frequently discovered by authorities.^[4]

Historically Sadao is part ofKedah in the district ofChanglun, which means 'elephant falls' inThai. The district was formerly part ofChanglun, and was then under the overlordship of MalaySultanate of Kedah (known as Syburi in Thai).

When theBritain and Siam (Thailand) signed theAnglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909, deciding what belonged to whom,Changlun was divided into two parts. The main border town ofChanglun became the district ofKubang Pasu, now inKedah ofMalaysia. The rest remained Thai. Tambon Sadao, together with the former minor district (king amphoe) Prik, forms modern Sadao.^[5]

The namesadao is the Thai word forneem tree.

The district is divided into nine sub-districts (tambons), which are further subdivided into 67 villages (mubans). The town (thesaban mueang) ofSadao coverstambon Sadao.Padangbesa is another town which covers parts oftambon Padangbesa. There are three sub-district municipalities (thesaban tambons): Prik and Phang La each cover parts of the same-namedtambons, and Samnak Kham the fulltambon Samnak Kham. There are a further seventambon administrative organizations (TAO) responsible for the non-municipal areas.

• 
  The Sadao checkpoint at Danok.
• 
  Pa-dang Besa, Sadao District
• 
  Railway, Pa-dang Besa, Sadao District
• 
  Pa-dang Besa, Sadao District
• 
  Wat Tham Khao Rup Chang, tambon Pa-dang Besa
• 
  Wat Phang La, tambon Phang La
• 
  Danok
• 
  Entry stamp, Sadao border crossing at Danok
• 
  Exit stamp, Sadao border crossing at Danok

• amphoe.com (Thai)

• Districts of Songkhla province
• Malaysia–Thailand border crossings

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