Earth Matters

February Puzzler Answer: Bang Kachao

March 3rd, 2015 by Kathryn Hansen

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The answer to the February 2015 puzzler does not involve the stomach or kidney as many readers suggested. But if your answer mentioned the organ associated with breathing—the lung—then you were partially correct. The image shows Bangkok’s “green lung.” That’s the nickname given to Bang Kachao, a lush protected area that has escaped the dense development seen elsewhere in Bangkok, Thailand. Read more about the region in the caption of the March 1, 2015, Image of the Day.

In response to the February 24 blog post announcing the puzzler, Robert van den Helm was the first to correctly name the city and country. Tanatakorn was the first to specify Bang Ka Chao (one of a number of alternate spellings for the area).

Paul Mueller contributed colorful details about the region that he calls home—and indicates that stomach would have also been an acceptable answer:

 “It’s my home, Khung Bang Krachao, nicknamed “The Lungs of Bangkok” or, as the locals say in Thai: “Pig’s Stomach”. It is located in a meander in the Chao Phraya River just south of Bangkok. Comprised of six subdistricts with a population of around 10,000 and an area of around 16 square kilometers, it is part of the Phrapradaeng District of Samut Prakan Province. It is an island since there are at least two canals that cut through the “neck” It is also the largest green space in the world next to any city the size of Bangkok or larger, but sadly is being quickly developed. In 1977, the original plan by the government was to buy almost the entire island to preserve it as a green space, but it was only in 1982 that the funding came in, resulting in only a little over ten percent actually being purchased …”

Finally, Rolf Dunker contributed some interesting nuggets of information on Facebook, noting that buildings in the area not to exceed the height of the palm trees.

Thank you for participating in the February puzzler discussion. We look forward to hearing from you again in March!

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