Khlong
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Damoen_Saduk_Floating_Market.jpg
Damoen_Saduk_Floating_Market.jpg
Floating market of Damnoen Saduak, Ratchaburi province
A khlong (also commonly but less correctly called a klong; Thai คลอง) is a canal in the central plain of Thailand spawned by the Chao Phraya, the Ta Chi and the Mae Klong rivers. The capital Bangkok was crisscrossed by them and so gained the name Venice of the East. The khlongs were used for transportation and for floating markets, but also for sewage. For health reasons now most of the khlongs of Bangkok have been filled in and converted to streets, although the Thonburi district of Bangkok still retains several of its larger khlongs. The traditional floating markets now exist mainly as tourist attractions, the most famous one at Damnoen Saduak in the Ratchaburi province.