Hat Yai:
Hat Yai is a city in southern Thailand near the boundary to Malaysia. With a population of 157,359 (2008) in the core city and about 800,000 in the Greater Hat Yai. Hat Yai is the biggest city of Songkhla Province and the largest metropolitan area in Southern Thailand, and is thus often mistaken as being the capital of the province.
However Songkhla is the capital and the center of administration and culture while Hat Yai is the business center. The two cities are considered as twin cities due to the close connection, accordingly, Hat Yai and Songkhla form the Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area.
Demographically, Hat Yai is notable for a higher proportion of Islamic and ethnic Chinese citizens than other cities of comparable size in the northern regions of Thailand. The population of Hat Yai is 157,359 as 2008, ranked 4th in the country behind Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Pak Kret.
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