The Southern Area of Ayutthaya is shaped by Khlong Takhian and the Chao Phraya River and separated into two sub-areas by Khlong Khu Cham. The eastern sub-area was populated by the Chinese (around Bang Kraja) and the Portuguese trading communities along the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. The western sub-area was inhabited by Cochin Chinese refugees - mainly Christians, while the Malay occupied the southern area. Cham Muslims from Cambodia and Vietnam settled between these areas along Khlong Khu Cham, called "Le Canal du Petit Cochon" by the French. "Cochon" (pig) is likely the French contorted pronunciation of the word "Khu Cham". "Petit" stands for small, meaning that also Khlong Takhian was denominated by the French as Khu Cham ("Canal du Grand Cochon").
In the Ayutthaya period, there were more waterways crisscrossing this area, but of most of these canals, no traces remain. A part of the area lies in the Pak Kran Fields (Thung Pak Kran).
The Southern Area contains a total of 47 temple sites.
