Chonburi is an eastern province of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Chachoengsao, Chanthaburi, and Rayong. To the west is the Gulf of Thailand. Chonburi is home to Thailand's largest tourist oriented city, Pattaya, it is the only province outside the Bangkok Metropolitan Area to connect by an eight-lane motorway to Bangkok, 80 km distant. It is home to Thailand's largest and primary seaport, it has a thriving migrant and expatriate population. Due to these factors, the province's population is growing rapidly, with currently some 1.7 million residents. The registered population as of 31 December 2012 was 1.36 million.