Phuket Travel Information Guide and Tourist Information

Phuket, a large island in the Indian Ocean, is 867 kms. from Bangkok. It is the only island having provincial status, and was a regional headquarters as well, with a rich and colorful history.

Known as the Pearl of the Andaman, it derived much of its former glory and its enormous wealth from tin production, which in Phuket dates back over 500 year. Today, Phuket is the major tourist attraction of Thailand. The surrounding waters contain much varied marine life, and the town is notable for its Sino-Portuguese architecture. It is a very attractive island for sightseeing, with lovely seashores and forested hillsides.

Its population of 1.6 million people ranks sixth among all provinces. Approximately 1.75 million Rai of the area is forest land. The main occupation here is rice farming. The average per capita income is 14,343 baht.

Location and Boundaries

Phuket is an island connected by bridges to southern Thailand's Andaman Sea coast, in the Indian Ocean, lying between 7'45" and 8'15" north latitude, and from 98'15" to 98'40" west longitude on the map. Phuket, Thailand's largest islands, is surrounded by 32 smaller islands that form part of the same administration, with a total area of 570 square kilometers. Measured at its widest point, Phuket is 21.3 kilometers; at its longest, 48.7 kilometers. it is bounded thus:

Geography

Phuket is the same size as Singapore Island. About 70 percent of Phuket is forested hills. Mai Tha Sip Song is the highest peak on the island, 529 meters above sea level. Low plains form the rest of the area, mainly in the center and south. There are three canals, Khlong Bang Yai, Tha Jin, Khlong Tha Rua, and Khlong Bang Rong, which run through the island.

Phuket is the largest island in the country, but the smallest province in the South. It is located between 7?45' and 8?15' north latitude, and from 98?15' to 98?40' west longitude on the map.

Surrounded by 32 smaller islands, Phuket occupies 543 square kilometers. The overall length from north to south is 47.8 kms and 21.3 kms from west to east. Phuket connects to the mainland by two bridges, the Sarasin Bridge and Thoa Thep Krasatri Bridge (600 meter, across Pak Phra Channel, bridging Chatchai Landing of Phuket and Tha Nun Landing of Phangnga). To the south and west Phuket adjoins the Andaman Sea, and the Krabi Sea to the East.

Phuket's average temperature is around 28.0 to 29.3 degrees Celsius. The lowest average is around 21.8 to 22.7 degrees Celsius and the highest is 35.7 degrees Celsius (in 1998).

Climate

Phuket's weather conditions are dominated by monsoon winds that blow year round. It is therefore always warm and humid. There are two distinct seasons, rainy and dry. The rainy season begins in May and lasts till October, during which the monsoon blows from the southwest. The dry season is from November through April, when the monsoon comes from the northeast. Highest average temperatures, at 33.4 degree Celsius, prevail during March. Lowest averages occur in January, when nightly lows dip to 22 degree Celsius.

Economy

Since the early 1980's the tourist business has been Phuket's chief source of income. Hotels, restaurants, tour companies, and souvenir shops are much in evidence on the west coast. However, while once all-importance tin mining has ceased, tourism is by no means the island's only activity. Agriculture remains important to a large number of people, and covers by far the most part of the island. Principal crops are rubber, coconuts, cashews, and pineapples.

Prawn farming has largly taken over the east and south coasts. Pearl farming is also important. Phuket's fishing port is at all time filled, and processing of marine products, mainly fish, makes a significant contribution to the economy. With so many healthy industries supplying income, construction has become a major factor in employment. This range from massive public works projects, large office buildings and hotels, and housing estates with hundreds of units, down to single family homes, apartments and additions.

Population

The island's official population as of December 1998 was 231,206. Most live in Muang district.

Thirty percent of the island's population are Chinese descendants. But they differ from those in Bangkok because they came from the Hokkien region of China, who migrated to Phuket during the boom of the tin mining industry in the 17th -- 18th century. Today, the Chinese are responsible for much of the trade and commerce in the city. They also represent the strongest culture of Phuket town.

Equal to the Chinese descendants is the Thai Muslim community which also comprises 30 per cent of the island's population. Muslims living in southern Thailand are of Malaysian extraction and arrived at an early date. There is also a small number of sea gypsies living in a village in Ko Sirey. By far, sea gypsies are the most interesting original inhabitants of Phuket island but the intrusion of tourists is impinging on their lifestyle.

With the tourism boom in Phuket during the last decade, Phuket has attracted people from other regions to work in the tourism industry, which is now the largest source of income. So it's easy for tourists to spot the local people who can communicate in English.

Government

The administration in Phuket is divided into three districts, Thalang in the north, Kathu in the west, and Muang in the south. The cities of Phuket and Patong have their own city governments, with elected city councils, the leading members of which serve as mayor. There are also elected provincial, district, and sub-district, or Tambon councils. The local constabulary is part of the Interior Ministry.

Phuket is the richest province in the south and ranked number six in Thailand, thanks to the tourism industry. Since the early 1980's, tourism has been Phuket's chief source of income. In 1997, Phuket's income per capita was around 156,675 baht. Hotels, resorts, restaurants, tour agencies, entertainment businesses and souvenir shops have been springing up like mushrooms along the west coast. In the past, Phuket's wealth was mainly built on tin mining but when tin demand in world markets declined, tourism took over as a money machine for the island. Agriculture ranks as the second source of income. Rubber, coconut, cashew, and pineapple plantations are an important part of the economy. Aquatic animal farming such as prawn and pearl farming are occupations that people living in Phuket rely on.

Heroines Monument

The Heroines Monument was erected in the middle of the city opposite Thalang National Museum on Highway 402.

After the Burmese sacked Ayutthaya, then the capital of Siam, in 1767, King Taksin drove out the Burmese and re-unified the country. The Burmese were bad losers, and outfitted a fleet to attack the southern provinces and carry off the populations to slavery in Burma. The Monument honors Kunying Jan and her sister Mook who were credited with the organizing the successful defense of Phuket Island against the Burmese invaders. This became Phuket's most unforgettable historic event.

To acknowledge their bravery and leadership, King Rama I conferred on Kunying Jan the honorific apellation Thao Thep Kasatri - a title of nobility usually reserved for royalty, and her sister became Thao Sri Suntorn. Read More...