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Phuket - Travel guidePhuket Province : General InformationPhuket (Formerly known as Tha-Laang or Talang) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Phang Nga and Krabi, but as Phuket is an island there are no land boundaries. The island is served by Phuket International Airport, located in the north of the island. The ph of "Phuket" is an aspirated hard "p", not a soft "f", so the name is pronounced (roughly) "Poo-get". The name Phuket is apparently derived from the word Bukit in Malay which means mountain or hill, as this is what the island appears like from a distance. |
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Phuket General Information |
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| Geography : |
Phuket is the biggest island in Thailand, located in the Andaman Sea, in southern Thailand. The island is mostly mountainous with a mountain range in the west of the island from the north to the south. The mountains of Phuket form the southern end of the Phuket mountain range, which ranges for 440 km from the Kra Isthmus. The highest elevation of the island is Mai Thao Sip Song (Twelve Canes), at 529 m above sea level. |
| Economy : | Tin mining has been a major source
of income for the island since the 16th century. Chinese businessmen and Chinese workers were employed in the mines. Most were Hakka Chinese, and their influence on Phuket culture and cuisine can still be felt today. With falling tin prices, the mining has now all but ceased. Nowadays, Phuket's economy rests on two pillars: rubber tree plantations (making Thailand the biggest producer of rubber in the world) and tourism. Since the 1980s Phuket has
become one of the major tourist attractions of Thailand, and most
of the sandy beaches on the western coast of the island have been
heavily developed into tourist centers, with Patong, Karon and
Kata being the most popular ones. Along with its stunning beaches,
and picture-perfect landscape, the increase in tourists has been
amazing. |
| History : | The most significant
event in the history of Phuket was the attack by the Burmese in
1785. Sir Francis Light, a British East India Company captain
passing by the island, sent word to the local administration that
he had observed Burmese forces preparing to attack. Kunying Jan,
the wife During the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), Phuket became the administrative center of the tin-producing southern provinces. In 1933 Monthon Phuket was dissolved and Phuket became a province by itself. Old names of the island include Koh Thalang. |
| Demographics : | As with most of Thailand, the majority of the population is Buddhist, but there is a significant number of Muslims (30%) in Phuket, mainly descendants of the island's original sea-dwelling people. |
| Symbols : | The provincial seal shows the two
heroines of the province, Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Sri Sunthon. The provincial tree is the Burmese Rosewood (Pterocarpus indicus), and the provincial flower the Pepper Flower (Bougainvillea sp.). |
| Administrative divisions : | Phuket is divided into 3 districts
(Amphoe), which are further subdivided into 17 communes (tambon)
and 103 villages (muban). There is also one city (thesaban nakhon),
one town (thesaban mueang) and 4 townships (thesaban tambon), and
also 13 tambon administrative organizations (TAO). 1. Mueang Phuket 2. Kathu 3. Thalang |
| External links : | Phuket Business Directory Phuket Hotels Booking Online |
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Phuket Thailand Travel Guide Information