Phuket Province 6

Transportation
The Phuket International Airport is located in the north of the island. There are many scheduled flights and chartered flights from domestics and other countries in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America landing in Phuket.

There is no rail-line to Phuket, but the trains do run to nearby Surat Thani. Songthaews (passenger pick-up vehicles) are a common mode of transport on Phuket. Phuket’s songthaews are larger[citation needed] than those found in other areas of Thailand. They travel between the town and beaches. There are also conventional bus services and motorbike taxis. The latter are found in large numbers in the main town and at Patong Beach. The traditional Tuk-tuks have been replaced by small vans, mostly red or some are yellow or green. Songthaews are the cheapest mode of transportation for travel from town to town.

Attractions  
Two Heroines Monument (อนุสาวรีย์ วีรสตรี), is a monument in Amphoe Thalang a memorial of the heroines Thao Holland Kasattri (Kunying Jan) and Thao Sri Sunthon (Mook), the Islanders in 1785, rallied to repel Burmese invaders. Was deceased as governor of the island just to the defense of Phuket against Burmese invasion of 1785, organized by his widow, Thao Holland Kasattri performed. With the help of her sister, she gathered what forces they had to believe, local women dressed as a male soldier with a view to increased military personnel have to Phuket. After a month of siege, the Burmese invaders were exhausted, and withdrew. King Rama I awarded Jan with Kunying the royal title of Thao Holland Kasattri.

Thalang National Museum (พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ ถลาง) is located near the Two Heroines Monument. In 1985, on the 200th anniversary of the Thalang War, the Thalang National Museum was established. The museum contains a permanent exhibition of life in old Phuket, ancient artefacts and remains discovered on the coast, and materials used during war with Burma (Myanmar).

Hat Patong (หาด ป่า ตอง) (Patong Beach) is Phuket's most developed beach 3 km (1.9 miles) long. It is 15 km from Phuket Town. Patong consists mainly of hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and various tourist attractions. Daily activities are around the beach with many water sports. Patong is equally well suited for its nightlife, centered around Soi Bangla known. Patong is Phuket also stores selling items such as clothing, fashion accessories and souvenirs. At the northern end of Patong and Kalim Bay is a popular spot for watching the sunset, and between April and September each year to surf.

 

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Climate
Phuket has a tropical climate, more specifically a tropical monsoon climate, with a dry season from November to April and a rainy season from May to October. Average temperatures are consistent year-round. Average highs range from 29 °C (84 °F) to 33 °C (91 °F); average lows range from 23 °C (73 °F) to 26 °C (79 °F).

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 Hokkien 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. In modern times, Phuket's economy rests on two pillars: rubber tree plantations (making Thailand the biggest producer of rubber in the world) and tourism, with a thriving diving industry attracting thousands of divers each year.

Since the 1980s, the beaches on the west coast of the island is heavily developed into tourist centers, with Patong, Karon and Kata as the most popular. Since the 2004 Tsunami, all damaged buildings and attractions have been restored. Phuket is currently in a phase of intense urbanization free time with many new hotels, apartments and houses under construction. In July 2005, Phuket is one of the world's top five retirement destinations in the prestigious Fortune Magazine.There are thousands of expats in Phuket, many of them retirees.

Demographics
Like most of Thailand, the majority of the population is Buddhist, but there are a considerable number of Muslims (30%) in Phuket, mainly descendants of the original Sea Island living people. Among the many Muslims are of Malay descent. The people of Chinese descent form an even larger population, many of which are made of tin mining in Phuket We walked down after the 19th century. Peranakan, as "Phuket Babas" in the local language, provides a fair share for the members of the Chinese community, especially among those who have family ties with the Peranakan of Penang and Malacca.

Phuket provincial population in the preliminary count of the 2010 census counted about 525 018 people, including about 115 881 foreigners, or 21.1% of the population will be. But it is admitted, this is incorrect, because the province of Phuket for the work currently registered for more than 64,000 Burma, Laos and Cambodia, which are legally on the island.Final figures published later in 2011.

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Forest, rubber and palm oil plantations cover 60% of the island. The western coast has several sandy beaches, while on the east coast beaches are more often muddy. Near the southernmost point is Laem Promthep (Brahma's Cape), which is a popular sunset viewing point. In the mountainous north of the island is the Khao Phra Thaeo Non-hunting Area, protecting more than 20 km² of rainforest. The three highest peaks of this reserve are the Khao Prathiu (384 metres (1,260 ft)), Khao Bang Pae 388 metres (1,273 ft) and Khao Phara 422 metres (1,385 ft). The Sirinat National Park on the northwestern coast was established in 1981 and protects an area of 90 square kilometres (35 sq mi) (68 kilometres (42 mi) marine area), including the Nai Yang beach where sea turtles lay their eggs.

One of the most popular tourist areas on Phuket is Patong Beach on the central western coast, perhaps owing to the easy access to its wide and long beach. Most of Phuket's nightlife and its cheap shopping is located in Patong, and the area has become increasingly developed. Patong means "the forest filled with banana leaves" in Thai. Other popular beaches are located south of Patong. In a counterclockwise direction these include Karon Beach, Kata Beach, Kata Noi Beach, and around the southern tip of the island, Nai Harn Beach and Rawai. To the north of Patong are Kamala Beach, Surin Beach and Bang Tao Beach. These areas are generally much less developed than Patong, and sought out by individuals, families and other groups with a preference for more relaxed and less crowded environs than Patong. There are many islands to the southeast, including Bon Island, just a short boat trip away. There are several coral islands to the south of Phuket, the Similan Islands lie to the north west, and Phi Phi Islands to the south east. Islanders engage in a lively tourist trade, catering to snorkellers and scuba divers.

Administrative divisions
Phuket is divided into three districts (Amphoe), which are further subdivided into 17 subdistricts (tambon) and 103 villages (muban).
    1.Mueang Phuket
    2.Kathu
    3.Thalang

There are nine municipal (thesaban) areas within the province. The capital Phuket has city (thesaban nakhon) status, and the main touristical town Patong as well as Kathu has town (thesaban mueang) status. There are further six subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon)—Karon, Thep Krasattri, Choeng Thale, Ratsada, Rawai and Wichit. The non-municipal areas are administrated by nine tambon administrative organizations (TAO).

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By February 2005 many damaged resorts were back to business, and life slowly returned to normal. Following strenuous recovery programs, no tsunami damage can now be seen except in the most remote beaches.

In early December 2006, Thailand launched the first of the 22 U.S.-made tsunami-detection buoys to be positioned around the Indian Ocean as part of a regional warning system. The satellite-linked deep-sea buoy floats 1,000 km (620 mi) offshore, roughly midway between Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Geography
Phuket is the biggest island in Thailand, located in the Andaman Sea of 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 kilometres (270 mi) from the Kra Isthmus. The highest elevation of the island is Mai Thao Sip Song (Twelve Canes), at 529 metres (1,736 ft) above sea level.

It is estimated that Phuket has a total area of approximately 570 square kilometres (220 sq mi) (including the province's other islands). Phuket is approximately 536 miles (863 km) south of Bangkok, and covers an area of approximately 543 square kilometres (210 sq mi) excluding small islets. It is estimated that if all its 39 other small islands are included, Phuket Province will cover an area of approximately 590 square kilometres (230 sq mi). The island total length, from north to south, is estimated at 30 miles (48 km) and 13 miles (21 km) wide.

Phuket's topology is exceptional with 70 percent of its area covered with mountains which stretch from north to south and the remaining 30 percent being plains located in the central and eastern parts of the island. It has a total of 9 brooks and creeks but does not have any major rivers.

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In 1685, King Narai confirmed the French tin monopoly in Phuket to their ambassador, the Chevalier de Chaumont.Chaumont's former maître d'hôtel, Sieur de Billy, was named governor of the island. However, the French were expelled from Siam after the 1688 Siamese revolution. On April 10, 1689, Desfarges led an expedition to re-capture Phuket to restore some French control in Siam. His occupation of the island led to nothing, and Desfarges returned to Pondicherry in January 1690.

The Burmese attacked Phuket in 1785. Francis Light, a British East India Company captain along the island, said the local administration, he had observed Burmese forces to attack. If Phu Ying Chan, the wife of the late governor, and her sister Mook (คุณ มุก) assembled what forces they were local. After a month long siege of the capital, the Burmese were forced to, 13 March 1785 to withdraw. The women were local heroes and received the royal title of Thao and Thao Si-Holland Kasattri Sunthon by a grateful King Rama I. During the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), Phuket became the administrative center of the tin-producing southern provinces. In 1933 Monthon Phuket (มณฑล ภูเก็ต) was dissolved and Phuket became a province in itself. Old name of the island include Koh Thalang.

2004 Tsunami
On 26 Ago in december 2004, Phuket and other nearby areas on the west coast of Thailand major damage when the Boxing Day tsunami, which in 2004 made ​​in the Indian Ocean earthquake. The waves destroyed several highly populated areas in the region, killing more than 5300 people across the country, and tens of thousands more in the Asian region. Some 250 deaths were reported in Phuket, including foreign tourists, and perhaps thousands of illegal Burmese workers building new beach resorts in the area of Khao Lak. Almost all the major beaches on the west coast, especially Kamala, Patong, Karon and Kata, were damaged, with some damage to the resorts and villages on the southern beaches of the island.

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Phuket Thai: ภูเก็ต [. UP market ʰ ː]), formerly known as Thalang (Tha-Laang) and known in the western sources, is junk Ceylon (a corruption of the Malay Tanjung Salang, ie "Cape Salang"), one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Phang Nga and Krabi, but as Phuket is an island, it has no national boundaries.

Phuket, which is about the size of Singapore, is the largest island of Thailand. The island is connected to the mainland by two bridges Thailand. It lies off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. Phuket has led its wealth from tin and rubber, and has a rich and colorful history. The island was on one of the major trading routes between India and China, and was often in Portuguese foreign ship logs, noted French, Dutch and English traders. The region now derives much of its income from tourism.

Name

The name Phuket (of which the ph sound is an aspirated p) is apparently derived from the word bukit (Jawi: بوكيت) in Malay which means "hill", as this is what the island appears like from a distance. The region was formerly referred to as "Thalang," derived from the old Malay "Telong" (Jawi: تلوڠ) which means "Cape". The northern district of the province, which was the location of the old capital, still uses this name.

History
In the 17 Century, Dutch, English, and by the 1680s the French, competed for the opportunity to (then known as Junkseilon) with the island of Phuket, which is a very rich source of tin to act. In September 1680 visited a ship of the French East India Company Phuket and left with a full cargo of tin. A year or two later, the Siamese king Narai, try, Dutch and English influence, reduce as governor of Phuket, a French physician and missionary, Brother René Charbonneau, a member of the Siam mission of the Société des Missions étrangères mentioned. Charbonneau remained as governor until 1685th