About Phuket Island

Phuket was a way station on the route between India and China where seafarers stopped to shelter. The island appears to have been part of the Shivite empire (called in Thai the Tam Porn ling) that established itself on the Malay Peninsula during the first Millenium A.D. Later, as Muang Takua-Talang, it was part of the Srivichai and Siri Tahm empires. Governed as the eleventh in a constellation of twelve cities, Phuket's emblem, was the dog.

During the Sukothai Period Phuket was associated with Takua Pah in what is now Phang-nga Province, another area with vast tin reserves. The Dutch established a trading post during the Ayuthaya Period in the 16th Century. The island's northern and central regions then were governed by the Thais, and the southern and western parts were given over to the tin trade, a concession in the hands of foreigners.

After Ayuthaya was sacked by the Burmese in 1767 there was a short interregnum in Thailand, ended by King Taksin, who drove out the Burmese and re-unified the country, the Burmese, however, were anxious to return to the offensive. They outfitted a fleet to raid the southern provinces, and carry off the populations to slavery in Burma. This led to Phuket's most memorable historic battle led by the two heroines, Kunying Jan, wife of Phuket's recently deceased governor, and her sister Mook.


After a month's siege the Burmese were forced to depart on13 March, 1785. Kunying Jan and her sister were credited with the successful defense. In recognition King Rama I bestowed upon kunying Jan the honorific Thao Thep Kasatri, a title of nobility usually reserved for royalty, by which she is still know today. Here during the Nineteenth Century Chinese immigrants arrived in such numbers to work the tin mines that the ethnic character of the island's interior became predominantly Chinese, while the coastal settlements remained populated chiefly by Muslim fishermen.
In Rama V's reign, Phuket became the administrative center of a group of tin mining provinces called Monton Phuket, and in 1933, with the change in government from absolute monarchy to a parliamentary system, the island was established as a province by itself.
Location and Boundaries

Phuket is an island in the Andaman Sea along Thailand's Southern and Western coast and is connected by bridges to southern Thailand's mainland.
Phuket Island can be located on a map between the Northern latitudes of 7' 45" and 8' 15" and between 98' 15" and 98' 40" West Longitude, The Andaman Sea being part of the Indian Ocean.

As Thailand's largest island, Phuket is surrounded by 32 smaller islands which part of the same administration. Phuket Island has a total land area of 570 square kilometers, about the same as the island of Singapore. Measured at its widest point, Phuket is 21.3 kilometers; at its longest, 48.5 kilometers.

Phuket Island's boundries are:


On the North: Lies the Pak Prah Strait, spanned by two bridges running side-by-side, the older Sarasin Bridge, and the newer Thao Thep Krasatri Bridge.
On the South: Is the Andaman Sea.
On the East: Is Ao Phang-nga Bay (Mainly under the jurisdiction of Phang Nga Province).
On the West: Is the Andaman Sea.

Geography
About 70% of Phuket is mountainous; a western range runs from north to south from which smaller branches derive. The highest peak is Mai Tao Sip Song, or Twelve Canes, at 529 meters, which lies within the boundaries of Tambon Patong, Kathu District. It has recently been capped by a radar station which has a beautiful public access road to within meters of the station. The remaining 30% of the island, mainly in the center and south, consists of low plains. There are numerous streams including the Klong Bang Yai, Klong Ta Jin, Klong Ta Rua, and Klong Bang Rohng, none of which are large.

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 degrees Celsius, prevail during March.Lowest averages occur in January, when nightly lows dip to 22 degrees 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-important 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, Pineapples, Prawn farming has largely taken over the east and south coasts. Pearl farming is also important. Phuket's fishing port is at all times 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 ranges 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
Official population as of December 31, 1998, was 231, 206. This figure numbers those who are registered as living in Phuket. Phuket's attraction as a center of economic activity has resulted in many living on the island whose registration is elsewhere. The total population of Phuket varies considerably depending on the time of year, though it is never less than figure given above.

Government
The island is divided into three districts, Talang in the north, Kathu in the west, and Muang in the south. Thailand's system of government relies upon a strong central authority, thus the Provincial Governor is a civil servant appointed by the Interior Ministry in Bangkok, as are the Nai Amper, or District Chief. 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 Island has many interesting places to visit, many of which are easy to go to by motorbike or car. Please take the time to explore and you will be rewarded by sights and lasting impressions of the present and the past.