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ภูเก็ต
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Phuket City
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5430
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75th
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287,587
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2004
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68th
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52963
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6th
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TH-83
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Udomsak Atsawarangkun
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2003
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(
Thai ภูเก็ต) (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.
Before that its old name was Ta-lang (in Thai): The word is derived from the old Malay "Telong" which means "Cape", which is still in used for one of the main districts in the Phuket area.
Phuket is the biggest island in Thailand, located in the
Andaman Sea , southern part of 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 Tha Sip Song (Twelve Canes), at 529 m above sea level.
, Kata Beach and
Karon Beach .]]
70% of the island is covered by forest. The western coast has several sandy beaches, while on the east coast are more muddy beaches. Nearly the southernmost point is ''Laem Promthep'' (Brahma's Cape), which is a popular sunset viewpoint.
In the mountainous north of the island is the Khao Phra Thaeo Wildlife Sanctuary, protecting more than 20 km&
2 of rainforest. The three highest peaks of this reserve are the Khao Prathiu (384 m), Khao Bang Pae (388 m) and Khao Phara (422 m). The
Sirinat National Park on the northwestern coast was established in 1981 and protects an area of 90 km&
2 (68 km&
2 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 due 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 fulled of Banana leaves" in Thai.
Other popular beaches are located south of Patong. In a counter-clockwise direction these include
Karon Beach , Kata Beach,
Kata Noi Beach , and around the southern tip of the island, Nai Harn 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.
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 beach, and picture-perfect landscape, the increase in tourists has been amazing. Since the
2004 Tsunami , all damaged buildings and attractions have been restored.
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 of the recently deceased governor, and her sister Mook then assembled what forces they could. After a month long siege, the Burmese were forced to retreat
March 13 ,
1785 . The two women became local heroines, receiving the honorary titles Thao Thep Kasatri and Thao Sri Sunthon from 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'' was dissolved and Phuket became a province by itself.
Old names of the island include Koh Thalang.
On
December 26 , 2004, Phuket and other nearby areas on Thailand's western coast suffered extensive damage when they were struck by a
Tsunami caused by the
2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake . The waves destroyed several highly populated areas in the region, killing as many as 5,300 people nationwide, and tens of thousands more throughout the wider Asian region. As many as 250 people were reported dead in Phuket, including foreign tourists.
ITN journalist
John Irvine and his family survived the tsunami, despite being washed 50m inshore. Almost all the major beaches on the west coast, especially Patong, Karon and Kata, sustained major damage, with some damage also being caused to resorts and villages on the island's southern beaches.
However, by February 2005 most undamaged resorts were back in business, and throughout 2005 life slowly returned to normal for the people of Phuket. As of
November 2005 , following strenuous recovery programmes, there is little obvious tsunami damage remaining other than at more remote beaches, and the tourist industry which drives the Phuket economy appears to have almost fully recovered.
As with most of Thailand, the majority of the population is
Buddhist , but there is a significant number of
Muslim s (5%) in Phuket, mainly descendants of the island's original sea-dwelling people.
Phuket is divided into 3 districts (''
Amphoe ''), which are further subdivided into 17 communes (''
Tambon '') and 103 villages (''mubaan''). There is also one city (''thesaban nakhon''), one town (''thesaban mueang'') and 4 townships (''thesaban tambon''), and also 13 tambon administrative organizations (TAO).
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Mueang Phuket
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Kathu
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Thalang
