Phuket - Web Guide to Travel to Phuket Thailand
Phuket is Thailand's largest island, and is approximately the size of Singapore. The idyllic Andaman Sea waters of Phuket are located 867 km south of Bangkok. Read more now on 77models.com
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. Thailand's largest island, Phuket is surrounded by 32 smaller islands that form part of the same administration, with a total area of 570 square kilometers. At its widest point, Phuket measures 21.3 kilometers. At its longest, it measures 48.7 km. It is bounded thus:
70% of Phuket is mountainous. A western range runs north to south, from which smaller branches are derived. The highest peak is Mai Tao Sip Song, or Twelve Canes, at 529 meters, which lies within the boundaries of Tambon Patong, Kathu District (no roads go there yet). Low plains make up the remaining 30% of the island, mostly in the south and center. Klong Bang Yai is one stream. Klong Ta Jin, Klong Ta Rua and Klong Bang Rohng are all streams. None of them are large.
History of Phuket
Phuket Island has a long recorded history, and remanins dating back to A.D.1025 indicate that the island's present day name derives in meaning from the Tamil manikram, or crystal mountain. It was called Junk Ceylon for most of its history. This name, along with variations, can be found on old maps. It is believed that the name has its roots in Ptolemy’s Geographia written in the Third Century A.D. by Alexadrian geographer. He said that the Malay Peninsula was not possible without passing the Jang Si Lang cape.
The route from India to China used Phuket as a stopover point for seafarers. 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. The emblem of Phuket, which was governed as the eleventh city in a constellation that included twelve other cities, was the dog.
During the Sukothai Period, Phuket was associated to Takua Pah in Phang-nga Province. This area also has vast tin reserves. The Dutch established a trading post during the Ayuthaya Period in the 16th Cent. 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. However, the Burmese were eager to go back on the offensive. They arranged a fleet to attack the southern provinces and then sold the people to Burma. This led to Phuket's most memorable historic event. A passing sea captain, Francis Light, sent word that the Burmese were en route to attack. Forces in Phuket were assembled led by the two heroines, Kunying Jan, wife of Phuket's recently deceased governor, and her sister Mook. After a month of siege, the Burmese were forced from their homeland on March 13, 1785. Kunying Jan and her sibling were credited for the successful defense.
Kunying Jan was bestowed the honorific Thao Thep Kasatri by King Rama I in recognition of her efforts. This title is a nobility that is usually reserved for royalty. Her sister became Thao Sri Suntorn.
In the Nineteenth Century, so many Chinese immigrants came to the island to work in the tin mines that its ethnicity became overwhelmingly Chinese. However, the coastal settlements were populated mainly by Muslim fishermen.
Rama V made Phuket the administrative center of Monton Phuket, a group of tin-mining provinces. In 1933, with the transition from absolute monarchy into a parliamentary government, the island became a province.