PHUKET - GENERAL INFORMATION

Phuket Island

Phuket Island (pronounced puu gèt) , is Thailand's largest at 48km in clause and 21km at its widest. It's in Southern Thailand, on the west-facing Andaman Sea coastline, suspended from the southern tip of Phang Nga Province by a couple of short but substantial lane bridges.

REGIONS:

Western Phuket (Bang Thao, Kamala, Karon, Kata, Laem Sing, Mai Khao, Nai Thon and Nai Yang, Patong, Surin)

This region is what Phuket is known for the earths over. There is a wide variety of beaches, some calm, some totally ruined by millions of guest each year. Patong is one of the sect belongings of Asia.

Southeastern Phuket (Chalong Bay, Cape Panwa, Nai Han, Rawai, Ya Nui)

Slightly off-beat beaches that are value the trip. Chalong Bay is the largest town that acts as a harbour for outgoing boats to Phi Phi isle and others south islands.

Interior Phuket (Bang Rong, Ko Sire, Phuket Town, Phra Taew National Park, Thalang)

Besides Phuket Town, the interior of Phuket is pretty much unvisited by foreign visitors. This fertile hilly sphere consists of mangrove forests, fishery villages, rubber and pineapple plantations, small Muslim communities and shrimp farms. The Phra Taew National Park is a nice escape from the tourist crowds, as is the Gibbon Project.

Small islands southern-eastern Phuket and Phang Nga Bay (Ko Bon, Ko Hae, Ko Lon, Ko Mai Thon, Ko Racha, Ko Maphrao, Ko Naka, Ko Yao, Ko Panyi, Ko Tapu (James Bond Island))

Famous for its beautiful beaches, clear water, coral forests, pearl farm, limestone cliffs, caves, mangroves, fishery villages and national park.

Cities

Chalong Bay — residence to Phuket's most popular yacht refuge and the primary portal to the islands off Phuket

Kamala — a quieter countryside to the north of Patong

Karon — the assistant most-developed beach after Patong

Kata — busy, clean tourist seaside with good surf, split into Kata Yai and Kata Noi Beaches

Nai Thon and Nai Yang — two quiet beaches in Sirinat National Park

Patong — the largest beach resort, known for its night life

Phuket Town — the administrative centre of the province, and the island's main population centre

Rawai — batteries off core for dozens of local islands, popular with locals for eating on the water front

Surin — an up-and-coming up-market destination

Phuket nestles in balmy Andaman Sea H2O on Thailand's Indian Ocean coastline 862 kilometres south of Bangkok. Phuket formerly derived its cocaine from tin and rubber, and enjoyed a rich and colourful history. The island was on one of the major commerce path between India and China, and was frequently mentioned in foreign trader’s boat logs.

In recent times, though, Phuket's vertex earner has been tourism, which has transformed the island into Thailand's wealthiest province. Expect prices to be a bit higher than on the mainland. The west slope of Phuket was bins severely by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, but almost no evidence of the insult now remains. Phuket enjoys great popularity as a travel destination. Most beaches are on the west coast, with Phuket Town to the southeast and the airport in the north.

Climate

Phuket is hot and humid throughout the year. The hot season is generally considered to be from March to early May. During the summer monsoon season from May to October, mornings and afternoons are still sunny and clear, but it tends to shower in the evenings and water intensity goes down. Locals consider November to February the "cool" season, and the weather is quite tolerable, scads more so than in the tourism centres around the Gulf coast. It's comparable to Florida's summer weather in temperature and vigor of shower storms: 25-33°C, flying clouds, shot and thunderous rainfalls in the afternoons and evenings. Surfing is possible off the western beaches.

Culture

Phuket is a fusing earthenware of indigenous Thais, Thai-Chinese, ethnic Malays and even ocean gypsies. The majority of the population in the rural sphere is Muslim. Outside of the provincial town, the rural folk speak with a thick Southern speech which is difficult for even other Thais to understand. The provincial town’s thrift owning boomed over the past decade has led to a pen of the kid leading similar undertaking to those in Bangkok. Altogether, the determination of the urban Sino-Thais in Phuket resembles that of their counterpart in Bangkok.