About Phuket
Phuket Island is an island of natural beauty an amazing combination of golden sandy beaches, turquoise seas, green hills, mangroves and rainforest. Phuket scenery is surrounded by the Andaman Sea and beautiful islets which invites for snorkeling and diving. Northeast of Phuket the stunning limestone outcrops of Phang Nga Bay emerging out of the mangrove waters and can be visited to whole year round. Friendly people, culture, varied deliciousThai and western cuisine, entertainment and nightlife, tropical climate and range of amenities creates an ideal destination for singles and families.
Phuket has an excellent infrastructure, good roads, electricity and telephone and ADSL network. Shopping malls, cinemas, spas, golf, diving, snorkeling, parasailing, jet ski, beach volleyball, tours, trekking, surfing, kite surfing, canoe tours and many others activities are just a few available. See an example of images below or go to the side bar to find more beautiful snap shots about Phuket.
The waters around Phuket are generally very safe but a few words of warning. If you see red flags at the beach it means no swimming. Red Flags indicate potentially dangerous conditions called Rip Tides which occure mostly in the summer season Mai-October when the wind is strong and build up big waves. Rip Tides are funnels between two sandbars and create a strong undertow and currents. Especialy around full moon and new moon the currents are much stronger and dangerous. Even if you think you are a good swimmer don’t try it. Best is to stay calm and not to struggle to come back, swim with the current along the beach until it calms down than swim back to the beach.
Location
Phuket Island is located in the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) 7 degrees north of the equator, just off the west coast of Southern Thailand. The island is connected at it’s northern point to Phang Nga province, on the Thai mainland by the Sarasin Bridge. Bangkok is approximately 1200 km north by road and about 1,5 hour by air.
Area and Topography
Phuket is the largest island, but the second smallest province of Thailand. With an area of 539 square kilometers the main island is about the same size as Singapore. Several smaller offshore islands increase the total area to 570 Sq. Km. Almost 60 percent of the island is mountainous, with almost 40 percent still forested (jungle) and a further 20 percent under rubber plantation.
Climate
Phuket has a two season tropical climate. The green season runs from May to October and the dry high season from November to April. The prevailing winds are from the south west during the summer season and from the east during the hot season. These sea breezes cool and stabilize the climate, making Phuket much cooler than Bangkok. Outside of a few weeks in November, average daytime temperatures rarely move outside the 30 to 35 Celsius range. Rain doesn’t last very long in Phuket comparing to the rest of Thailand. So even in the green season there is a lot of sunshine in Phuket but not so hot.
Population
The last official census showed about 250,000 people living in Phuket. Since this figure only includes those registered as resident in Phuket and there is a significant (semi permanent) work force form other provinces of Thailand as well as many semi resident foreigners not to mention up to 75,000 visitors at any one time, it is likely that a more realistic figure would be in the range of 500,000.
Languages and Religions
The official language is standard Thai, but a local south Thai dialect is widely spoken. The large indigenous Chinese minority still makes limited use of Hokien and other Chinese dialects. 75 percent of Phuket inhabitants are Buddhist including the Chinese Buddhists, 22 percent Muslim and 3 percent Christian. There are 30 main Buddhist temples, 34 Mosques and 2 churches on the island.
Commerce and Industry
Tin ore mining, marine products, rubber, coconut and pineapples have traditionally been the main products of Phuket. Tin was very significant until the early 1980s and contributed significantly to the island’s reputation as the wealthiest province outside Bangkok. The decline of tin was largely replaced by Tourism Industry. Tourism is now far and away the islands most significant source of revenue.
