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About Phuket
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Located approximately 862 kilometers
south of Bangkok is Phuket, pronounced
“Poo-get”, which is often dubbed
as the pearl of the Andaman. Thailand’s
largest island is also its second smallest
province covering an area of approximately
570 square kilometers (Including
32 small islets). The island measures,
from north to south, 48.7 kilometers
and from east to west, 21.3 kilometers.
Phuket governance is divided into 3
districts, called ‘Amphur’; they are
Amphur Muang, Amphur Thalang and
Amphur Kathu. The province is bordered
as follows : |
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To the north is the Pahk Prah Channel
with Phang Nga Province on the other
side. The two provinces are connected
by two bridges right next to each other,
the Sarasin Bridge and Thao Thep
Krasattri Bridge. To the south and west
lies the Andaman Sea and to the east
is Phang Nga Bay, with its spectacular
jungle clad limestone islands, including
the ‘James Bond Island’ from the movie
‘The Man with the Golden Gun’. |
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The residents of Phuket comprise Thais
who have migrated from the mainland,
ethnic Chinese, Malays, and Chao Leh
or ‘sea-gypsies’ who were the original
inhabitants. |
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According to the census, Thai-Budd
hists account for 71% of the popultion,
Malays 24%, and the Chao Leh, 4%,
make up the remainder. The figure
for Thai-Buddhists also includes the
Chinese who are almost completely
assimilated. Some estimates put the
percentage of ethnic Chinese at around
35%. The vast majority of the population
resides in or around Phuket City
in the east and the resort of Patong
Beach in the west, creating a population
distribution along an east-west axis. |
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In March 2007 the Phuket Provincial
Administration office reported that there
are 313,955 people registered as living
in Phuket. However, the real figure is
likely to be quite a lot higher as this
data does not take into account those
who live and work in Phuket but are |
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registered as being resident elsewhere,
a fairly common occurrence. One must
also add the seasonal workers and
visitors, of whom there are a significant
number all year round. Taking everyone
into account, some estimates have
calculated a figure as high as 500,000
during peak periods. |
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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 |
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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 largest
acreage of the island. Principal crops
are rubber, coconuts, cashews and
pineapples. Prawn farming has largely
taken over the east and south coasts
but pearl farming is also important.
Phuket’s fishing port is at all times filled
and the processing of marine products,
mainly fish, makes a significant contri-contribution
to the economy. With so many
healthy industries supplying income,
the building industry has also become
a major factor in employment.
Construction encompasses massive
public works projects, large office
buildings and hotels, housing estates
with hundreds of units, single luxury or
family homes, and many apartments
and condominiums. |
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Phuket has a lot more to offer its visitors
other than just its natural heritage of
sea, sand, sky, beach, forest, and world
renowned diving sites. Sino-Portuguese
architecture casts its spell delighting
travelers to the city, while Phuket-style
hospitality has never failed to impress
visitors from all walks of life. In addition,
accommodation ranging from worldclass
resorts to tropical-style bungalows
have warmly catered to the different
needs of travelers. For seafood lovers,
there is a lot more to sample than just
Phuket’s famous lobster. Altogether,
these characteristics have made this
island a truly unique destination. |
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