Overview

Phuket Island is Thailand's largest island and one of the most popular holiday destinations in Southeast Asia. It is also the wealthiest province in the country. With its spectacular beaches, sparkling crystal-clear blue waters, picturesque landscape, historical and culture sights as well as endless offers of all imaginable entertaining amenities, Phuket truly is a dream-come-true destination.

Phuket enjoys great popularity as a travel destination. Most beaches are on the west coast, with Phuket Town to the south-east and the airport in the north.

Geography:
Phuket is Thailand's largest island with the total area of 570 square kilometers, surrounded by other 32 smaller islands under the same administration. The widest point of the island can be measured at 21.3 kilometers while the longest is at 48.7 kilometers.

The geographic surface of this island is quite rough, almost 70 percent of the total area are mountains, descended from north to south across the western side. The highest point of the island belongs to Mai Tha Sipsong Peak (Twelve Canes), located in Tambon Patong, Kathu Distirct, with the height of 529 meters.

The rest 30 percent of the island are low plains and tiny streams, such as, Khlong Bang Sai and Khlong Than Rue. These areas lie across the central and southern parts of the island.

Languages
Thai (official)
Thai is a complicated language with its own unique alphabet, but it's fun to try at least a few words. The main complication with Thai is that it is tonal: the same word could be pronounced with a rising, falling, high, low or level tone and could theoretically have five meanings!

Weather
Phuket's idyllic tropical weather pattern makes it a favourite with beach-lovers. There are, broadly speaking, two seasons: the dry and the wet. The dry season begins in December and lasts until April, when rainfall starts to pick up again. Wet or dry, temperatures remain remarkably consistent, nestling around 30°C (86°F), with an ever-present dash of humidity thrown in for good measure. (read more) link this page to weather page.

Electric Plug Details

European plug with two circular metal pins.
Japanese-style plug with two parallel flat blades.

2004 tsunami
The west coast of Phuket was hit severely by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, but almost no evidence of the damage now remains.