 |
Topography
Located just under 900 kilometres Southwest of Bangkok, it is measuring 54 kilometers north to south, and 21 kilometers east to west at its most distant points.
Thailand’s largest island , Phuket is surrounded by 32 smaller islands of similar topography, many of them prime tourist attractions in their right. About 70 percent of the land area is mountainous, with the highest elevation at 529 meters. The terrain is richly varied, with rocky headlands, numerous beaches
of differing sizes and character, limestone cliffs, jungle-clad hills, small estuaries, lagoons, and tropical vegetation of all kinds.The permanent population is estimated at roughly a quarter of
a million, and Phuket is the only island in Thailand to have full provincial status. The Sarasin Bridge connecting it to the mainland was constructed in the mid-1970's, and a second one parallel to it, the 660-metre Thao Thep Krasatri Bridge, opened more recently. Phuket airport saw its first aircraft land in 1976
Location and Boundaries
Phuket is an island connected byThe Sarasin Bridge 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.It is bounded thus:
On the North : Lies the Pak Prah Strait,spanned by two bridges running newer side-by-side,the older Sarasin Bridge,and the newer Thao Thep Krasattri Bridge.
On the South : Is the Andaman Sea.
On the East : Is Ao Phang-Nga Bay (In the jurisdiction mainly of Phang-Nga Province).
On the West : Is the Andaman Sea.
Climate
Phuket’s weather conditions are dominated by monsoon winds that blow year round. It is therefore always warm and humid. There are two distinct seasons, rainy and dry.
The rainy season begins in May and lasts till October, during which the monsoon blows from the southwest.
The dry season is from November through April, when the monsoon comes from the northeast. Highest average temperatures, at 33.4 Degrees Celsius, prevail during March. Lowest averages occur in January, when nightly lows dip to 22 Degrees Celsius.
Transportaion
By Air
Phuket has an international airport; both regularly scheduled and charter flights from around Asia, Australia and Europe bring in more than 2.5 million visitors a year.
Flights to and from Bangkok take about an hour. Thai Airways have an extensive website.
You can also take the daily 25-minute Bangkok Airways flight to and from
Koh Samui, on the other side of the peninsula.
Book your tickets early, especially during the November-May high season.
By Sea
If you come from abroad by yacht, it's necessary to check in with Immigration and Customs on Chalong Bay, on the southern end of Phuket. For more information, see yachting services page or Sail Thailand (Bangkok: Artasia Press, 2nd ed. 1995).
There are no regular ferry services from other countries.
By Road
Phuket, 885km south of Bangkok , is connected to the mainland by a 1200m causeway. The bus ride from Bangkok takes 14hrs or more, leaving from the Southern Bus Terminal. Those who've taken the trip more than once recommend sitting well away from the front seats, so that you can't see the road ahead.
There are regular mini-bus trips from Singapore and Penang which are reasonably priced but only recommended for the young, the brave or the hungry for adventure.
By Rail
An equally gruelling, though very scenic journey involves the night train (with sleepers) from Hua Lumphong Railway Station in Bangkok to Surat Thani, where you transfer to a bus to Phuket.
On the same track, trains from Butterworth in Malaysia (adjacent to Penang) connect with Singapore and stop at Surat Thani.
Please look around and pick up your hotel deal for your trip in Phuket,Thailand
|
|
