Phuket Island
Phuket Island is located in the Southern section of Thailand and Phuket is in fact a province by itself. The capital city of Phuket Island is Phuket City which is also known by many local Phuket residents, Phuket Island Expats and visitors as Phuket Town. Phuket Island is surrounded by a number of different Thai provinces to its North and East and which are Krabi and Phang Nga. Both of these Thai provinces are also along the coast of the Andaman Sea and are also both popular Thai tourist destinations for foreign travelers as well as Thai domestic tourists.
Phuket is the largest island of Thailand and can in size be compared to Singapore. Phuket Island is approximately five hundred and seventy square kilometers in size. The Sarasin Bridge connects Phuket Island to the mainland of Thailand at Phang Nga province. Before the completion of the Sarasin Bridge, many people traveled to Phuket Island by ferry.
Phuket Island has a long and very remarkable history. There have been many Chinese people who emigrated to Phuket between two hundred and one hundred years ago which is why Phuket Island and especially Phuket town has a strong Chinese ethnic influence.
The name of Phuket can be traced back to its Malay routs. Bukit means “hill” in Bahasa Malay. The season why this name was given to Phuket Island is because Phuket looks like a giant hill when you look from afar.
As with many other Southern Thai provinces, Phuket Island also has a large population of Muslims due to its relative close location to nearby Malaysia and its Malay population. It is worth noting that Phuket Island and its Muslim population have not experiences the type of armed struggle and aggression as can be found in some other Southern cities and provinces.
The main source of income for the residents of Phuket Island in the past has been from rubber trees, fishing and tin mining. Phuket was also a very important trading center since the seventeenth century for many European traders including the French, Dutch and Brits. This has all changed since Phuket was developed into a major tourist destination. Many local Phuket Island residents are currently employed in some form of Phuket travel and hospitality related business. Unfortunately Phuket Island has had its fair share of problems due to for example the recent Phuket Tsunami and the Asian Tsars crisis which lead to fewer tourists. This in turn heavily affected many Phuket residents as they were laid off due to the lack of tourists who visited Phuket Island during these troublesome times.
English is widely spoken on Phuket Island by many local Phuket Island residents. Other languages are generally not often spoken on Phuket Island by local Thai residents although you can find tour guides that speak Japanese, Chinese, Korean and German for example.
Most of the development on Phuket Island can be found on the West coast of Phuket. This is due to the fact that the beaches and water conditions of the Andaman Sea are better then what you would find on the east coast of Phuket Island. The most popular beaches of Phuket Island are all located on the West coast of Phuket and include the following great Phuket beaches: Patong Beach, Kata Beach, Kata Noi Beach, Karon Beach, Rawai Beach, Kamala Beach, Bang Tao Beach and Surin Beach.
There is however a trend with new Phuket real estate developments and projects as good land is running out on the West coast of Phuket Island. More and more exclusive and high end Phuket real estate projects are now being planning and build on the East coast of Phuket Island. There are plenty of wonderful sea view plots available on the East coast of Phuket and at often much cheaper prices.
Phuket Island has an excellent infrastructure for both international travelers as well as foreign residents. Phuket Island has some of the finest hospitals found anywhere in Thailand and which include the Phuket Bangkok hospital and the Phuket International Hospital. There are also a number of excellent English speaking private schools for the children of foreigners living on Phuket Island. You will also find other types of infrastructure in place such as high speed internet connection, good telephone lines and satellite and cable television.
One of the strongest business segments of Phuket Island is definitely the Phuket Island real estate sector. Phuket Island has been experiencing a very strong growth over the last decade with new housing geared towards wealthy foreigners who would like to live on Phuket Island or perhaps have a nice holiday home on Phuket Island. Please be sure to visit the Phuket real estate and Phuket property sections of our handy online Phuket guide for more information about the Phuket Island real estate industry.
Phuket Island is the showcase of the Thailand tourist industry. Few travel destinations around the world are blessed with so many beautiful beaches and Phuket Island has plenty of other type of attractions and activities to offer its tourists and travelers. Phuket Island for example is also a world class dive destination and Phuket Island is also extremely popular among people who enjoy yachting and sailing. Several other very popular Phuket Island attractions include the Phuket Island Fantasea Show and the Simon Cabaret Show. Finally we can definitely not forget about the excellent golf venues which can be found on Phuket Island. There are several championship golf courses on Phuket Island and which include for example the legendary Phuket Island Blue Canyon Golf Club.
We should however remain realistic as the main tourist attraction of Phuket Island has been for many years its wild nightlife. This is why many single male travelers have fallen head over heels in love with Phuket Island as all the dreams come true on Phuket. There are many types of nightlife venues on Phuket Island that cater to these types of tourists and travelers. The epicenter of nightlife on Phuket Island is most definitely Patong beach where tourists can find hundreds of Phuket Island beer bars, Phuket go go bars, Phuket discos etc. Some of the most famous and most popular nightlife venues on Phuket Island include: Phuket Tiger Disco, Phuket Safari Disco, Phuket Seduction Disco and the Phuket Banana Disco. Please visit our Phuket nightlife chapter for more information about these excellent Phuket Island nightlife venues. In the near future a Phuket Island Hard Rock Café will be opened and the opening will please even more local residents, Phuket Island expats and tourists and travelers. The Phuket Island guide also includes information on a variety of topics on Phuket Girls and Phuket Ladies. Please be sure to visit these as well if you are looking forward to meeting some sexy Phuket girls during your holiday on Phuket Island.
There are also world class shopping venues on Phuket Island. Many people seem to think that you can only shop for cheap counterfeit products in Thailand but they are definitely wrong. Two of the leading Phuket Island shopping malls are the Phuket Island Jungceylon shopping mall and the Phuket Central Carnival shopping mall. Not only will shoppers find many world famous brand name products at these shopping malls on Phuket Island but they will also find great entertainment venues such as modern US style movie theaters with English and American movies. Many local Phuket residents prefer to do their shopping at Phuket Lotus Tesco, Phuket Big C supermarket and the Phuket Makro wholesale store. There are also plenty of small markets on Phuket Island where many local Phuket residents buy their food and small things for around the house.
Phuket Island also offers an overwhelming selection of Phuket Resorts, hotels, guesthouses and Phuket Island villa rental options to travelers and tourists. Phuket Island accommodation can be find all categories so whatever a traveler is seeking for can be found on Phuket Island. The most expensive areas of Phuket Island for accommodation tend to be the Patong beach area and the Surin Beach area as well as the Phuket Laguna resort area of Phuket Island.
Dining is also an important part of any holiday and Phuket Island certainly has a very large and diverse assortment of restaurants for tourists and local residents to choose from. You can find restaurants and cuisines from all over the globe on Phuket Island and dining on Phuket Island is certainly never a dull experience. Please visit the Phuket Restaurants section of our Phuket Island guide for additional information about the best restaurants on Phuket..
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