Phuket
(2002 pop 246,000). The granite island of Phuket is the largest island in the nation of Thailand. It is located in southwest Thailand off the western Malay Peninsula in the Andaman Sea. The island was known as Ujong Salang (Cape Salang) to the Malays and was called Junkceylon by Europeans, possibly a corruption of Ptolemy's name for a cape passed on the way to the Malay Peninusula, "Jang Si Lang." Along with Penang (Malaysia) and Medan (Indonesia), Phuket is part of the northern growth triangle.
The name also refers to the seaport town of Phuket, located at the southern end of this island, as well as to its provincial name. It is a principal port for the nation and the provincial capital. The port typically draws shipping traffic from the Indian Ocean.
Phuket's earliest inhabitants may have been the Chao Lam, or "sea gypsies," a short-statured people who traveled the coastal regions by boat. Indian immigrants settled all along its coast in the fourth century CE, flourishing there through the thirteenth century, when Tai rule was first extended to Phuket. European trade in the area began in the seventeenth century. The Burmese, who had destroyed the Tai kingdom of Ayutthaya in 1769, turned their attention to Phuket in 1785 but were successfully repulsed. From then on, Phuket was largely in Siam's sphere of influence, although Europeans retained trading concessions on the island. Phuket did not become a province of Thailand until 1933.
The Sarasin Bridge connects the island to the mainland. Most residents are Thai. Other ethnic groups represented on the island include Muslim Malays; Chao Lam (people of the sea); Chinese; expatriates from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada; and residents of Indian and Arabic descent.
The Chinese mined tin on Phuket for centuries. Demand for the mineral is in decline, and with concerns about the adverse impact of mining on aquatic life such as coral reefs, local officials are attempting to convert the mining sites. These sites are reportedly being transformed to provide more tourist facilities such as resort hotels and golf courses.
Other commerce on Phuket includes trade in rubber and charcoal; there is also fishing and agriculture. Major crops include coconuts, pineapples, bananas, cashews, and rice. Although farming is important to the local economy, land is being taken out of production and developed to accommodate continued growth.
In the 1980s, improvements were made throughout the city so that Phuket could be internationally marketed as a tourist destination. Commercial attractions including shops for arts and crafts, restaurants, and the like have been added. Phuket is known as the Pearl of the South for its natural attractions such as Phra Taew National Park and its waterscapes that entice vacationing scuba divers. The island is also considered one of the world's top beach resorts.
Further Reading
Smyth, H. Warington. ([1898] 2001) Five Years in Siam (1891–1896). Vol. 1: The Menam Valley, Lao States, Ratburi, Tenasserim, and Phuket. Reprint. Bangkok, Thailand: White Lotus Press.
Thailand Information Center. (2001) "The Island of Phuket." Retrieved 13 March 2002, from: http://mitglied.lycos.de/phi/index-hist ory.phukete.html.
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