Thailand
Phuket
Social
Phuket is a city located in the southeast of Phuket Island, Thailand and is the largest island in Thailand. The city has a population of 231,206 people. Phuket currency is the Thai Baht. The religion largely practised in Phuket is Buddhism and its ethnic composition is made up of Thai, Chinese, Muslim, Chao Le, European, Indian and Arabic nationalities.
Patong Beach, the most developed of the west-coast beaches, has evolved from a fishing village into a thriving little resort city over the past 15 or so years.
Historical
- Hollywood has been a fan of the Phuket region, capturing its landscapes in films such as James Bond movie, The Man With The Golden Gun and The Beach, at the Phi Phi islands, just off Phuket's coast.
- Phuket was known for centuries as an important trading post on the eastern shore of the Bay of Bengal, with busy ports seeing many goods come and go.
- Tin-mining took off with a bang in Phuket in the 19th Century, attracting thousands of Chinese laborers looking for work from the European mine owners
- The Tsunami – death and destruction: The hardest hit areas included popular Patong Beach and several other west coast towns, which suffered major destruction and killed 250 people.Many people remember this day and is a large part of the thai local history in Phuket.
Environmental
Wildlife
Climate
The northeast monsoon season: roughly November till April, brings consistently sunny weather, cool breezes and low humidity.
The southwest monsoon: May till October, sees the rainiest and most unpredictable weather.
Landscapes
Economic
Tourism - In the past decade, this industry has become the biggest money maker for this area, and it continues to grow. Phuket now gets more than 3 million visitors every year, and this number is growing. The area is a popular holiday destination for people all around the world.
Tin - The demand for tin is down. Tin dredging in offshore waters has been restrained in the past few years, mainly due to regulations designed to help protect the coral reefs and beaches of the west coast. Old tin-mine workings on land however are being converted from unsightly scars in the landscape to beautiful resort hotel developments, yacht marinas, golf courses and bungee-jumping facilities.
Coconuts, pineapples, bananas, cashews - Agriculture of various sorts is still an important part of Phuket's economy, but more and more farming land are being given over to housing, roads, and other infrastructure.
Fishing - Fishing is still an important part of life for the people living along the coast. But small-scale fisheries are being taken over by modern larger fisheries. Large-scale fisheries, meanwhile, are threatened with commercial fish stocks from over-fishing.