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During the 19th century, Chinese immigrants arrived in such
numbers to work for the tin mines that the ethnic character
of the island's interior became predominantly Chinese, while
the coastal settlements remained populated chiefly by Muslim
fishermen. In Rama V's reign, Phuket became the administrative
center of a group of tin mining provinces called Monton Phuket,
and in 1933, with the change from absolute monarchy to a parliamentary
system, the island was established as a province by itself.
The dream of escaping to an idyllic tropical island becomes
a reality on Phuket; Thailand's southern paradise.
Shaped like an irregular pearl and measuring approximately
21 km wide by 48 km long, the island is sparsely populated
outside Phuket Town. The landscape is one of lush green hills,
coconut groves, rubber plantations and a coastline dotted
with a dozen spectacular beaches. (Browse Beaches of Phuket).
Unspoilt stretches of fine white sand are found along the
entire west coast of the island. Each sun-drenched beach has
a character and charm of its own, and is separated from its
neighbors by picturesque headlands and backdrops of wooded
hills. Lapping the shore are the sparkling warm blue waters
of the Andaman Sea.
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